The strength of functional ceramics

With the rapid development of science and technology, and the continuous improvement of society, ceramic products and Ceramic Components at worldwide have present a rapid growth trend, which also brings new opportunities and challenges to the Chinese ceramic industry.

The term "ceramics" is derived from the "burning" of ancient Greece. Later, the inorganic non-metallic materials synthesized by the high-temperature heat treatment process were defined as "ceramics". Therefore, people call "ceramics" as an ancient science. Most ceramic materials are compounds formed by elements with a large difference in electronegativity in the periodic table. Most of this material is mainly composed of ionic bonds and a part of covalent bonds.

Ceramics are generally divided into two categories: "Traditional Ceramics" and "Functional Ceramics". In order to realize the unique value of ceramics, it is necessary to use a highly selected raw material to synthesize ceramics through a precisely formulated chemical composition and a strictly controlled manufacturing process. Therefore, the ceramics prepared by these processes become "Fine ceramics" because of its certain and several specific functions, such as optical, electrical, magnetic, acoustic, thermal, mechanical, biological, and chemical functions. Therefore, it is also called "functional ceramics". Modern functional ceramics is a new science emerging in the middle of the last century. It is a brilliant crystallization of many disciplines. They have played a huge role in high-tech fields such as aerospace, automotive, electronics, atomic energy, marine development, biomedicine, etc., forming an independent scientific system - "functional ceramic science"

The development history of functional ceramics is still short, and it is inferior to metal materials in breadth and depth. However, functional ceramics is only enough to show that it has more practical value than metal or organic polymer materials. A range of properties are beyond the reach of other materials. In particular, in recent years, scientists have made unprecedented progress in improving the toughness of ceramics through the mechanism of toughening, and their performance has become increasingly ideal. On the other hand, from a resource point of view, resources such as oxides, nitrides, carbides, and borides, which are the main raw materials of functional ceramics, are abundant and easily available on the earth. In particular, the world’s petroleum resources are decreasing day by day, and the energy crisis spreads to major countries. Therefore, people have long sought a new type of engine with high power, high thermal efficiency and light weight.

According to the data, the ceramic engine can increase the operating temperature from 1000 ° C to 1300 ° C, with no need a cooling system, so that the engine converts the energy originally lost in the cooling system into power, thereby increasing the thermal efficiency of the engine from 30% to 50%. . The weight is reduced by 20%, the fuel consumption is saved by 30% to 50%, and alternative burning materials can also be used. In addition, the area's reliance on strategic materials titanium, cobalt, nickel and superalloys will be reduced to around 5% of current use. This is why the first reason for the “ceramic heat” has arisen in developed countries.