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8.3 Composition of Ceramics and Its Uses

What is a ceramic?
- A solid made up of inorganic and non-metallic substances.
- It is produced through the process of shaping and hardening by using heating technique
at a high temperature.

Examples of ceramic:

Aluminium Oxide Titanium carbide Silicon carbide

Basic properties of ceramics

✓ High thermal resistant
✓ Break easily
✓ Chemically inert
✓ Electrical insulator
✓ Hard and Strong
✓ Heat insulator

The atoms in ceramics are bonded by strong covalent bonds and ionic bonds

Ceramics melt at only very high temperature, are hard and resistant to temperature.

The electrons in ceramics cannot move freely to conduct electricity or heat

Ceramics are brittle and weak towards stretching.

Types of ceramics:

Traditional ceramics
- Made of clay such as kaolin
- The clay is mixed with water to produce a soft,
mouldable mixture.
- The mixture is then heated at a very high
temperature.
- Examples of traditional ceramics: Pottery, Brick
and Bowl.

Advanced ceramics
- Made from inorganic compounds such as
oxides, carbides and nitrides.
- Have higher resistant to heat and abrasion.
- More chemically inert and have
superconductivity properties.
- Examples of advanced ceramics: Cutting disc,
Brake disc and Tungsten carbide ring.

Examples of ceramic uses:

Medicine - Zirconia ceramic is used in dental implants
- Alumina ceramic is used to make knee bone
- Ceramic is used in Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI) machines
because it has superconductivity properties

- Engine components is jet planes are made from ceramics
Transportation

Energy - Ceramic is used to make electrical insulators in high voltage areas
production such as power stations