Table of Contents

Preface INTRODUCTION TO CLASSIC CERAMICS Ceramics through the Ages, and Technological Progress Classification of Ceramics MINERALOGY, STRUCTURE, AND GREEN PROCESSING OF CLAY MINERALS Natural Clay Minerals Synthetic Raw Materials Processing and Forming of Clay Powders Rheology of Clay Particle Suspensions Drying of Green Clay Bodies IMPORTANT CERAMIC PHASE SYSTEMS Fundamentals of Phase Diagrams Phase Systems with Ceramic Relevance MINERALOGY AND CHEMISTRY OF THE CERAMIC FIRING PROCESS Introduction Crystallography of the Thermal Transformations of Kaolinite Thermal Transformations in Illitic Clays Thermal Transformations and Phase Formation in the System MgO-CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 Thermal Transformations and Phase Formation in the System MgO-(Fe2O3)-Al2O3-SiO2 MINERALOGY AND CHEMISTRY OF CEMENTS Historical Development Portland Cement High Performance Concrete (HPC) Environmental Impact and Concrete Recycling Future Developments and Outlook INTRODUCTION TO ADVANCED CERAMICS General Properties of Advanced Ceramics Current World Market Situation Recent US and Global Forecasts OXIDE CERAMICS: STRUCTURE, TECHNOLOGY, AND APPLICATIONS Alumina Zirconia Titania ELECTROCERAMIC MATERIALS Introduction Physics of Dielectric Materials Ferroelectric Ceramics Microwave Ceramics Pyroelectric and Piezoelectric Ceramics Electro-Optic Ceramics Selected Application of Electroceramic Materials and Devices SUPERCONDUCTING CERAMICS Introduction Definitions Historical Developments Material Classification Crystal Chemistry Theory Materials Processing Application of Ceramic Superconductors Outlook and Future Developments BIOCERAMIC MATERIALS Introduction The Concept and Definition of Biocompatibility The Interaction of Implant Materials and Living Tissue: A Basic Approach Mechanical Properties of Advanced Bioceramics: Alumina versus Zirconia Selected Bioceramic Materials Performance Requirements and Quality Control of Ceramic Femoral Ball Heads Future Developments and Outlook NON-OXIDE CERAMICS: STRUCTURE., TECHNOLOGY, AND APPLICATIONS Introduction Carbides Nitrides ADVANCED CERAMIC APPLICATIONS AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT TRENDS Design of Monodisperse Ceramic Powders Ceramic Processing in a Microgravity Environment Powder Preparation under Reduced Gravity Ceramic Powder Synthesis by SHS Nanosized Ceramic Powders Future Development Trends APPENDIX A: Construction of the Phase Diagram of a Binary System A-B with Ideal Solid Solution APPENDIX B: Thermodynamics of Displacive Phase Transitions APPENDIX C: Radial Electron Density Distribution (RED) Function APPENDIX D: Thermodynamics of Spinodal Decomposition of Crystals APPENDIX E: Theory of Superconductivity

About the Author

Robert Heimann is professor emeritus of applied mineralogy and materials science. He obtained his academic degrees from Freie Universitat (FU) Berlin, and subsequently served as a faculty member at FU Berlin and Universitat Karlsruhe. From 1979 on he worked in Canada as a research associate (McMaster University), senior researcher (3M Canada Inc.), staff geochemist (Atomic Energy of Canada Limited), and research manager (Alberta Research Council). From 1993 to 2004 he was a full professor at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Professor Heimann has authored over 270 scientific publications and in 2001 was awarded the Georg-Agricola-Medal of the German Mineralogical Society (DMG) for his outstanding lifetime achievements in applied mineralogy.

Reviews

"All in all this handbook is recommended especially to engineers and scientist, who want to step deeper into mineralogical aspects of ceramics." (Materials and Corrosion, December 2010)