Abstract
In materials science we often divide materials into distinct classes. The primary classes of solid materials are ceramics, metals, and polymers. This classification is based on the types of atoms involved and the bonding between them. The other widely recognized classes are semiconductors and composites. Composites are combinations of more than one material and often involve ceramics, such as fiberglass. Semiconductors are materials with electrical conductivities that are very sensitive to minute amounts of impurities. As we will see later, most materials that are semiconductors are actually ceramics, for example, gallium nitride, the blue-green laser diode material.
In this chapter we will define what we mean by a “ceramic” and will also describe some of the general properties of ceramics. The difficulty when drawing generalizations, particularly in this case, is that it is always possible to find an exception to the rule. It is because of the wide range of properties exhibited by ceramics that they find application in such a variety of areas. A general theme throughout this book is the interrelationship between the way in which a ceramic is processed, its microstructure, and its properties. We give some examples of these interrelationships in this chapter to illustrate their importance.
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References
Ceramics Textbooks
Barsoum, M. (2003) Fundamentals of Ceramics, revised edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Chiang, Y-M., Birnie, D., III, and Kingery, W.D. (1998) Physical Ceramics: Principles for Ceramic Science and Engineering, Wiley, New York.
Kingery, W.D., Bowen, H.K., and Uhlmann, D.R. (1976) Introduction to Ceramics, 2nd edition, Wiley, New York. This has been the ceramics “bible” for 40 years since the publication of the first edition by David Kingery in 1960.
Lee, W.E. and Rainforth, W.M. (1994) Ceramic Microstructures: Property Control by Processing, Chapman & Hall, London.
Norton, F.H. (1974) Elements of Ceramics, 2nd edition, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.
Richerson, D.W. (2005) Modern Ceramic Engineering: Properties, Processing, and Use in Design, 3rd edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Van Vlack, L.H. (1964) Physical Ceramics for Engineers, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.
Introduction to Materials Science Textbooks
Askeland, D.R. and Phulé, P.P. (2005) The Science of Engineering Materials, 5th edition, Thompson Engineering, Florence, KY.
Callister, W.D. (2007) Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, 7th edition, Wiley, New York.
Schaeffer, J.P., Saxena, A., Antolovich, S.D., Sanders, T.H., Jr., and Warner, S.B. (2000) The Science and Design of Engineering Materials, 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston.
Shackelford, J.F. (2004) Introduction to Materials Science for Engineers, 6th edition, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Smith, W.F. and Hashemi, J. (2006) Foundations of Materials Science and Engineering, 4th edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston.
Journals
Bulletin of the American Ceramic Society, published by the American Ceramic Society (ACerS). News, society information, industry updates, and positions. Free to society members.
Ceramic Industry, published by Business News Publishing Co., Troy, MI. Information on manufacturing. Designed mainly for the ceramist in industry.
Ceramics International
Glass Technology, published by The Society of Glass Technology, Sheffield, UK.
Journal of the American Ceramic Society, house journal of the ACerS contains peer-reviewed articles, published monthly.
Journal of the European Ceramics Society, house journal of the European Ceramic Society published by Elsevier.
Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids
Physics and Chemistry of Glasses
Transactions of the British Ceramic Society
Conference Proceedings
American Ceramic Society Transactions
Ceramic Engineering and Science Proceedings. Published by the American Ceramic Society; each issue is based on proceedings of a conference.
Useful Sources of Properties Data, Terminology, snd Constants
Engineered Materials Handbook, Volume 4, Ceramics and Glasses (1991), volume chairman Samuel J. Schneider, Jr., ASM International, Washington, D.C.
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 86th edition (2005), edited by D.R. Lide, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. The standard resource for property data. Updated and revised each year.
CRC Handbook of Materials Science (1974), edited by C.T. Lynch, CRC Press, Cleveland, OH. In four volumes.
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 3rd edition (2000), edited by J.F. Shackelford and W. Alexander, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Dictionary of Ceramic Science and Engineering, 2nd edition (1994), edited by I.J. McColm, Plenum, New York.
The Encyclopedia of Advanced Materials (1994), edited by D. Bloor, R.J. Brook, M.C. Flemings, and S. Mahajan, Pergamon, Oxford. In four volumes, covers more than ceramics.
Handbook of Advanced Ceramics (2003), edited by S. Somiya, F. Aldinger, N. Claussen, R.M. Spriggs, K. Uchino, K. Koumoto, and M. Kaneno, Elsevier, Amsterdam. Volume I, Materials Science; Volume II, Processing and Their Applications.
Safety
Chemical Properties Handbook (1999), edited by C.L. Yaws, McGraw-Hill, New York. Gives exposure limits for many organic and inorganic compounds, pp. 603–615.
Coyne, G.S. (1997) The Laboratory Companion: A Practical Guide to Materials, Equipment, and Technique, Wiley, New York. Useful guide to the proper use of laboratory equipment such as vacuum pumps and compressed gases. Also gives relevant safety information.
CRC Handbook of Laboratory Safety, 5th edition (2000), edited by A.K. Furr, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. Worthwhile handbook for any ceramics laboratory. Covers many of the possible hazards associated with the laboratory.
Hazardous Chemicals Desk Reference, 5th edition (2002), edited by R.J. Lewis, Sr., Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York. Shorter version of the next reference.
Sax’s Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials, 11th edition (2004), edited by R.J. Lewis, Sr., Wiley, New York. A comprehensive resource in several volumes available in most libraries.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor web site on the internet is a comprehensive resource on all safety issues, www.osha.gov.
Specific References
Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies: Opportunities and Uncertainties, The Royal Society, London, published on 29 July 2004, available at www.nanotec.org.uk/finalReport.
Richerson, D.W. (2000) The Magic of Ceramics, The American Ceramic Society, Westerville, OH. A coffee table book about ceramics illustrating their diverse applications and uses.
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(2007). Introduction. In: Ceramic Materials. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-46271-4_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-46271-4_1
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