This volume constitutes the Proceedings of the November 8-10, 1982 Conference on EMERGENT PROCESS METHODS FOR HIGH TECHNOLOGY CERAMICS, held at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. It was the nineteenth in a series of "University Conferences on Ceramic Sci­ ence" initiated in 1964 by four institutions of which North Carolina State University is a charter member, along with the University of California at Berkeley, Notre Dame University, and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. More recently, ceramic­ oriented faculty in departments at the Pennsylvania State University and Case-Western Reserve University have joined the four initial institutions as permanent members of the consortium. These research­ oriented conferences, each uniquely concerned with a timely ceramic theme, have been well attended by audiences which typically were both international and interdisciplinary in character; their published Proceedings have been well received and are frequently cited. This three day conference addressed the fundamental scientific background as well as the technological state-of-the-art of several novel methods which are beginning to influence present and future directions for non-traditional ceramic processing, thus affecting many of the advanced ceramic materials needed for a wide variety of research and industrial applications. The number, the importance and the application of new ceramic processing techniques have expanded considerably during the last ten years.

I: The Science Of Colloidal Processing.- Interfacial Electrochemistry of Disperse Systems.- How Colloid Stability Affects the Behavior of Suspensions.- Formation and Stability of Colloidal Dispersions of Fine Particles in Water.- Flocculation and Filtration of Colloidal Particles.- The Science of the Interactions of Colloidal Particles and Ceramics Processing.- Preparation of Shaped Glasses Through the Sol-Gel Method.- Inorganic Oxide Gels and Gel-Monoliths: Their Crystallization Behavior.- Boron Nitride Fiber Synthesis from Boric Oxide Precursors.- II: NOVEL POWDER-FORMING AND POWDER-PROCESSING METHODS.- Some Common Aspects of the Formation of Nonoxide Powders by the Vapor Reaction Method.- Synthesis of Powders and Thin Films by Laser Induced Gas Phase Reactions.- Preparation of Zirconia-Alumina Fine Powders by Hydrothermal Oxidation of Zr-Al Alloys.- Combustion Synthesis of Transition Metal Nitrides.- The Influence of Powder Synthesis Techniques on Processes Occurring During Compact Formation and its Sintering.- Dispersion and Packing of Narrow Size Distribution Ceramic Powders.- Plasma Sintering of Ceramics.- Plasma Melting of Selected Compositions in the A12O3-ZrO2-SiO2 System.- Liquid Phase Sintering of Ceramics.- Precision Digital Dilatometry: A Microcomputer-Based Approach to Sintering Studies.- III: Ceramics Derived By Polymer Processing.- The Conversion of Methylchloropolysilanes and Polydisilylazanes to Silicon Carbide and Silicon Carbide/Silicon Nitride Ceramics, Respectively.- Silicon-Nitrogen Polymers and Ceramics Dervied from Reactions of Dichlorosilane, H2SiCl2.- Formation of Ceramic Composites and Coatings Utilizing Polymer Pyrolysis.- Gas Analysis During the Pyrolysis of Carbosilane.- IV: Chemical Vapor Deposition.- Chemical Vapor Deposition of Ceramic Materials.- The Application of Thermodynamic Calculations to Chemical Vapor Deposition Processes.- CVD of Si3N4 and its Composites.- Preparation of Amorphous Si3N4-BN Composites by Chemical Vapor Deposition.- A Morphological Study of Silicon Borides Prepared by CVD.- A Morphological Study of Silicon Carbide Prepared by Chemical Vapor Deposition.- Low-Temperature Preparation of Pyrolytic Carbon.- Laser Chemical Vapor Deposition (LCVD).- V: Ion Beam Deposition.- Ion Beam Techniques for the Deposition of Ceramic Thin Films..- Ionized-Cluster Beam Deposition and Epitaxy.- Ion Beam Deposition of Ceramic-Like Coatings.- VI: Laser And Ion Beam Modification of Surfaces.- Laser Surface Melting of Metals and Alloys.- Laser Processing of Ceramics.- Microstructural Analysis of Rapidly Solidified Alumina.- Structure of Ceramic Surfaces Modified by Ion Beam Techniques.- Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ion-Implanted Ceramics.- Microhardness of N-Implanted Yttria Stabilized Zr02.- VII: Hot Isostatic Pressing.- Hot Isostatic Pressing of Ceramic Materials.- Dense Ceramic Parts Hot Pressed to Shape by HIP.- Fabrication of Si3N4 Ceramics with Additives of Metal Nitrides by High Pressure Hot-Pressing and HIPing.- Diffusion Bonding of AI2O3 and Ceramics by HIPing.- Relationship Between Densification and High Temperature Mechanical Properties of HIPed Silicon Nitride.- Microstructural Changes During Hot Isostatic Pressing of Sintered Lead Zirconate Titanate.- VIII: Dynamic Compaction.- Dynamic Compaction of Powders.- Dynamic Compaction of Ceramic Powders.- Explosive Consolidation of Aluminum Nitride Ceramic Powder: A Case History.- Computer Simulation of Dynamic Compaction.- Investigation of a Method to Consolidate Hard Materials in a Tough Matrix.- IX: Shock Synthesis: Shock Conditioning And Subsequent Densification.- Modern Uses of Explosive Pressure--From Rock Blasting to Synthetic Diamond.- Shock-Induced Modification of Inorganic Powders.- Densification Kinetics of Shock-Activated Nitrides.- Rate Controlled Sintering of Explosively Shock-Conditioned Alumina Powders.- X: Very High Pressure Processing.- High Pressure Processing of High Technology Ceramics.- Diamond Anvil Cell Technology for P,T Studies of Ceramics: ZrO2 (8 mol% Y2O3).- Effect of Strong Shock Compression on Covalent Materials and High Pressure Sintering.- A New Approach to the Reaction Sintering of Superhard Materials Under Very High Pressure.- Advisory committee.- Contributors.