# Progress in Transparent Nano-Ceramics and Their Potential Applications
## 5 Other Transparent Nano-Ceramics
### Scintillation Transparent Nano-Ceramics  
A scintillator is a device that can convert high-energy (X, \(\gamma\)) radiation or charged particles into new materials that emit visible light. According to the shape, composition, and structure of the scintillator, it can be divided into scintillating glass, scintillating ceramics, scintillating gas, scintillating crystal, scintillating plastic, etc. Among them, single-crystal and ceramic scintillators are the most widely used materials, mainly used in high-energy physics (precision electromagnetic energy), medicine (medical imaging), industrial applications (CT flaw detection), and stone well detection [111; 112]. With the wide application of scintillating ceramics, scholars have carried out a series of research on its preparation method, light transmission, and scintillation performance. In 1895, a German physicist, [PERSON], stumbled upon a flashing light near a tube coated with barium platinum cyanide while conducting a cathode-ray experiment and named it an X-ray [113]. In 1896, CaWO\({}_{4}\) was first used as an X-ray fluorescent powder for human body X-ray photography [114]. In 2017, [PERSON] et al. [115] synthesized Nd\({}^{3+}\) activated SrF\({}_{2}\) nanoparticles via the precipitation method and characterized the microstructure and morphology behavior of Nd\({}^{3+}\)-doped nanoparticles using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). They found that the synthesized powders had good sinterability, and transparent ceramics with a transmittance of about 80% at 1060 nm could be prepared by vacuum hot-pressing sintering at 800 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 2 h. In 2018, [PERSON] et al. [116] prepared (Ca\({}_{0.94}\)Gd\({}_{0.06}\)) F\({}_{2.06}\) transparent ceramics with Nd\({}^{3+}\) content of 0.5-5.0 at.% using the vacuum hot-pressing sintering method and studied its structure, spectrum, and thermal properties. It was found that the characteristic absorption peak intensity of the Nd\({}^{3+}\) ion increases linearly with the increase in its content. With an increase in Nd\({}^{3+}\) content from 0.5 at.% to 5.0 at.%, the measured life dropped dramatically from 484.9 \(\upmu\)s to 47.8 \(\upmu\)s. In addition, they also found that the thermal properties of the ceramics were closely related to temperature and Nd\({}^{3+}\) concentration. [PERSON] et al. [117] prepared Ce, Mg:LuAG transparent ceramics (Ce concentration of 0.025-0.3 at.% and Mg concentration of 0.2 at.%) using the solid-phase method and studied the effect of Ce content on its light transmittance. As shown in Figure 17, Figure 17a represents the transmittance of six samples of varying content. They discovered that with a Ce content of 0.1 at.%, the transmittance of six Ce\({}^{3+}\) samples sintered at 510 nm was close to 71%. Mg:LuAG ceramics had the best properties, as shown in Figure 17b. In Figure 17c, it can be observed that the absorption bands of Ce\({}^{3+}\) increase gradually at 345 nm and 445 nm after annealing. In 2019, [PERSON] et al. [118] investigated the effects of three sintering aids (MgO, CaO, and TEOS) on the densification and optical properties of Ce:GGAG transparent ceramics. The experimental results showed that the three additives tested increased the density of Ce:GGAG after sintering, but only TEOS provided sufficient densification to result in transparency. In 2020, [PERSON] et al. [119] studied the radioluminescence (RL) properties of Lu\({}_{3}\)Al\({}_{5}\)O\({}_{12}\):Ce(LuAG:Ce) single-crystal and transparent polycrystalline ceramics at a high temperature of 600 \({}^{\circ}\)C. The results showed that the CE\({}^{3+}\) comprehensive RL strength of a single crystal increased by 1.4 times from RT-450 \({}^{\circ}\)C. Polycrystalline ceramics increased by 1.9 times from room temperature to 300 \({}^{\circ}\)C, i.e., LuAG:Ce scintillators can be used effectively over a wide temperature range. [PERSON] et al.