Long description:

Ceramics are inorganic, nonmetallic and predominantly polycrystalline materials that may be shaped at room temperature from a variety of raw materials. They obtain their typical properties by sintering at high temperatures.Ceramics are the oldest man - made materials, dating back to the dawn of human civilization. They possess an overwhelmingly wide variability in terms of their origin, history, utilization, and mechanical, thermal, optical, biological and electronic properties.The aim of this book is to educate not only graduate and doctoral students but also professionals in mineralogy, chemistry, materials science and related disciplines on the subject of ceramics.It is also my hope that the readers will gain a better appreciation for the researchers, engineers, and technologists who dedicate their lives to better understanding the composition and properties of ceramic materials and to the development of new materials-even to the extent of manipulating individual atoms.