High-tech ceramics

Eric A. Barringer, assistant professor of ceramics processing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, puts it this way: "Any large U.S. chemical company that is not now active in the high-tech ceramics field or is not planning to enter the field in the near future must obviously be daft." His statement may be hyperbole, but it clearly reflects a growing enthusiasm for ceramics as engineering or structural materials. Various observers talk fervently of materials science entering a Ceramics Age. Many scientists see vastly increased use of ceramics as replacements for high-performance metals and plastics. Louis E. Toth, program director for ceramics and electronic materials at the National Science Foundation, describes high-tech ceramics as "an exciting, challenging field that is obviously a wide-open frontier." High-technology ceramics—also known as high-performance ceramics, engineering ceramics, technical ceramics, advanced ceramics, and structural ceramics—are definitely subjects of growing research and development attention. They have excellent mechanical properties under heavy stress, outstanding electrical ...