The first book completely devoted to the subject, this volume describes the analysis of the composition and structure of glass and glass ceramics. Although conceived as a monograph, the individual chapters are written by leading Schott experts on the corresponding subjects.

Glass-ceramic materials share many properties with both glass and more traditional crystalline ceramics. This new edition examines the various types of glass-ceramic materials, the methods of their development, and their countless applications. With expanded sections on biomaterials and highly bioactive products (i.e., Bioglass and related glass ceramics), as well as the newest mechanisms for the development of dental ceramics and theories on the development of nano-scaled glass-ceramics, here is a must-have guide for ceramic and materials engineers, managers, and designers in the ceramic and glass industry.

Glass ceramics are a special group of materials in which a base glass can be crystallized under carefully controlled conditions, which in turn determine the properties of the material. These materials offer a wide range of physical and mechanical properties combining the distinctive characteristics of sintered ceramics and glasses. This book provides readers with an interest in medical ceramics with the ability to start making their own glasses and glass ceramics, together with an understanding of the various factors that control the final properties of these medical and dental materials. In addition, the authors describe various industrial problems with current, clinically-used medical glass ceramics and discuss appropriate scientific solutions. Glasses and Glass Ceramics for Medical Applications will appeal to a broad audience of biomaterials scientists, ceramists, and bioengineers, particularly those with an interest in orthopedic and dental applications, as well as scientists and engineers involved in the manufacture of glasses, glazes, enamels, and other glass coatings for the medical materials industry. The book will also be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students in materials engineering and dentistry, and is suitable for use in courses on medical and dental materials.

This is a concise, up-to-date book that covers a wide range of important ceramic materials used in modern technology. Chapters provide essential information on the nature of these key ceramic raw materials including their structure, properties, processing methods and applications in engineering and technology. Treatment is provided on materials such as alumina, aluminates, Andalusite, kyanite, and sillimanite. The chapter authors are leading experts in the field of ceramic materials. An ideal text for graduate students and practising engineers in ceramic engineering, metallurgy, and materials science and engineering.

The E-book "Nucleation and Crystallization of Glasses and Glass-Ceramics" highlights historic perspectives and current research in the field of glass-ceramic technology. Glass-ceramic technology is promising to provide us with materials of high strength, high toughness, unique electrical/electronic or magnetic properties, exceptional optical or unusual thermal or chemical properties. The greater diversity of microstructure-property arrangements and processing routes over glasses and ceramics are responsible that glass-ceramics are the preferred choice of materials in many technical, consumer, optical, medical/dental, electrical/electronic, and architectural fields. This includes increasing uses of glass-ceramic materials for environment and energy applications in the last decades. The positive development of glass-ceramic technology has become true in particular due to the pioneering spirit, resourcefulness, and courage of researchers of the first generation. Extraordinary and, therefore, to be distinguished is the work of the glass-ceramic inventor S. Donald Stookey to whom this Research Topic is dedicated. The authors, all experts in the field of glass-ceramics and based in industry, academia and governmental institutions, contributed to this E-book under the guidance of the Technical Committee 07 "Crystallization and Glass-Ceramics" of the International Commission on Glass (ICG).

This completely revised edition features new sections on glass-ceramic applications and their performance, CDC-grinding, and laser gyroscopes containing Zerodur®., providing an overview of Schott's activities for scientists, engineers, and managers.

The emergence of synthetic ceramics as a prominent class of materials with a unique combination of properties has been an important part of the materials-science scene over the past 20 years. These 'high-technology' ceramics have varied applications in areas utilizing their exceptional mechanical, thermal, optical, magnetic or electronic properties. A notable development of the 1970s was that of 'Si-based' ceramics (Si3N4' SiC and 'Sialons') as high-temperature engineering solids. More recently the zirconia-based ceramics have evolved as a class of material with significant improvements in fracture-toughness. In the 1980s we are on the threshold of development of ceramic-matrix composites with the promise of over coming major limitations in engineering design with 'brittle' ceramics and the development of novel properties unattainable with monolithic micro structures. Throughout this period there have been significant but less well-publicized developments in the field of glass-ceramics and glasses. It is the purpose of this publication to review selected topics within this important area of materials science. A key element in understanding the relation between properties and microstructure is a knowledge of atomic arrangement in ceramic phases. Recent developments in NMR and X-ray absorption spectroscopies have had considerable impact on studies of atomic co-ordination in glasses and crystalline ceramic materials and are reviewed in Chapters 1 and 2. Glass-ceramics are derived from the parent glasses by controlled crystal lization and have properties dictated, in part, by the efficiency of crystal nucleation within the glass volume.