Market Insights
Next-gen superconducting ceramics could change how we travel and much more
Forty years ago, two physicists from IBM’s research laboratory in Zürich, Switzerland, reported a groundbreaking discovery: Superconductivity, or the quantum mechanical phenomenon in which certain materials exhibit zero electrical resistance when cooled, could be achieved at higher temperatures using ceramics. Superconductivity had been discovered decades before, but its applications had…
Market Insights
Why most AI manufacturing projects fail and how to fix it
Artificial intelligence is reshaping advanced manufacturing, especially processes involving ceramics, glasses, and other hard or brittle materials. But adopting AI is far more difficult than simply buying software and connecting machines. Manufacturers must understand the advantages and limitations of different models, so they can determine where AI fits best within…
Bulletin Features
Radiation effects on rare earth chemistry in molten salts for nuclear applications
Across the nuclear energy sector, molten salts are shaping the next generation of nuclear technologies, from advanced power reactors to used nuclear fuel recycling. In molten salt reactors (MSRs), molten salts uniquely serve as both the primary coolant and fuel medium, a dual role that sets MSRs apart from conventional…
Market Insights
Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics: Technologies and global opportunities
The global market for lead-free piezoelectric ceramics was valued at $279 million in 2024 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.3% to reach $549.8 million by the end of 2030. The toxic impacts of lead on human health and the environment are driving…
Bulletin Features
CMCs in application: Exploring the pros and cons of different ceramic matrix composites
Monolithic ceramics have helped shape the modern world, forging major technologies from cell phones to turbo chargers. But there is a key downside to these materials: their brittleness. Most monolithic ceramics exhibit failure mechanisms that tend to be both sudden and catastrophic. In contrast, ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), which consist…
Research Insights
Polycrystalline transparent ceramics: Developing optical materials for extreme environments
When people think of transparent materials, they often think first of glass or plastic. Indeed, for everyday applications, these materials are hard to beat: They offer excellent optical properties, adequate mechanical properties, and can be fabricated easily and affordably on an industrial scale. In extreme environments, however, these materials fall…
Bulletin Features
Leveraging electric fields for enhanced properties: A case study on TiO2
How do we control the properties of a material? It is one of the oldest questions in materials engineering, and titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the best systems in which to watch the answer unfold. This simple compound serves in a multitude of applications, including as a white pigment,…
Bulletin Features
Noncubic-structured transparent ceramics: Overcoming birefringence through improved structure–property understanding
Transparent ceramics with cubic crystal structures can exhibit optical performance comparable to—or even surpassing—that of single crystals, and their application in high-technology devices such as lasers and optical isolators is already underway. In contrast, transparent ceramics with noncubic crystal structures have found only limited use in optical applications, for example,…
