2.5.21

Ceramics

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Ceramics

You use many ceramics every day. Some of the most common uses are pottery and bricks.

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Making ceramics

  • Ceramic is from Greek word keramikos which means pottery.
  • Ceramics are made from:
    • Metal oxides.
    • Silicates and other metal and non-metallic compounds.
  • Ceramics are shaped and then heated to very high temperatures which makes them very hard.
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Reactivity

  • Ceramics are not very reactive and so do not react with:
    • Water.
    • Acids.
    • Alkalis.
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Uses of ceramics

  • Pottery made from clay.
  • Jet engines.
  • Building materials such as:
    • Bricks.
    • Tiles.
    • Cements.
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Properties of ceramics

  • Brittle – they are easy to break apart.
  • Solid at room temperature.
  • Hard and tough – difficult to bend and compress.
  • High melting points.
  • Water resistant.
  • Insulators.

Jump to other topics

1Biology

1.1Cells, Tissues & Organs

1.2Reproduction & Variation

1.3Ecological Relationships & Classification

1.4Digestion & Nutrition

1.5Plants & Photosynthesis

1.6Biological Systems & Processes

2Chemistry

2.1Particles

2.2Chemical Reactions

2.3Atoms, Elements, Compounds

2.4The Periodic Table

2.5Materials & the Earth

2.6Reactivity

2.7Energetics

2.8Properties of Materials

3Physics

3.1Energy

3.2Forces & Motion

3.3Waves

3.4Electricity & Magnetism

3.5Matter

3.6Space Physics

4Thinking Scientifically

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