Effects of treatment modes of precipitates in the coprecipitation method on the resulting YAG nanopowders and ceramics are investigated. Three treatment modes for precipitates, namely, single water washing, water–ethanol washing, and water washing–ethanol immersion, are conducted to prepare the YAG nanopowders. The average particle size (∼62 nm) and distribution (mainly ranging from 30 to 110 nm) of the powders obtained by the three modes are similar. However, the dispersity of the three powders shows large differences. The nanopowder obtained via water washing–ethanol immersion possesses optimal dispersity without any agglomeration, whereas that obtained via single water washing comprises substantially hard agglomerations. The relative density, Vickers hardness, and optical in‐line transmittance of the ceramics prepared via water washing–ethanol immersion, respectively, reach 99.85%, 14.1 ± .4 GPa, and 77.8% at 1064‐nm wavelengths after spark plasma sintering. These results are markedly superior to those of the ceramics prepared using the two other modes (97.43%, 6.8 ± .7 GPa, and 17.2% at 1064‐nm wavelengths and 98.97%, 10.2 ± .5 GPa, and 47.8% at 1064‐nm wavelengths, correspondingly). Therefore, water washing–ethanol immersion is a sensible and advisable treatment mode of precipitates for preparing YAG nanopowder and ceramics via coprecipitation.

Ceramic proppants are preferred in hydraulic fracturing because of their high strength, good sphericity, and excellent acid corrosion resistance. Bauxite is the main raw material of ceramic proppants, but with the increasing depletion of bauxite resources, substitutes for bauxite need to be sought. Coal gangue is a solid waste that is rich in SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 , making it a potential substitute for the preparation of ceramic proppants. The use of coal gangue to prepare ceramic proppants can reduce the cost of ceramic proppants and benefit environmental protection. Studies on using coal gangue to prepare ceramic proppants have been conducted and achieved progress, but further improvement can still be obtained.Here, the basic principle, progress, and prospects of coal gangue ceramic proppants are reviewed. First, coal gangue ceramic proppants are divided into two categories, namely, proppants prepared using coal gangue as an auxiliary material and proppants prepared using coal gangue as the main material. Second, the progress of research of coal gangue ceramic proppants is summarized from the perspective of additives, and the influence of different kinds of additives on the sintering temperature and performance of proppants is discussed. Lastly, the future prospects of coal gangue ceramic proppants are presented.