Applied Physics and Materials Science

Advanced Materials and Ceramics

The field of advanced materials includes engineered and advanced fibers such as carbon, kevlar and sapphire, metal matrix, structural, ceramic composites, other types of composites, high temperature, specialty adhesive, specialty chemicals, powder metals, thin films and surface engineering. A non-metallic solid material comprising an inorganic compound of metalloid atoms held in ionic and covalent bonds is called ceramic. The crystalline property of ceramic materials ranges from highly oriented to semi-crystalline, vitrified, and often completely amorphous like glasses. Most of the ceramic materials are good thermal and electrical insulators due to their varying crystalline property.