The Effect of Amorphous Si₃N₄ Nanoparticles and Magnetized Distilled Water on the Mechanical Properties and Infrared Transmittance of α-Al₂O₃

The Effect of Amorphous Si₃N₄ Nanoparticles and Magnetized Distilled Water on the Mechanical Properties and Infrared Transmittance of α-Al₂O₃ | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article The Effect of Amorphous Si₃N₄ Nanoparticles and Magnetized Distilled Water on the Mechanical Properties and Infrared Transmittance of α-Al₂O₃ Mahdi Darabi, Ehsan Mohammad Sharifi, Reza Vafaei, Akbar Eshaghi, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6543878/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The objective of this study was to enhance the mechanical and optical properties of α-Al 2 O 3 ceramics through the incorporation of amorphous Si 3 N 4 nanoparticles, in conjunction with MgO and La 2 O 3 sintering aids. Samples were fabricated using the shear stress-thin layer (S-T) method with slurry prepared in magnetized distilled water. The effects of dispersant concentration, slurry pH, and annealing treatment were systematically examined. The material's hardness, fracture toughness, Young's modulus, and infrared transmittance were evaluated using a combination of analytical methods, including hardness and toughness tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The incorporation of 0.1 wt% Si₃N₄ and 2 wt% dispersant at a pH of 10 resulted in a reduction in hardness from 23.6 GPa to 16 GPa and an enhancement in fracture toughness from 3.4 MPa·m 1/2 to 6.3 MPa·m 1/2 . Annealing at 1200°C for 4 hours led to a significant reduction in hardness to 12.6 GPa and an enhancement in toughness to 7.7 MPa·m 1/2 . The Young's modulus demonstrated a decrease from 403 gigapascals (GPa) to 230 GPa, indicating a reduction in brittleness. Optical analysis demonstrated that under optimal conditions, infrared transmittance reached 85% in the 3–6 µm range. Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Materials science α-Al₂O₃ amorphous Si₃N₄ nanoparticles dispersing agents magnetized distilled water mechanical properties infrared transmittance Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 19 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 16 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 11 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 May, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 07 May, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 07 May, 2025 Editor invited by journal 07 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 05 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 28 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6543878","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":454920561,"identity":"d01fe716-d203-4781-a0ed-475904adabc8","order_by":0,"name":"Mahdi Darabi","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDCCAwwMzAwGQIYEg8GBD0CajZ0ULQdngLQwE6WFAaKFmQfEIKSF7/jZh58LChii+aWbNx62+bVNno+ZgfHDxxzcWiTPpBtLzzBgyJ0551jB4dy+24ZtzAzMkjO34dZicCCNQZoHqGXDjRyDw7k9txmBWtiYefFpOf+M+TdIy36QFsue2/aEtdxIY4PYIgHUwvDjdiJBLZI3nrFZzzCQyJ1xI63gYG/D7eQ2ZsZmvH7hO5/GfLvgj01u/4zkzR9+/LltO7+9+eCHj3i0QIEEhGJsA5MNBNUjgT+kKB4Fo2AUjIKRAgDZclJoVsGqBAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Materials Engineering, Maleke Ashtar University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mahdi","middleName":"","lastName":"Darabi","suffix":""},{"id":454920562,"identity":"713f62bd-6c34-4ca5-9217-8ec22af7e3ec","order_by":1,"name":"Ehsan Mohammad Sharifi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Materials Engineering, Maleke Ashtar University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ehsan","middleName":"Mohammad","lastName":"Sharifi","suffix":""},{"id":454920563,"identity":"a409dc57-a6ea-4a38-8f00-eaa46cfdc033","order_by":2,"name":"Reza Vafaei","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Materials Engineering, Maleke Ashtar University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Reza","middleName":"","lastName":"Vafaei","suffix":""},{"id":454920564,"identity":"6a381ea7-890c-494a-9f77-ebef928dd78f","order_by":3,"name":"Akbar Eshaghi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Materials Engineering, Maleke Ashtar University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Akbar","middleName":"","lastName":"Eshaghi","suffix":""},{"id":454920565,"identity":"58daf66c-af8d-459e-9048-2d14864b8e85","order_by":4,"name":"Mohammad Reza Loghman-Estarki","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Materials Engineering, Maleke Ashtar University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammad","middleName":"Reza","lastName":"Loghman-Estarki","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-28 04:53:24","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6543878/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6543878/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11241-1","type":"published","date":"2025-07-15T16:05:36+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":87220366,"identity":"938e0e03-46b7-4ec3-a223-55697da181c7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-21 16:12:06","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1964278,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript555.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6543878/v1_covered_01464e64-fd72-4fe8-9c1c-d4c7531733c4.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"The Effect of Amorphous Si₃N₄ Nanoparticles and Magnetized Distilled Water on the Mechanical Properties and Infrared Transmittance of α-Al₂O₃","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"α-Al₂O₃, amorphous Si₃N₄ nanoparticles, dispersing agents, magnetized distilled water, mechanical properties, infrared transmittance","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6543878/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6543878/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe objective of this study was to enhance the mechanical and optical properties of α-Al\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e ceramics through the incorporation of amorphous Si\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003eN\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e nanoparticles, in conjunction with MgO and La\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e sintering aids. Samples were fabricated using the shear stress-thin layer (S-T) method with slurry prepared in magnetized distilled water. The effects of dispersant concentration, slurry pH, and annealing treatment were systematically examined. The material's hardness, fracture toughness, Young's modulus, and infrared transmittance were evaluated using a combination of analytical methods, including hardness and toughness tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The incorporation of 0.1 wt% Si₃N₄ and 2 wt% dispersant at a pH of 10 resulted in a reduction in hardness from 23.6 GPa to 16 GPa and an enhancement in fracture toughness from 3.4 MPa\u0026middot;m\u003csup\u003e1/2\u003c/sup\u003e to 6.3 MPa\u0026middot;m\u003csup\u003e1/2\u003c/sup\u003e. Annealing at 1200\u0026deg;C for 4 hours led to a significant reduction in hardness to 12.6 GPa and an enhancement in toughness to 7.7 MPa\u0026middot;m\u003csup\u003e1/2\u003c/sup\u003e. The Young's modulus demonstrated a decrease from 403 gigapascals (GPa) to 230 GPa, indicating a reduction in brittleness. Optical analysis demonstrated that under optimal conditions, infrared transmittance reached 85% in the 3\u0026ndash;6 \u0026micro;m range.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"The Effect of Amorphous Si₃N₄ Nanoparticles and Magnetized Distilled Water on the Mechanical Properties and Infrared Transmittance of α-Al₂O₃","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-12 06:55:32","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6543878/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-05-19T20:08:53+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-05-16T10:58:17+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-05-11T15:49:08+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"151971039550757280619156029888908509162","date":"2025-05-07T11:42:18+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"238847890775326845242562327226202478002","date":"2025-05-07T11:36:12+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-05-07T11:25:50+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-05-07T11:08:56+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-05-07T10:26:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-05-05T10:05:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-04-28T04:51:22+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f498e807-2cc2-44fc-98ed-1198c96f6b37","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 12th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":48362824,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering"},{"id":48362825,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-07-21T16:09:00+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6543878","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11241-1","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2025-07-15 16:05:36","publishedOnDateReadable":"July 15th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-12 06:55:32","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-025-11241-1","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11241-1","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6543878","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6543878","identity":"rs-6543878","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}