Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Advanced ceramic materials are a mature technology with a very broad base of
current and potential applications and a growing list of material
compositions. Advanced ceramics are inorganic, nonmetallic materials with
combinations of fine-scale microstructures, purity, complex compositions and
crystal structures, and accurately controlled additives. Such materials
require a level of processing science and engineering far beyond that used in
making conventional ceramics. These new generations of high-performance
materials have already reached a U.S. market of several billion dollars.
Collectively, they represent an enabling technology whose continued
development is critical to advances in a host of new high-technology
applications, ranging from modern microelectronics to superconductors and
nanotechnology.
The outstanding properties possessed by advanced ceramics are achieved through
special compositions and microstructures that require very careful control
throughout the successive stages of ceramic processing. These stages are
powder synthesis, powder sizing, rheology control, consolidation and forming
processes, sintering, final machining, and inspection.
Ceramic powder is a necessary ingredient for most of the structural ceramics,
electronic ceramics, ceramic coatings, and chemical processing and
environmental related ceramics. For most advanced ceramic components, starting
powder is a crucial factor. The performance characteristics of a ceramic
component are greatly influenced by precursor powder characteristics. Among
the most important are the powder' s chemical purity, particle size
distribution, and the manner in which the powders are packed in the green body
before sintering.
Powders of narrow size distribution can be compacted into ordered arrays and,
when in the submicron region, these powders are sintered at reduced
temperatures. Consequently, in the processing of advanced ceramics, there is a
growing need to develop synthetic techniques capable of producing submicron,
chemically pure powders with a tailored size distribution. However, the cost
is again the factor since the new synthetic processing techniques are
comparatively more expensive than the currently established powder
manufacturing methods.
Nanoceramic powders constitute an important segment of the whole
nanostructured materials market. These powders are used in an array of
applications from microelectronics, optical, chemical and environmental
related, and magnetic recording applications.
SCOPE OF STUDY
This report contains:
- An overview of the various advanced ceramic and nanosized ceramic powders,
their production technologies, and applications
- The technological and business issues related to the commercial production
and use of advanced ceramic and nanosized ceramic powders
- Extensive current and future market evaluations, including five-year
market projections for the U.S. market through 2011
- Profiles for all the major U.S. producers of advanced ceramic and
nanosized ceramic powders
- A detailed patent analysis.
METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION SOURCES
The findings of this report are based on information derived from interviews
with many producers and potential producers of advanced ceramic powders and
nanosized ceramic powders, industry experts, and those conducting research and
development. In addition, many end users were contacted to evaluate the
current and future demand for these materials. In all, this report reflects
the contributions of about 200 persons from over 150 companies and
institutions.
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