Ceramics is the oldest member of the traditional material family, with a history dating back thousands of years. In the late Neolithic Age, China's painted pottery craftsmanship gave birth to the "Yangshao Culture". By the time of the Yin and Shang Dynasties, pottery had evolved from unglazed to glazed, and the sintering temperature could reach (1200±30)°C, which was the highest temperature for pottery making. The transition from pottery to porcelain was the "first leap" in the development of ancient Chinese ceramic craftsmanship. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, glazed pottery gradually developed into porcelain. From Yue kiln celadon, to Tang Dynasty Xing kiln white porcelain, to Song Dynasty shadow celadon, the development of porcelain is a testimony to the development of our country's brilliant civilization.
After humans entered modern civilization, their pursuit of ceramics progressed from utensils and storage to material science. At the end of the 19th century, the artificial synthesis of silicon nitride (Si3N4) and silicon carbide (SiC) opened the door to modernspecial ceramics (High Performance Ceramics, also called Fine ceramics or The prelude to the development of advanced ceramics). Ceramic expert Kingery wrote: "The art and science of making and applying solid products, which are mainly made of inorganic non-metallic materials."Composed of basic components", this is the standard definition of special ceramics. "Special ceramics use artificially refined powders as raw materials, and adopt advanced molding and sintering methods through precise formula calculations to obtain specific microstructure and properties. products".
In 2006, the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Construction wrote in the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" work plan for the development of the new ceramics industry: "As an important branch of materials science, new ceramics are indispensable for these high and new technologies. Key new materials. From a certain point of view, whoever has certain advantages in new ceramic technology will have certain competitive strength and can occupy its due place; in the environment of fierce competition at home and abroad, the country is like this. This is true for all provinces in the country, as well as for all units ("The Eleventh Five-Year Plan for the Development of New Ceramic Industry in Jiangxi Province", Jiangxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission).
As of 2018, the market value of special ceramics in the United States is US$16.96 billion, and is expected to grow to US$19 billion in 2020 (BBC Research); the market forecast for special ceramic coatings (High Performance Coatings)It is expected to grow to US$9 billion in 2020, maintaining a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7%; in the same year, the market value of China's special ceramics is estimated to be approximately RMB 45 billion. Analysts from TMR analyst said frankly: "Semiconductor applications are one of the largest markets for ceramic coatings." Analysts predict that the strong demand brought about by the commercialization of automotive parts manufacturing and civil aerospace projects will further promote the development of the special ceramics market . Neighboring India is unwilling to lag behind. As early as a few years ago, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) of the Indian government released the "IMPacting Research INnovation and Technol" talent strategic plan (IMPacting Research INnovation and Technol, also known as the IMPRINT India Initiative). Incorporate specialty ceramics into key categories of advanced materials. And reserve high-tech talents to apply material technology to the fields of national defense, nuclear power technology, aerospace materials and semiconductor electronics.
In 2018, overseas research institutions estimated that the global market value of special ceramics was approximately US$89.7 billion. Electrical equipment, catalyst carriers, electronic equipment, wear parts, engine parts, filters and bioceramics are the main downstream markets. Among them, electronic equipment and electrical equipment are the largest markets.
