From traditional pottery to advanced aerospace components, ceramics are a fundamental material in engineering. They are essential to manufacturing jet engines, rocket nozzles and satellites, as well as serving as heat shields during spacecraft re-entry.
Common ceramics are made from minerals like clay, bentonite, feldspar and Fuller’s earth. They are molded and fired to create pipes, bricks, tiles and sanitary ware.
Durability
The durability of ceramic materials makes them a good choice for many applications where the material will be subjected to stress and strain over time. The unique blend of properties that ceramics offer – resistance to extreme environments, high thermal stability and insulating characteristics, make them a great alternative to more common engineering materials such as metals, plastics or wood.
Generally speaking, ceramics are nonmetallic, inorganic materials that are made from finely powdered elements and then shaped into products using heat. Most ceramics are formed from combinations of two or more elements and are bonded together with either an ionic or covalent bond. This process is what gives ceramics their unique properties.
Porcelain is a type of ceramic that is resistant to water and acids. This makes it a durable and hygienic construction material that is often used in bathroom and kitchens. Clay and bricks are also examples of ceramics that are often used in building construction.
Modern engineered ceramics are mostly based on metal oxides, carbides and nitrides. These are compounds created when combining atoms of one or more metals with oxygen, silicon or carbon. Some examples of ceramics that are used in everyday life include tungsten carbide for hard, cutting tools; aluminum oxide (alumina) for spark plug insulators; zirconia for knife blades; and the ceramic nose cones on space shuttles.
Resistance to Fire
Ceramic materials exhibit remarkable resistance to fire, and this is why they’re a popular choice for building construction in areas with high risks of wildfires. This feature also makes them a safe alternative to metals for use in electrical insulators. Moreover, they have good corrosion and abrasion resistance properties that make them suitable for use in harsh environments.
The main reason for this is that they are formed through a firing process, in which the inorganic material is shaped and then fired at a very high temperature. This is the same process that is used to form pottery, bricks, and many other products that are made out of clay.
The hardness and high melting points of ceramics also make them difficult to machine, which limits their usage in engineering components. In addition, their inconsistent properties can sometimes be challenging to manage when working with them. However, these challenges are not insurmountable and can be overcome with careful engineering strategies. This has led to their significant role in some innovative technological advancements, such as a new type of energy storage called supercapacitors. It has also led to their ubiquity as an integral component in everyday products, including smartphones, computers, and medical devices.
Resistance to Water
Ceramics exhibit exceptional resistance to water and can withstand severe changes in temperature without degrading. This is because they have a dense crystalline structure and strong bonds between the atoms. This gives them a high compressive strength, which is essential for building materials.
However, ceramics can be brittle and prone to fractures unless they are reinforced. Fortunately, scientists have found ways to toughen ceramics to make them more durable. One method is to roughen the surface by plasma etching or using concentrated nitric and hydrofluoric acids. The resulting nanoscale fin shapes on the ceramic’s surface resemble the patterning on a lotus leaf and make it strongly hydrophobic, or water repellent.
This coating also improves the ceramic’s resistance to thermal shock. Thermal shock is the stress imposed on an object by sudden shifts in temperature. For example, pouring a cup of hot coffee into a cold glass is a mild example, but placing a casserole into a hot oven is a more dramatic change in temperature. Ceramics that have been coated with a hydrophobic material can withstand these drastic changes in temperature by trapping pockets of air on the surface.
These features give ceramics a range of useful applications. They are used in medical devices, such as hip replacements and dental implants, as well as in state-of-the-art automobile components like brake discs and catalytic converters. They are also used in electronics, including touch-screens and CPUs.
Environmentally Friendly
Ceramic materials have specific mechanical, electrical and optical properties. Their mechanical properties include ductility, fracture toughness and indentation hardness. They also display high-temperature stability, good chemical resistance and are frost resistant. Their electrical properties are highly valued in fields such as semiconductors, superconductivity and ferroelectricity and their optical properties are used for applications including fibre optic, night-vision, military and LED (Light Emitting Diode).
Compared to other construction materials, ceramics offer a multitude of environmentally friendly benefits. Their production process does not emit harmful gases and their long lifespan reduces waste. They are also good insulators, meaning that they can resist the flow of heat and electricity and this contributes to safety and efficiency in building systems.
The ceramics industry continues to make progress in environmental sustainability, and the green potential of these materials grows. The insulating properties of ceramics help to lower energy consumption, which in turn decreases emissions of greenhouse gasses and other pollutants. They also do not require a great deal of additional heating or cooling to maintain their structural integrity.
The inert, dustproof nature of ceramics is also great for those with allergies and asthma. It also does not absorb and retain odors, so it is the ideal choice for kitchens and bathrooms. Additionally, it does not contain any VOC focal points like those found in PVC or laminate flooring and does not use formaldehyde or other harmful chemicals.