3.6 Ceramics

3.6 Ceramics

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to;

• Describe ceramic properties

• Explain why the properties of ceramics make them suitable for their use

Audio Response

What stood out to you from the video on the previous slide?

Open Audio Recorder

Multiple Choice

Have you ever wondered what a toilet is made from?

T

• Pottery
• Wood
• Glass
• Metal

Multiple Choice

Pottery is an example of a ceramic material.

• False
• True
• Partially true
• Maybe

Drag and Drop

A brick is a block of a ​

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material. Ceramic materials are ​

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. They include metal ​

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, metal ​

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, metal ​

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, and metal nitrides..

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

ceramic

compounds

silicates

oxides

carbides

Dropdown

Bricks are made by ​

Select answer

​

Select answer

. This ​

Select answer

the clay. A brick is a block of ​

Select answer

material.

Multiple Choice

State what a ceramic material is.

• A type of fabric made from animal fibers
• A type of plastic material used in construction
• An inorganic, non-metallic solid made up of either metal or non-metal compounds that are shaped and then hardened by heating at high temperatures.
• A form of liquid metal used in electronics

Match

What are the properties of ceramics? Match these properties to their meanings;

All ceramic materials have similar physical properties. They are:

• stiff

• hard

• brittle

• solid at room temperature

• strong

they are difficult to bend

you can only scratch them with harder ma

they break easily

with very high melting points

when forces press on them

• they are difficult to bend

• you can only scratch them with harder ma

• they break easily

• with very high melting points

• when forces press on them

Dropdown

Why are ceramics useful?

Ceramics have ​

Select answer

uses. Their uses depend on their ​

Select answer

. Bricks are strong when forces press on them. They are also ​

Select answer

and ​

Select answer

. This makes them suitable for ​

Select answer

.

Drag and Drop

Ceramics do not ​

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​

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. They are not ​

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by water. This makes them useful for electrical ​

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​

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.

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conduct

damaged

power-line

electricity

insulators

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Ceramics have ​

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​

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points.

This makes them suitable for ​

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​

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blades, which get ​

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.

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high

melting

jet-engine

turbine

very hot

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Ceramics do not ​

Select answer

with ​

Select answer

, ​

Select answer

, or ​

Select answer

. You can ​

Select answer

them. This makes them useful for plates, bowls, mugs, and jugs.

Drag and Drop

Why do ceramics have these properties?

In ceramic materials, a ​

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number of ​

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join ​

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in one ​

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. There are ​

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between the atoms.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

atoms

big structure

strong forces

together

huge

Multiple Choice

Why do ceramics have high melting points?

• Weak metallic bonds
• Loose hydrogen bonds
• Strong ionic or covalent bonds
• Soft van der Waals forces

Dropdown

Page 97;

The bonds ​

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atoms are very ​

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. This is why they are ​

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. You ​

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some bonds when you ​

Select answer

ceramic materials.

Multiple Choice

What does 'brittle' mean?

• Soft
• Easily breakable
• Easily bendable
• Tough

Open Ended

Have you ever wondered what a toilet is made from?

Toilets are made from pottery.

Pottery is an example of a ceramic material.

A brick is a block of a ceramic material. Ceramic materials are compounds. They include metal silicates, metal oxides, metal carbides, and metal nitrides..

Bricks are made by heating clay. This hardens the clay. A brick is a block of ceramic material.

State what a ceramic material is.

What are the properties of ceramics?

All ceramic materials have similar physical properties. They are:

stiff - they are difficult to bend

hard - you can only scratch them with harder materials

brittle- they break easily

solid at room temperature, with very high melting points

strong when forces press on them

break easily when stretched

electrical insulators.

Why are ceramics useful?

Ceramics have many uses. Their uses depend on their properties. Bricks are strong when forces press on them. They are also durable and attractive. This makes them suitable for buildings.

Ceramics do not conduct electricity. They are not damaged by water. This makes them useful for electrical power-line insulators.

Ceramics have high melting points. This makes them suitable for jet-engine turbine blades, which get very hot.

Ceramics do not react with water, acids, or alkalis. You can decorate them. This makes them useful for plates, bowls, mugs, and jugs.

The ceramic hafnium carbide has highest melting point of all known ceramics, at about 3900 °C.

Why do ceramics have these properties?

In ceramic materials, a huge number of atoms join together in one big structure. There are strong forces between the atoms. This structure explains the properties of ceramic materials.

You need a great amount of energy to break forces between atoms. This explains why ceramics have high melting points.

The bonds between atoms are very strong. This is why they are hard. You break some bonds when you scratch ceramic materials.

Multiple Choice

When were ceramics first used?

• 20,000 years ago
• 100 BC
• 20,000 BC
• 24,000 BC

Multiple Choice

What chemical bonds are involved in ceramics?

• Hydrogen bonds
• Metallic bonds
• Covalent or ionic bonds
• Carbon bonds

Multiple Choice

What is a disadvantage of ceramics?

• Ceramics are tough. 
• Clay is easy to obtain.
• They can be painted.
• They can fracture easily.

Multiple Choice

Because of their strong bonds, ceramics are...

• Electrically resistant
• Elastic
• Heat resistant
• Magnetic

Multiple Choice

Are ceramics...

• Good insulators
• Good conductors

Multiple Choice

Which of these objects is a ceramic?

• Brick
• Pylon
• Water bottle
• Tarmac

Multiple Choice

Ceramic materials have high melting points.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a ceramic material?

• LCS

• ABS

• Carbon fibre

• Silicon nitrite

Multiple Choice

Most ceramic materials have good insulation properties.

• False

• True

Multiple Choice

A ceramic material is classed as

• A metallic material but non organic material

• A non metallic, non organic material

• A clay pot

• A non metallic, non polymer material

Multiple Choice

Which set of properties are commonly associated with ceramic materials.

• Good toughness, good conductivity and light weight.

• High levels of hardness, good conductivity and light weight.

• Nice colours

• High levels of hardness, high levels of heat resistance and quite brittle.

Multiple Choice

Of the following products which one would you not think was made from a ceramic material?

• Tap washer

• carving knife

• Heat shield

• Electronic resistor

• Car wheel

Multiple Select

Select two reasons why the given product would be made from a ceramic material.

• It would be cheap so keeping costs down..

• If it was to be used in an erosive environment.

• If it was to be subjected to high levels of impact.

• For ease of manufacturing

• If it was to be used in high temperatures.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of most metals?

• Brittle
• Good conductor
• Ductile
• Malleable

Multiple Select

Ceramics are able to withstand high temperatures without softening and deforming under normal service conditions. These properties make ceramics a good choice for:

(Choose Two Answers)

• Electric insulators

• Water bottles

• Electric conductors

• Furnace lining

Multiple Select

Ceramics have the ability to resist chemical attack however, they lack these two properties:

• Ductility

• Brittleness

• Hardness

• Electric conductivity

Multiple Choice

Which of the following substances could be used to make a ceramic?

• Metal

• Clay

• Plastic

• Wood

Multiple Choice

What is often added to a ceramic to make it non-porous?

• a plastic coating

• a glaze

• metal

• a layer of grease

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is not a common use for ceramics?

• toilets

• furniture

• bowls

• nugs

Multiple Choice

Which process is used when a ceramic is made?

• cooling

• dissolving

• heating

• inflating with gas

Multiple Choice

How are ceramics turned into a variety of shapes?

• carved into shape after heating

• clay is moulded before heating

• 3D printed into desired shape