Exploring advanced ceramic coatings and ultra-high temperature ceramic materials, this issue brings readers up-to-date with important new and emerging findings, materials, and applications. The nineteen papers in this issue originate from two symposia and one focused session held in January 2012, during the 36th International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites (ICACC). With contributions from leading ceramics and materials researchers from around the world, this issue explores the latest advances and key challenges in advanced thermal and environmental coating processing and characterizations, advanced wear corrosion-resistant, nanocomposite, and multi-functional coatings, thermal protection systems, and more.

This volume is a useful resource for understanding the most valuable aspects of advanced ceramic coatings and interfaces. Containing twelve contributed papers from the symposium, topics include vibration damping coatings, thermal and environmental barrier coating processing, testing and life modeling, non-destructive evaluation, multifunctional coatings and interfaces, highlighting the state-of-the-art ceramic coatings technologies for various critical engineering applications.

This volume includes 46 contributed articles from the Advanced Ceramic Coatings for Structural, Environmental and Functional Applications and the International Symposium on Advances in Ceramic-Metal Systems symposia. Topics include processing and microstructure design, mechanical and thermal properties, advanced testing and non-destructive evaluation, wear, erosion and corrosion behavior, functional properties and modeling. A significant portion of the contributed articles focus on current state-of-the-art industrial applications of ceramic coatings and ceramic-metal composites.