Awwwhhh the wonderful "thing" that is Ceramics, I do ask why aren't there any ceramic combustion engines made yet although I do know the Answer to my question, it is just sad how hampered we are with moving forward with a new technology /evolution of the combustion engine. we aways have to think about the "little" guy. every bit that makes a metal combustion engine move, the coolant that needs to be used, the oil that needs to be burned etc etc.....yet with the likes of Tesla here we are getting a very vibrant glimpse of a future FREE of a combustion motor all together. I do like Tesla and I think they have a magnificent product, but call me an old fashion hooligan, no electric Buzz winning will ever replace the pure roar of a powerful petrol motor.
Prototypes of ceramic engines have been made, and the results are incredible. Because of their tolerance of heat, they can burn 3 times hotter than a metal engine... hot enough for motor oil to act like a clean-burning fuel, and producing practically NO pollution with regular gasoline.
((CO2 isn't a toxic pollutant. If it was, we'd all be dead right now. When methane and other carbon-chain molecueles are burned in the cleanest way possible, you'll get CO2 and water. If the reaction isn't complete, you'll get CO, nitrogen oxides, and leftover hydrocarbon emissions. You and every other animal on the planet spews out CO2 in massive quantities. Every plant at night will spew out CO2 as well. But when the sun is shining, every tree, every clump of moss, every tiny cell of algae, every green leaf with chloroplasts in it will guzzle CO2 and vent off the waste fumes: that highly reactive, highly corrosive, highly unstable gas called oxygen))
In addition, they need no coolant system (no radiator), and because they can be cut to very tight tolerances (parts can be made to fit within several microns of distance) no engine oil is needed. They're so efficient that a ceramic engine, when compared to a regular 4-stroke engine of identical size, will produce 250% of the horsepower using approximately 25% of the fuel. They can easily weigh 50% to 80% less.
A batch of 10 of these engines, with 1 liter displacement, producing 500hp each, has been created by the Germans and have been extensively tested. The longest one has been run the equivalent of 1,200,000 miles and still shows no signs of wear and tear.
So what's the catch? First of all, nobody's set up to build these things in mass, so for now they'd be extremely expensive. Plus if released, the face of the oil industry would completely change. Potentially thousands of people could lose their jobs, and the Middle Eastern and South American countries would no longer be sitting on the enormous piles of wealth they currently enjoy.
http://ceramicrotaryengines.com/