Bonding and structure of nonsilicate ceramics

Almost every inorganic oxide that does not contain silicon, as well as many carbides and nitrides, can be thought of, to some extent, as a nonsilicate ceramic. The bonding across this great variety of 

A large number of important ceramics adopt the halite (NaCl, Bl) structure (Section 5.3.9). These include the oxides magnesium oxide (MgO) and nickel oxide (NiO) and many carbides and nitrides with a formula MX, such as titanium carbide (TiC) and titanium nitride (TiN). The oxides are often considered as ionic solids. The carbides and nitrides have metallic properties. 

Zirconia, ZrOi, is an important ceramic because it is able to withstand high temperatures. At room temperature, the structure contains irregular poly-hedra formed by seven oxygen ions surrounding each Zr cation. The structure is monoclinic. At a temperature of about 1100 °C it becomes tetragonal. 

The structures of a number of other important nonsilicate ceramics are discussed elsewhere, (Chapters 5, 8-14 and 16). 

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