5. Conclusion

Today, ceramics are innovative materials in many high-tech sectors. They are at the origin of a multitude of applications for housing, transport, energy, telecommunications, the environment and health, which have long been part of our daily lives. Their specific physical, thermal and mechanical properties provide solutions and open up new perspectives in many fields:

• housing, with four major product families: sanitaryware, floor and wall tiles, tableware and building materials;

• industry, where they are sought after for energy generation and conservation (catalytic hydrogen synthesis, fuel cells, turbine components, fuels and absorbents for nuclear power plants), automotive (anti-wear coatings), refractories for production units in the glass and steel industries... ;

• environmental...