What are Advanced Ceramics?
U.S. industry continues to a have a need for materials that are lightweight, strong, and capable of performing in extreme environments that often include high temperatures or high corrosion. Although many ceramics generally perform well at considerably higher temperatures than conventional metal alloys, they are commonly brittle and, as a result, can undergo catastrophic failure without warning in service. Advanced types of ceramics are being developed to overcome this limitation while retaining their other, value added properties. This new class of ceramic materials will provide a unique combination of high-temperature stability, corrosion resistance, and toughness necessary for a wide range of applications where improvements in energy efficiency, environmental protection, ballistic protection, lifetime operating cost, and performance are desired. While increasingly being used in military applications, advanced ceramic materials still need to develop to the point at which industry wil
