• Interatomic bonding in ceramics is ionic and/or covalent.

• Ceramic crystal structures are based on:
-- maintaining charge neutrality
-- cation-anion radii ratios.

• Imperfections
-- Atomic point defects: vacancy, interstitial (cation), Frenkel, Schottky
-- Impurities: substitutional, interstitial
-- Maintenance of charge neutrality

• Room-temperature mechanical behavior – flexural tests
-- linear-elastic; measurement of elastic modulus
-- brittle fracture; measurement of flexural modulus