Hi ckb
Welcome to the Surface Engineering Forum.
Lets start by classifying technical ceramics into a few groups:
- Oxide ceramic - alumina, titania, zirconia....
Non-oxide ceramic - carbides, borides, nitrides.....
Composites - cermets (ceramic/metal like WC/co).....
How are ceramic coatings applied?
- Thermal spray
PVD and CVD (physical or chemical vapour deposition)
Liquid based slurries - applied like paint and cured at high temperatures
Chemical conversion treatments
Automotive applications:
- TBC (thermal barrier coatings) - oxides like zirconia - exhaust manifolds, piston crowns, valves, cilinder heads, heat shields...
Wear resistant coatings - ceramics and cermets like tungsten carbide/cobalt, chomium carbide/nickel chromium - piston rings, brake discs, crankshafts...
Dielecric oxide coatings - electrical isolation
Just scratching the surface of this subject and don't forget all the other coating materials not classified as ceramics. Spend some time doing google searches with search terms like ceramic coatings automotive or similar.