Porous ceramics are a class of highly reticulated ceramic material that covers a wide range of structures, such as foams, honeycombs, interconnected rods, fibers, or hollow spheres.

Porous ceramics are featured in their unique combination of valuable properties, which makes them useful in a variety of special and advanced engineering applications. These properties are:

• low density
• low thermal conductivity
• low dielectric constant
• high thermal shock resistance
• high specific strength
• high chemical resistance

Typical applications for porous ceramics products include:

• Thermal and acoustic insulation
• Separation/filtration
• Impact absorption
• Catalyst supports
• Lightweight structures
• Porous burners
• Energy storage and accumulation
• Biomedical devices
• Gas sensors
• Sonar transducers

Porous ceramic products cover wide range of advanced ceramic materials, which can be oxides ceramics: alumina, zirconia, or non-oxides ceramics:carbides, borides, nitrides, silicides.

The properties of porous ceramic product depend on three main factors: the properties of the ceramic material of which the product is made; the topology (connectivity) and shape of the pores; and the relative density of the product.