Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.7
2.0
Journals
Ceramics
Special Issues
Nanoceramics and Two-Dimensional Ceramic Materials
share announcement

Nanoceramics and Two-Dimensional Ceramic Materials

A special issue of Ceramics (ISSN 2571-6131).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 3042

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Brian C. Wyatt

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Advanced Electrochemical Materials Group, Applied Materials Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
Interests: two-dimensional ceramics; layered structures; structural editing; ultra-high-temperature ceramics
Dr. Kartik Nemani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Interests: two-dimensional ceramics; ultra-high-temperature ceramics; polymer-derived ceramics; composites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanoceramics and two-dimensional (2D) ceramic materials are an emerging field of research within ceramic science due to their distinctive properties and atomic-scale tunability compared to their traditional 3D ceramics counterparts.

Nanoceramics, characterized by grain sizes typically in the range of a few hundred nanometers, exhibit enhanced mechanical and altered electrical and thermal properties due to their unique nanoscale structure. Additionally, their thermal and chemical stability is often improved compared to coarse-grained ceramics. In addition, two-dimensional (2D) ceramic materials, which are composed of atomically thin layers with strong in-plane bonding and a weaker interlayer interaction, often exhibit unique properties that are different to their bulk counterparts, including controllable electrical properties, enhanced mechanical flexibility, and increased surface area for surface reactions for applications in catalysis or energy storage. Furthermore, with both 2D ceramics and nanoceramics, structural and surface modifications at the atomic level can further tailor their electronic, optical, and chemical properties.

Together, nanoceramics and 2D ceramic materials offer a platform for the application-based design of structure–property relationships at reduced length scales and to build materials with tailored functionalities for advanced technological applications.

This Special Issue is dedicated to 2D ceramics and nanoceramics, their advanced research on structure and properties, and innovative applications in areas such as the electronics, high-temperature, environmental, and biomedical fields. We welcome original research articles and reviews that focus on the following themes:

  • Fundamental structure–property relations in 2D ceramics or nanoceramic materials;
  • Applications of the unique optical, electronic, and thermal properties of nanoceramics, 2D ceramics, and/or nanocomposite materials in environmental, chemical, biological, and electronic domains;
  • Use of machine learning, simulation, and predictive modeling of the physiochemical properties of 2D ceramics or nanoceramics;
  • Advanced manufacturing, fabrication, or synthesis of 2D ceramics/nanoceramics or 2D ceramic/nanoceramic nanocomposites;
  • Reports of novel 2D ceramic or nanoceramic materials with enhanced properties and characteristics.

Dr. Brian C. Wyatt
Dr. Kartik Nemani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Ceramics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanoceramics
  • 2D ceramics
  • nanocomposites
  • nanomaterials
  • electronics

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 3324 KB  
Article
Tuning Oxygen Reduction Kinetics in LaSrCoO4 with Strained Epitaxial Thin Films and Wrinkled Freestanding Membranes
by Habib Rostaghi Chalaki, Ebenezer Seesi, Mohammad El Loubani and Dongkyu Lee
Ceramics 2026, 9(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/ceramics9010007 - 14 Jan 2026
Viewed by 995
Abstract
Sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) remains a critical barrier to advancing intermediate-temperature electrochemical energy devices. Here, we demonstrate that strain engineering in two platforms, epitaxial thin films and freestanding membranes, systematically tunes ORR kinetics in Ruddlesden-Popper LaSrCoO4. In epitaxial films, film [...] Read more.
Sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) remains a critical barrier to advancing intermediate-temperature electrochemical energy devices. Here, we demonstrate that strain engineering in two platforms, epitaxial thin films and freestanding membranes, systematically tunes ORR kinetics in Ruddlesden-Popper LaSrCoO4. In epitaxial films, film thickness is varied to control in-plane tensile strain, whereas in freestanding membranes strain relaxation during the release step using water-soluble sacrificial layers produces flat or wrinkled architectures. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis reveals more than an order of magnitude increase in the oxygen surface exchange coefficient for tensile-strained films relative to relaxed films, together with a larger oxygen vacancy concentration. Wrinkled freestanding membranes provide a further increase in oxygen surface exchange kinetics and a lower activation energy, which are attributed to increased active surface area and local strain variation. These results identify epitaxial tensile strain and controlled wrinkling as practical design parameters for optimizing ORR activity in Ruddlesden-Popper oxides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoceramics and Two-Dimensional Ceramic Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 3429 KB  
Article
Structural and Compositional Evolution of Polymer-Derived SiHfCN and Ti3C2-SiHfCN Ceramics
by Mohammad Hassan Shirani Bidabadi, Manoj K. Mahapatra and Kathy Lu
Ceramics 2025, 8(4), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/ceramics8040147 - 4 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1436
Abstract
In this study, SiHfCN ceramics were synthesized from a single-source precursor obtained by reacting Durazane 1800 with tetrakis(dimethylamido)hafnium(IV) (TDMAH). In a separate preparation, Ti3C2 MXene was incorporated into this precursor to produce MXene-SiHfCN composite ceramics. The samples were pyrolyzed at [...] Read more.
In this study, SiHfCN ceramics were synthesized from a single-source precursor obtained by reacting Durazane 1800 with tetrakis(dimethylamido)hafnium(IV) (TDMAH). In a separate preparation, Ti3C2 MXene was incorporated into this precursor to produce MXene-SiHfCN composite ceramics. The samples were pyrolyzed at 1000 °C and heat-treated at 1600 °C in N2 to investigate amorphous-to-crystalline transformations. Both SiHfCN and MXene-SiHfCN formed a single-phase amorphous structure after pyrolysis at 1000 °C. At 1600 °C, SiHfCN partially crystallized into α/β-Si3N4 and HfCxN1−x phases within an amorphous/crystalline Si3N4 matrix. In contrast, the MXene–SiHfCN matrix remained largely amorphous, evolving into SiOCN with localized Si2ON2 crystallization. Additional phases, including HfCxN1−x, Hf oxide/oxycarbide, and a Ti carbonitride-rich phase (TiC0.63N1.06O0.18Si0.99Hf0.11), were identified within the amorphous SiOCN. No SiC was detected in either system, indicating suppression of carbothermal reduction of Si3N4 up to 1600 °C in N2. While SiHfCN exhibited pronounced macroscopic cracks, MXene-SiHfCN showed no such large cracks, though local microscopic cracking was observed. These results demonstrate that Ti3C2 MXene incorporation stabilizes the amorphous matrix, modifies phase evolution, and mitigates severe cracking, offering new insights into non-oxide PDC nanocomposites for ultra-high-temperature applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoceramics and Two-Dimensional Ceramic Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop