Modern ceramic materials differ from the traditional materials which were only based on natural substances. It is now possible to prepare ceramics using a wide range of properties and as an area this field has evolved as a very broad scientific and technical field in its own right. In practice one encounters ceramics in practically all branches of materials science and the characteristics are so wide ranging that the common basis of these substances is not always immediately apparent. All ceramic materials are prepared by ceramic technology, and powder substances are used as the initial raw materials. Their physical properties are an expression not only of their composition, but primarily of their structure. Thus in order to fully understand the properties of ceramics, a knowledge of their structure is essential. This book is intended as a source of such knowledge. All the chapters are written by authors with vast experience in the various fields of ceramics who provide a detailed description of the interrelationships between the structure and behaviour of ceramic materials.
