Transparent MgAl<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4 </sub>ceramic could be found in a wide range of applications for both military and civil sector due to its high melting point, good mechanical properties, small refractive index (1.71) and its ability to allow light in range from UV to mid-IR to pass through. In the present work, transparent MgAl<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> was fabricated from metal nitrates via two steps. Firstly, the MgAl<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanopowder was synthesized via solution combustion synthesis from the metal nitrates. Secondly, the powder was then consolidated by Pulsed Electric Current Sintering (PECS) technique to fabricate transparent ceramic. XRD patterns of the obtained powder showed the peaks of only MgAl<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> phase. Besides, the atomic compositions of magnesium, aluminium and oxygen determined by EDX analysis were approximately corresponded to 1:2:4 of the molecular formula of MgAl<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>. After deagglomerating for 48 hours using soft ball-milling, the powder had the average particle of 27 nm. Transparent MgAl<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> samples, which were sintered with two-step sintering mode of 1050<sup>o</sup>C/60 minutes-1400<sup>o</sup>C/20 minutes, permitted the transmission of visible and infrared light with the transmittance up to 80%, Vickers hardness of 14.2 GPa, and fracture toughness of 1.1 MPa.m<sup>1/2</sup>. The results are a critical step toward fabrication of high-quality transparent ceramics from metal nitrates.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.