Toward applications of ceramic nanostructures

Abstract

This article serves to introduce the January 2004 issue of MRS Bulletin on progress toward applications of ceramic nanostructures. Conventional ceramic materials are widely used today in areas ranging from structural to biological applications, and in devices as diverse as lasers, semiconductors, sensors, and piezoelectric components. Such materials include oxides, carbides, nitrides, mixed oxides, and composites. Over the last decade, the use of ceramic nanostructures has already changed the approach to materials design in many of these applications, by seeking structural control at the atomic level and tailoring of the engineering properties. The articles in this issue review the advantages of nanoceramics, their application in various fields, and the challenges involved in their fabrication.