Ceramics

This blog page can be used for a last minute revision on the topic of 'Ceramics' from the material science course.

Ceramics

- Ceramics are non-metallic and also inorganic.

- Ceramics are usually a compound between the metal and non-metal such as oxidies , nitrides.

- Ceramic are often crystalline .

- Examples of ceramics are glass , cement .

- There are two types of bonding which are based on the relative electronegativity , which are ionic and covalent .  Ceramics are usually brittle . They have high melting point , stiff and corrosion resistant. 

- The Ceramics can be made less brittle by advanced processing techniques. 

Ceramic structures are dependent on 

- Cation radius , Anion radius

- Charge neutrally

Factors affecting the brittleness of ceramics

- the strength of ionic or covalent bonding
- the presence of defects such as impurities , vacancies
- Grain boundaries
- Voids

 Techniques used to improve brittleness

- Hot Isostactic  Processing
- Reduce the voids in the ceramics