This course is designed to provide an understanding of the relationship between composition, defect structure and electrical and thermal properties of functional ceramics. Emphasis is placed on the mechanisms of conduction in insulators, semiconductor ceramics and fast ionic conductors. The origin of ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity is presented for isotropic and anisotropic materials using tensors and matrix notations. Several ceramic systems and related devices are presented, including electronic and ionic conductors, ferroelectrics and dielectric materials. The design and operation of modern electrical/electronic devices, such as solid oxide fuel cells, varistors and smart structures, are discussed in detail. The breadth and importance of this class of ceramics in modern electronic industries are reviewed.
