CERAMICS
DEFINITION
• Ceramics -> solid compounds that are formed by the
application of heat, and sometimes heat and pressure,
where:
• Comprising at least one metal and a nonmetallic
elemental solid or a nonmetal, exp: MgO, SiO2, TiC, ZnB2
• A combination of at least two nonmetallic elemental
solids, exp SiC
• Or a combination of at least two nonmetallic elemental
solids and a nonmetal, exp: BaTiO3, YBa2Cu3O7, and Ti3SiC2
• Chemical compotitions of ceramic materials vary considerably -> from
simple compounds to mixtures of many complex phases bonded
together
• The properities of ceramic materials also vary due to differences in
bonding.
• In general ceramics materials are typically hard and brittle with low
toughness and ductility
• Ceramics are usually good electrical and thermal insulators due to the
absence of conduction electrons
• Normally ceramics material have relatively high melting temperatures
and high chemical stability of their strong bonds
• Ceramics materials can be categorized into 2 classes :
• Traditional ceramics -> bricks, pottery, tiles
• Made from three basic components -> clay, silica
(flint), and feldspar
• Advanced . High performace / engineering ceramics ->
automotivem circuit chips
• Al2O3, SiC, Si3N
STRUCTURE
• Ceramics materials -> exist as crystalline and non crystalline
• bonding -> ionic, covalent, and mixed bondings
Ceramic Bonding Atoms % ionic % covalent Melting Point
compound Bonding bonding
MgO Mg O 73 49 2798
Al2O3 Al O 63 37 2050
SiO2 Si O 51 49 1715
SiC Si O 11 89 2500
Si3N4 Si O 30 70 1900
• Crystal structure -> FCC and HCP
• Advanced ceramics materials can be classified into two
major types :
• Monolithic
• composite
• The major difference between those two is a reinforcing
phase
• Composite ->adding a discontinuous phase -> such as
whiskers, platelets or particulates
• Composite -> adding continuous fibers can reinforce
ceramics materials
• Among the family of advanced ceramic materials, ceramic
composites will find wider applications when increased
toughness, due to fiber or whisker-reinforcement, is
combined with the inherent refractory properties of the
ceramic materials
• Its development will allow the use of ceramics at
temperatures beyond the temperatures limit for metals, but
without the familliar fracture of conventional ceramics
Processing and structure of monolithic
ceramics
• Advanced ceramics
• Mostly crystalline
• Bonding -> ionic, covalent, mixed covalent-ionic
• Covelent bonding stronger than ionic and it is directional
• Due to bonding, the ceramics have high melting points.
Complex crystal structure make the materials brittle and
strong
• Most of modern advanced ceramics such as alumina are
produced by powder route
Powder route
Powder + binder into required shape
Press using high pressure to form strong
green compact
The uniformity density is important
(applcation of pressure in all directions-
isostatic pressing)
Heated to elevated temperature to
burn off the binder and sintering
Wet Processing
A suspension of ceramic powder in
liquid (slurry/slip)
Use clip casting. Mould made from
porous material
Dry, remove from the mould and try
Finished product
Processing and strucutre of monolithic
ceramics
• Glasses
• Glases have a more disordered compared to crystalline
materials, but not completely random arrangement of
atom
• Processing : appropriate raw materials (usually some
recycled glass), melt to produce in to required shape (can
use blow-molding, spin casting and pressing).
• In forming process, viscosity of glass is very important, it is
a function of temperature and composition
Processing and structure of monolithic
ceramics
• Glass-ceramics
• Under a certain conditions, it is possible to crystallize a
glass to form a glass-ceramic
• Are defined as fine-grained polycrystalline materials
• Not all glasses can becrystallized to form glass-ceramics
• 50 % to 98 % of the volume may be crystalline
• Production method –powder route
Ceramic matrix composites (CMC)
• The main objective in producing CMC is to increase the
toughness
• A reinforcing phase (particle, short fiber or continuous fiber)
can improve the toughness, while maintaining the
advantages of ceramic materials such as enchanced wear
resistance, hardness, corrosion resistance and high
temperture capability
Prperties and applications of advanced
ceramics
• Traditional ceramics -> from sanitary ware to fine chinas and
porcelains to glass products
• Currently (+advanced ceramics)->ceramics engines to optical
communications, electrooptic to laser materials, substrates
in electronic sircuits to electrodes in hoto electrochemical
devices
• Thermal
• Insulation -> high temerature furnace linings for
insulations (oxide fibers such as silica, alumina, nd
zirconia)
• Refractoriness -> high temperature furnace linings for
insulation and containment of molen metals and slags
• Thermal conductivity -> heat sinks for electronics
packages
• Electrical and dielectric
• Conductivity -> heating elements for furnace (SiC, ZrO2.,
MoSi2)
• Ferroelectrocity -> capacitors (Ba-titanate-based
materials)
• Low-voltage insulators -> ceramic insulations (porcelain)
• Insulators in electronic applications -> substrates for
electronic packaging and electrical insulators in general
(Al2O3)
• Gas-sensitive conductivity -> gas sensors (SnO2, ZnO)
• Magnetic and superconductive
• Magnet -> ferrite magnets (Ba, Sr)O. 6Fe2O3
• Superconductivity -> wires
• Optical
• Transparency -> windwos (soda lime glasses, cable for
optical communication (ultra pure silica)
• Translucency and chemical linertness -> heat – and
corrosion-resistance materials, sually for Na Lamps
(Al2O3.MgO)
• Chemical
• Catalyst -> filets (zeolite), purification of exhaust gases
• Anticorrosion prperties -> heat exchanges (SiC), chemical
equipment in corrosive environmets, membrane
• Biocompatibility -> artificial joint protheses (Al2O3)
• Mechanical
• Hardness -> cutting tools (SiC whisker reinforced Al2O3
Si3N4)
• High-temperature strength retention -> stators and
turbine blades, ceramic engines (Si3N4)
• Wear resistance -> Bearings (Si3N4)
