1903
Nernst glower / spark
Early oxide electronics and ignition ceramics.
Technical ceramics did not arrive as a finished commodity. 20th c. spark plugs / WWII carbides around Germany / US / Japan still explains who makes it and which tests it sits in.
Ten dated points, five eras and three milestones below are the spine — not a complete industrial history.
Where it began
20th c. spark plugs / WWII carbidesGermany / US / Japan
Timeline
1903Nernst glower / spark
Early oxide electronics and ignition ceramics.
1920sAlumina spark plugs
Sintered Al2O3 beat mica in engines.
1923Schröter WC-Co
Cemented carbide cutting.
1960sSi3N4 research
Ceramic turbine dreams.
1970sPSZ zirconia
Transformation toughening.
1980sCeramic hip heads
Alumina then zirconia bearings.
1990sTBC YSZ
Yttria-stabilised zirconia on turbine blades.
2000sSiC devices
Wide-bandgap power electronics.
2010sCeramic matrix composites
SiC/SiC aero engines.
2020sSolid-state electrolyte ceramics
LLZO and friends in battery labs.
The eras
1923
Schröter WC-Co
Cemented carbide cutting.
1970s
PSZ zirconia
Transformation toughening.
1990s
TBC YSZ
Yttria-stabilised zirconia on turbine blades.
2010s
Ceramic matrix composites
SiC/SiC aero engines.
Milestones
Si3N4 research
1960sCeramic turbine dreams.
TBC YSZ
1990sYttria-stabilised zirconia on turbine blades.
Solid-state electrolyte ceramics
2020sLLZO and friends in battery labs.
Knowing this timeline is how to read a mill certificate without treating Technical ceramics as timeless.
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