Ceramic functional properties

FIGURE 5.3 The myriad functions, properties, and applications of advanced ceramics. Reprinted from High-Technology Ceramics in Japan, National Materials Advisory Board, National Research Council, 1984. 

The key to most of the functional properties reported is a fine microstructure of the metal particles (i.e. in the nanometer scale) which is uniformly dispersed within a ceramic matrix. In some cases the particle size needed is in the range of a few nanometers in order to enhance the surface properties, while in other cases optimization is needed between the demand for single domain particles while minimizing unwanted surface states. 

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are multifunctional materials, which contain a spatial variation in composition and/or microstructure for the specific purpose of controlling variations in thermal, structural or functional properties. Also in the ceramics composites field, a wide range of functionally graded (FG) ceramics are available. Hence, a possible classification of the different classes is made in this chapter. 

The ceramic industry has developed various highly sophisticated manufacturing methods to meet the material requirements of homogeneous microstructure and phase distribution of the sintered ceramic. These are the key factors for predictable mechanical and functional properties. 

Table 2.3 Important mechanical and functional properties of ceramic femoral ball heads.

Recently, artificial teeth made of plastics and ceramics have seen growing application in elderly patients, especially in developed countries. There are nearly one million pieces of artificial teeth manufactured in Japan (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan, 2010), and the total number worldwide is reported to be 3 billion. Artificial teeth should be harmless to human health and designed to harmonize with the tissues in the oral cavity. They must also have the functional properties for chewing. Intrinsically, plastic teeth have more harmonized properties than ceramic teeth, and hence the percentage of plastic teeth (80%) in Japan is expected to increase in the future. 

Goldstein A (2012) Correlation between MgAl204-spinel structure, processing factors and functional properties of transparent parts (progress review). J Eur Ceram Soc 32 2869-2886... 

Abstract This review is dedicated to nanohybrid materials consisting of a polymer-based matrix and a disperse nanoscaled ceramic phase. Different preparation techniques for the synthesis of polymer-ceramic nanohybrid materials will be presented, such as blending techniques, sol-gel processing, in-situ polymeriza-ti(Mi, and self-assembly methods. Selected structural and functional properties of polymer-ceramic nanohybrid materials will be highlighted and discussed within the context of their dependence on parameters such as the homogeneity of the dispersion of the ceramic throughout the polymer matrix, the particle size of the ceramic phase, and the polymer-ceramic interface. Moreover, some advanced applications of polymer-ceramic nanohybrid materials will be addressed and compared with their polymeric counterparts. 

Keywords Functional properties Multifunctional materials Nanohybrid materials Polymer-ceramic interface Polymer-ceramic nanohybrids Structural properties Synthesis methods... 

This paper summarizes the different preparative techniques for polymer-ceramic-based nanohybrid materials. Various classes and types of polymer-ceramic nanohybrid materials can be prepared using different techniques such as advanced blending techniques, in-situ polymerization, sol-gel-approaches, or self-assembly processes to yield nanohybrid materials with unique microstructures and properties, which are dictated in most cases by the nanoscale dimensions of the phases and by the interfaces between the polymeric matrix and the ceramic nanoparticles. Furthermore, selected structural and functional properties of polymer-ceramic nanohybrids as well as their advanced and prospective applications are addressed. 

In literature, various processing routes for fabrication of CNT-ceramic and CNT-glass matrix composites have been proposed and developed to overcome the problematic issues discussed above. The processing routes and resulting structural and functional properties of the developed composites are addressed in the following sections. 

In recent years, with the development of small-size fabrication techniques, new types and classes of high performance ceramic materials, consisting of, e.g., nano-composite structures and devices, layered structured ferroelectrics, multilayered functional devices, etc., have attracted considerable attention because of their improved mechanical/functional properties. Concurrent to processing developments, multiple complementary metrology tools are required for the evaluation of nano-scale mechanical and functional characteristics of the materials [1-3]. 

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