1903
Nernst glower / spark
Early oxide electronics and ignition ceramics.
Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.
- Nernst glower / spark
- Alumina spark plugs
- Schröter WC-Co
- Si3N4 research
- PSZ zirconia
- Ceramic hip heads
- TBC YSZ
- SiC devices
- Ceramic matrix composites
- Solid-state electrolyte ceramics
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Strength80
Heat resistance96
Fire performance94
Insulation46
Workability22
Circularity44
LessMore
Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
Is Technical ceramics non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: A1. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Technical ceramics insulate?
Thermal mark 46/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: Al2O3 ~20–30; AlN higher; ZrO2 low.
What is the density band?
3.2–6 g/cm³ class
How is it made?
Origin story: 20th c. spark plugs / WWII carbides (Germany / US / Japan).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 44/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
often >2000 °C
heat 96 · fire 94
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.
Keep exploring
More in Ceramics & wood
🪟
Glass
Frozen silicate liquid — windows, bottles, fibres and a Euroclass A1 skin that still shatters and melts in fire.
Overall 58 🏗️Concrete
The hydraulic ceramic of cities — cement, water, rock and usually steel, with a fire story better than exposed steel.
Overall 57 🌲Wood
Anisotropic cellulose composite grown as trees — carpentry, mass timber and a combustible story that codes still manage.
Overall 57 🎋Bamboo
A fast grass culm sold as timber — scaffolding, flooring and a glue story that decides the indoor air.
Overall 55