Ceramic Chemical Structure

Although ceramic technicians have long understood many of these relationships the advent of computer software to automate the conversion from batch to formula and analysis has brought this science within the reach of many more people.

Ceramic chemical structure.

The bonding of atoms together is much stronger in covalent and ionic bonding than in metallic. The chemical bonds in ceramics can be covalent ionic or polar covalent depending on the chemical composition of the ceramic. High hardness high compressive strength and chemical inertness. This is why ceramics generally have the following properties.

Chemical durability against the deteriorating effects of oxygen water acids bases salts and organic solvents. Ceramic chemistry studies the relationship between the physical properties of fired ceramics and ceramic glazes and their chemistry. Typical alumina al 2 o 3 99 5 properties. Thermal and electrical.

In ionically bonded ceramics bonding electrons are accepted by the electronegative elements such as oxygen and. These structures and chemical ingredients though various result in universally recognized ceramic like properties of enduring utility including the following. Silicate ceramics as mentioned previously the silica structure is the basic structure for many ceramics as well as glass. They withstand chemical erosion that occurs in other materials subjected to acidic or caustic environments.

A few of the different types of ceramic materials outside of the glass family are described below. Hardness contributing to resistance against wear. Ordinarily ceramics are poor conductors of electricity and therefore make excellent insulators. Alumina represents the most commonly used ceramic material in industry.

Charge balance dictates chemical formula. The two most common chemical bonds for ceramic materials are covalent and ionic. It provides superior abrasion high temperature and chemical resistance and is also electrically insulating. Mechanical strength in spite of brittleness.

The ionic and covalent bonds of ceramics are responsible for many unique properties of these materials such as high hardness high melting points low thermal expansion and good chemical resistance but also for some undesirable characteristics foremost being brittleness which leads to fractures unless the material is toughened by reinforcing agents or by other means. A ceramic material is an inorganic non metallic often crystalline oxide nitride or carbide material. Some elements such as carbon or silicon may be considered ceramics ceramic materials are brittle hard strong in compression and weak in shearing and tension. Nonconductivity arises from the lack of free electrons such as those found in metals.

For example the ceramic mineral feldspar one of the components of granite has the formula kalsi 3 o 8. Ceradyne and ceramic industry disclaim any and all liability from error omissions or inaccuracies in the above chart.