Ceramic Materials: Type of Bonding

The table of engineering properties is clearly indicating the strength and weakness of ceramic materials. We have noted that the engineering ceramics possess very high modulus of elasticity and good compressive strength in comparison with the metals. To the contrary, the tensile strength and fracture toughness are quite low in comparison with the metals. Our discussions on the atomic bonding and microstructure of the ceramics will put some light on the nature of the ceramics. First of all let us try to figure it out why ceramic materials have high elastic modulus of elasticity?

The answer lies upon investigating the atomic structure of such materials. Engineering ceramics mostly have ionic bonds of atoms which is as strong as the metallic bonds. Ionic bonds are created between two atoms (generally one metallic and one non-metallic) with different electro-negativities.