Although ceramics have been known to mankind literally for millennia, research has never ceased. Apart from the classic uses as a bulk material in pottery, construction, and decoration, the latter half of the twentieth century saw an explosive growth of application fields, such as electrical and thermal insulators, wear-resistant bearings, surface coatings, lightweight armour, or aerospace materials. In addition to plain, hard solids, modern ceramics come in many new guises such as fabrics, ultrathin films, microstructures and hybrid composites. Built on the solid foundations laid down by the 20-volume series Materials Science and Technology, Ceramics Science and Technology picks out this exciting material class and illuminates it from all sides. Materials scientists, engineers, chemists, biochemists, physicists and medical researchers alike will find this work a treasure trove for a wide range of ceramics knowledge from theory and fundamentals to practical approaches and problem solutions.

This book provides a state-of-the-art collection of recent papers on interfaces in heterogeneous ceramic systems presented at the 6th Pacific Rim Conference on Ceramic and Glass Technology (PacRim 6) in September of 2005 in Maui, Hawaii. The book is logically divided into 5 sections on interfaces, including theory and modeling, wetting phenomena, heterogeneous interfaces in high-temperature superconductors, bio-interfaces, and new developments in instrumentation that aid in the characterization of interfaces.

This thesis presents results from a combined atomic-resolution Z-contrast and annular bright-field imaging and electron energy loss spectroscopy in the Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy, as well as first principles studies of the interfaces between crystalline β−Si3N4 and amorphous (i) CeO2-x as well as (ii) SiO2 intergranular film (IGF). These interfaces are of a great fundamental and technological interest because they play an important role in the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of Si3N4 ceramics used in many high temperature and pressure applications. The main contribution of this work is its detailed description of the bonding characteristics of light atoms, in particular oxygen and nitrogen, at these interfaces, which has not been achieved before. The atomic-scale information on the arrangement of both light and heavy atoms is critical for realistic modeling of interface properties, such as interface strength and ion transport, and will facilitate increased control over the performance of ceramic and semiconductor materials for a wide-range of applications.