• Solids consisting of inorganic materials and non -metallic materials.
• Resulting from the process of forming and hardening using the method of heating at high temperatures.
• Basic properties of ceramics;
  • Heat insulator
  • High heat resistance
  • Fragile
  • Chemically inert
  • electrical insulation
  • Hard and strong
• Examples of materials that make up ceramics
  • Metal compounds: Aluminium oxide, \(Al_2O_3\)
  • Non -metallic compounds: Titanium carbide, \(TiC\)
  • Semi -metallic compounds: Silicon carbide, \(SiC\)

Traditional ceramics

• Made of clay such as kaolin, \(Al_2O_3.2SiO_2.2H_2O\)

• The clay is mixed with water to produce a soft and easily formed mixture.
• Then, the mixture is baked at a high temperature.
• Typically, traditional ceramics are used in the manufacture of bricks, pottery and crockery.

Advanced ceramics

• Made from inorganic materials such as oxides, carbides and nitrides.

• Has higher heat and abrasion resistance, is more chemically inert and has superconductivity properties.
• Silicon carbide:
• Used to make cutting discs that are hard and strong.
• Used to make brake discs due to their thermal shock-resistant properties and high resistance to heat.
• Advanced ceramics are also used to make tungsten carbide rings due to their hard nature and resistance to abrasion.