An Overview of Ceramics
Ceramics is a word taken from the Greek term “keramos”, which literally means “potter’s clay”, that originally referred to the method of manufacturing pottery; nowadays the word is used to refer to the science of making materials primed from pliable earthen materials that are hardened and stiffened by exposure to high amounts of heat. Ceramic materials are inorganic and nonmetallic materials and compounds that are made out of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, silicon and boron. Ceramics includes the production of porcelain, earthenware, bricks and a number of kinds of stoneware and tiles.
Ceramic materials or products are utilized not only for artistic objects and decorations, but also for technical and industrial articles such as electrical insulators and sewer pipes. Ceramic insulators have an extensive spectrum of electrical attributes. The electrical attributes of a freshly discovered group of ceramic materials that are based on a copper-oxide mixtures gives these ceramics the ability to become superconductive (ability to conduct electricity with absolute zero resistance) at temperatures that are far greater than those at which metals usually do.
In space exploration technology, ceramic materials are utilized to make parts for space vehicles. Ceramic materials are also highly resistant to heat which makes them perfect for use in making fire proof tools and apparatuses such as those used in laboratories around the world regardless whether it is for scholarly or experimental purposes. There are also industries that make use of some ceramic’s considerable durability to polish surfaces of metal items such as keys, trophies and watches among others.