Fabrication of infrared (IR) transparent ZnS ceramics by spark plasma sintering (SPS) suffers from carbon contamination due to the graphite mold in the SPS system. In the present work, we consolidated transparent ZnS ceramics by SPS using Mo metal foil to prevent the generation of carbonate and/or carbon impurities in the sintered product. The effect of Mo foil on carbon contamination and IR transmittance was investigated. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results revealed that the C-O absorption peak was significantly reduced, however, sulfur vacancies were generated, thus, deteriorating the overall transmittance. The sulfur vacancies were eliminated by post-annealing the specimen in a nitrogen atmosphere, whereby the overall IR transmittance was partially recovered. The results indicate that metal foil wrapping of green bodies could be potentially applicable for the fabrication of carbon contamination-free ZnS ceramics via SPS system

Keywords: IR transparent ZnS ceramics, Spark plasma sintering, Mo metal foil, Carbon contamination, Sulfur vacancies, Post-annealing