Ceramics are inorganic crystalline materials that can have a range of properties from functional to structural ceramics for extreme environments.

The Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics (CASC) is a major focus for ceramics research in the Department. The experimental facilities cover processing and characterisation and we have particular expertise in thermo-mechanical testing including nanoindentation and outstanding thermal analysis capability to > 2000^oC. Much of this research is carried out in collaborative projects with industrial and academic partners from the UK, Europe, USA and Japan. 

Much of our work is underpinned by multiscale modelling enabling us to improve our understanding of ceramic materials and predict new materials having improved properties for a wide variety of applications.

We have pioneered research on lowering the operating temperature and cost of SOFCs, their mechanical reliability and on the mechanisms of electrode reactions. This has resulted in facilities (unique within Europe) for isotopic studies of surface exchange kinetics and diffusion in oxides. The surface chemistry of ceramic materials can now be accessed through state-of-the-art low-energy ion scattering (LEIS) providing unparalleled information on the atomic structure of functional ceramics that is essential for device development. We are also examining ceramic systems for aerospace applications which involves testing and characterising non-oxide composites at temperatures approaching 4000^oC.