**Preface to "Microstructural Design and Processing Control of Advanced Ceramics"**

The global demand for ceramic materials with wide-ranging applications in the environment, precision tools, biomedical, electronics, and environmental fields is on the rise. Advanced ceramics can be elaborated as processed ceramic materials with task-specific properties such as high mechanical performances and/or unique functional properties. In view of their various applications covering thermal conductors, cutting tools, automotive/atomic energy/electronic/biomedical devices, micro-electro-mechanical systems, environmental and aerospace engineering, advanced ceramics represent an important technology that has a considerable impact for a large variety of industries, branches and markets. It is considered as an enabling technology that has the potential to deliver high-value contributions for solving the challenges of our future.

Advanced ceramics can also be referred to as high performance ceramics, high-tech ceramics, engineering ceramics, fine ceramics, and technical ceramics. Such materials may be oxides, carbides, nitrides, silicides, borides, etc. They are basically crystalline materials of rigorously controlled composition, microstructure and manufactured with detailed regulation from highly refined or/and characterized raw materials that give precisely specified attributes. The solid-state reactions are the most widely used processes for the mass-production of cost-efficient ceramic powders. Additionally, the sol-gel technique, CVD, and polymer pyrolysis have been applied to generate high-purity ceramics precursor with defined properties. In general, the chemical compositions, microstructural characteristics, fabrication methods, and processing conditions of advanced ceramics impel their characteristics including corrosion-resistant, outstanding optical and electrical properties, hardness and anti-aging.

This reprint contains one editorial paper and ten research-type papers that reported the results of several researches regarding functional ceramics, structural ceramics, ceramic composites, ceramic coatings and special glasses. The complex chemical compositions, novel and controllable fabrication process, subtle and designable meso/micro/nano-structures, unique physical and chemical properties as well as potential applications of these materials will be presented to the readers.

> **Qingyuan Wang and Yu Chen** *Editors*
