"Advanced Ceramics" constitute a group of materials other than the clay minerals based "traditional ceramics" and are one of the fastest growing groups of materials particularly for advanced technology applications replacing, in many cases, conventional metals and alloys. While "traditional ceramics" are based primarily on naturally occurring raw materials, the "advanced ceramics" use mostly synthetic or specially prepared raw materials. Therefore, preparation of synthetic raw material constitutes an important part of this course. Consolidation of the powdery raw materials into desirable and in many cases complex shapes requires understanding the basic principles of different techniques of ceramic processing and fabrication. Advanced ceramic materials are used not only in the bulk shapes but also in the form of thick or thin films as well as in single crystals. In addition, ceramics are also used in the fiber form. (from nptel.ac.in)