ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the recent trends in sol-gel-based nanoceramics and their applications. Nanoceramics exhibit unique mechanical and surface characteristics, such as superplasticity, machinability, strength, toughness, and bioactivity due to the fine grain size, abundant grain boundaries, and controllable crystallinity. Sol-gel processing is a liquid-phase processing of nanocomposite powders that utilize inorganic salts or metal-organic compounds for sol preparation. All sol-gel methods involve two distinct phases, solution and gelation. Sol-gel techniques have been utilized to change the functionalities by patterning the surface of a glass or another material that provides more degrees of freedom compared with uniform thin films or coating. Nano-titanium oxide (TiO2) is used for developing anti-UV, antibacterial, and self-cleaning paints. Microcrystalline corundum abrasives have grown due to high hardness, high strength, good wear resistance, and long service life, as compared to the conventional coarser single-crystalline fused-corundum abrasives. The corundum-based abrasives with superior tribological properties for grinding have been synthesized by sol-gel technologies.
