Recent advances in nanotechnology have paved the way for the development of new smart materials. The term "smart ceramics" refers to ceramic materials fabricated from ultrafine particles. They have attracted the attention of researchers and scientists thanks to their potential to manipulate the length scale in the nanorange, leading to better and some unusual material properties. Smart ceramics ensure control of particle size, surface contamination, and degree of agglomeration. They play a crucial role in challenging applications such as bone surgery (e.g., the development of substitutes for load-bearing bone parts) and in biomedical science, especially in tissue engineering, dental applications, and drug and antigen delivery using modified ceramics. Porous nanostructured ceramics have potential use in both simple and complex applications, such as bioimaging, sensors, paints and pigments, optics, and electronics, because of their surface- and size-dependent properties. For the synthesis of smart ceramics, the sol-gel route has been mainly utilized because of its ability to produce a large variety of compositions and to ensure homogeneous mixing of the constituent particles at low temperature.

This book describes the innovations in technologies through the development of functionalized ceramic materials for various applications. It also describes recent and expected challenges, along with their potential solutions, in advanced techniques for the synthesis and characterization of nanostructured ceramics and their composites: bioceramics, bioactive ceramics, multifunctional nanoceramics, transparent ceramics, nanocore shells, nanowires, thin films, nanotubes, and nanorods. The applications include the environment, health care, electrochemical sensors, high-temperature superconductors, nuclear reactor fuels, electrical insulators, refractory materials, electrical transformers, and magnetic core memory. The book will benefit researchers, scientists, engineers, and technologists working in the industry and in national and international research laboratories; academics who are interested in traditional and advanced smart ceramic composites; and students pursuing their postgraduate, graduate, and undergraduate degrees in smart ceramics, nanomaterials, nanoscience, and engineering.

Ajay Kumar Mishra is full professor at the Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability Research Unit, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Florida Science Campus, South Africa, since 2015, and adjunct professor at Jiangsu University, China. He received his BSc and MSc from Purvanchal University, India, in 1997 and 2001 respectively, and MPhil and PhD from the University of Delhi, India, in 2003 and 2007 respectively. From March 2006 to September 2009 he was a postdoctoral fellow at various South African institutes and/or universities. In October 2009 he joined the Department of Applied Chemistry, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, as senior lecturer, and from November 2011 to December 2014 he was associate professor there. Prof. Mishra's research interests include water research and the synthesis of multifunctional nanomaterials, nanocomposites, biopolymer- and petrochemical-based biodegradable polymers, polymer-based materials/composites, smart materials, and carbon nanotube- and graphene-based composite materials. He has authored more than 100 scientific papers, collaborated with researchers, scientists, and postdocs in his group and worldwide, and delivered many plenary, keynote, and invited lectures. For his outstanding research, he has received a number of international awards. He has served as an associate editor as well as a member of the editorial board of many peer-reviewed international journals, and he has edited several books by renowned publishers. Prof. Mishra also serves as an advisory board member of a number of international scientific societies, conferences, and workshops.