Introduction to Advanced Ceramics

This book serves as an introduction to advanced inorganic fibers and aims to support fundamental research, assist applied scientists and designers in industry, and facilitate materials science instruction in universities and colleges. Its three main sections deal with fibers which are derived from the vapor phase such as single crystal silicon whiskers or carbon nanotubes, from the liquid phase such as advanced glass and single crystal oxide fibers, and from solid precursor fibers such as carbon and ceramic fibers. 

The book is unique in its coverage. It provides a general introduction to the properties and nature of the materials, but also covers their latest applications in a wide variety of fields. It should thus be of interest to both experts and nonexperts in the fields of material science, solid-state chemistry, physics, ceramics engineering, and catalysis. The first chapter gives an overview, and many of the chapters provide summaries of advanced topics. All contributions were peer-reviewed. 

P-SiC whiskers have been added to a wide variety of ceramics (AI2O3, Si3N4, AlN, MoSi2, mullite, cordierite, and glass ceramics) in an effort to achieve increased toughness. A real success story in the advanced ceramic market was the introduction of hot-pressed alumina reinforced with 25-30 wt% SiC whisker, such that a composite with increased strength (by over 50%), fracture toughness (by 100%),... 

The handbook will enable the reader to understand the present status of Ceramics and will also act as an introduction, which may encourage further study, as well as an estimation of the role advanced ceramics may have in the future. 

King, Alan G. Ceramic Technology and Processing. Norwich, N.Y Noyes, 2002. Published posthumously by the author s son, this text provides a technical, detailed description of every step in the advanced ceramics-production process. It focuses on implementing the production process in a laboratory, describes common problems associated with each step, and offers solutions for these problems. Kingery, W. D., H. K. Bowen, and D. R. Uhlmann. Introduction to Ceramics. 2d ed. New York John Wiley Sons, 1976. A well-written guide to the basics of... 

T. Kokubo, An introduction to Bioceramics. In Advanced Series in Ceramics, vol. 1. ed. by L.L. Hench, J. Wilson (World Sdentific Publishing Co., Singapore, 1993)... 

T. Kokubo, Advanced Series in Ceramics - Vol 1 An Introduction to Bioceramics, eds L.L. Hench and J. Wilson, World Scientific, Singapore, pp. 75-88, 1993. 

Biomimesis clearly will have an important role in new biomedical devices and in new devices that try to combine biological structures or organisms with electronics in sensors and actuators. In structural materials, the obvious place for advance is the introduction of more toughness into synthetic composites and ceramics. In electronics there are not yet many signs of a conjunction between the hard, high-resolution, two-dimensional world of silicon and the soft, larger scale, three-dimensional design of the brain and nervous system. 

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