Ceramics

A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling.Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous (e.g., a glass).Because most common ceramics are crystalline, the definition of ceramic is often restricted to inorganic crystalline materials, as opposed to the noncrystalline glasses, a distinction followed here.

The earliest ceramics made by humans were pottery objects, including 27,000 year old figurines, made from clay, either by itself or mixed with other materials, hardened in fire. Later ceramics were glazed and fired to create a colored, smooth surface. Ceramics now include domestic, industrial and building products and a wide range of ceramic art. In the 20th century, new ceramic materials were developed for use in advanced ceramic engineering; for example, in semiconductors.

The word "ceramic" comes from the Greek word κεραμικός (keramikos), "of pottery" or "for pottery",from κέραμος (keramos), "potter's clay, tile, pottery". The earliest mention of the root "ceram-" is the Mycenaean Greek ke-ra-me-we, "workers of ceramics", written in Linear B syllabic script."Ceramic" may be used as an adjective describing a material, product or process; or as a singular noun, or, more commonly, as a plural noun, "ceramics".

Types of Ceramic Products:

For convenience, ceramic products are usually divided into four sectors; these are shown below with some examples:

> Structural, including bricks, pipes, floor and roof tiles

> Refractories, such as kiln linings, gas fire radiants, steel and glass making crucibles

> Whitewares, including tableware, cookware, wall tiles, pottery products and sanitary ware

> Technical, is also known as engineering, advanced, special, and in Japan, fine ceramics. Such items include   tiles used in the Space Shuttle program, gas burner nozzles, ballistic protection, nuclear fuel uranium oxide pellets, biomedical implants, coatings of jet engine turbine blades, ceramic disk brake, missile nose cones, bearing (mechanical),etc. Frequently, the raw materials do not include clays.