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Rational Molecular Engineering of Ceramic Materials
Author(s) -
ROY RUSTUM
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1151-2916.1977.tb15559.x
Subject(s) - rational design , ceramic , metastability , nanotechnology , molecular engineering , phase (matter) , materials science , crystal engineering , computer science , management science , mechanical engineering , chemistry , molecule , engineering , organic chemistry , composite material , hydrogen bond
Most of the advances in modern ceramics have been based on the development of a new material. A rational approach to the design and execution of such innovative syntheses can be made more scientific and less serendipitous. The understanding of molecular architecture and the principles of structure building can only be based on the science of crystal chemistry and solid‐state thermodynamics. This review presents a summary of the principles and state‐of‐the‐art empirical data in relevant crystal chemistry and the correlates found in phase‐equilibrium diagrams. It deals explicitly with the role of metastable equilibrium in the formation and use of technological materials. It also summarizes the major classes of experimental facilities needed for sophisticated molecular engineering. Several examples are presented as successful paradigms of rational molecular engineering, covering different size ranges of creative architecture from 10 A to 10 μm. Likely future developments in this area are proposed as being based principally on 2‐ (or multi‐) phase materials, and/or on noncrystalline phases based on the entire composition range of ceramics, and on combinations of ceramics with metals and, possibly, polymers.