What Are The Applications Of Ceramics?

Ceramics has numerous applications. Some of these are listed below:

•Vehicle components: a ceramic coating on cast iron improves resistance to wear and tear and heat and therefore extends the life of engine parts. Ceramic bearings can operate without lubricants.

•Gas turbine blades: Blades made of ceramics, e.g. silicon nitride, can run at higher temperature than blades made of alloys.

•Machine tools: Tools made of ceramic can rotate twice as fast as metal tools without deforming or wearing out.

•Bioceramics: Recently, chemists have been working on the possibility of using ceramics as implant materials. At present, alloys and polymers are used for replacements for e.g. hips, knees and teeth. Ceramics would be stronger and wear better than alloys or polymers and would never corrode.

•Spacecraft: When a space shuttle re-enters Earth's atmosphere, the outside temperature can reach a staggering temperature of about 1500 Celsius. A covering of ceramic tiles protects the space shuttle from these high temperatures. Each tile consists of very fine fibres coated with silica. The fibres are loosely packed; 95% of the tiles is air, which gives them insulating property.

Optical materials: Recent developments include new kinds of glass, glass fibres and improved solar cells.