The present review introduces a class of ceramic nanocomposites that contain carbon as disperse phases and exhibit piezoresistive behavior. After a brief introduction in which the piezoresistive effect is described and selected principles for the design of piezoresistive sensing devices are highlighted, various carbon-containing ceramic nanocomposites are presented and discussed in the light of their preparative access as well as their piezoresistive behavior. Emphasis is put on carbon-containing ceramic nanocomposites in which the dispersed carbon phase is generated in situ during a thermal treatment process, which allows tunable carbon contents and crystallinities, along with a highly homogeneous dispersion of the carbon phase in the ceramic matrix. The piezoresistive carbon-containing ceramic nanocomposites presented here are furthermore critically discussed within the context of their potential use as force/strain/pressure sensing materials for applications at ultrahigh temperatures and in hostile environments.

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the German Science Foundation (DFG, Germany) – grants no. 232234385 (High-temperature piezoresistivity in carbon-containing silicon oxycarbide nanocomposites) and 411658150 (Microstructured C/SiCX (X ​= ​O, N)-based high-temperature strain gauge). Additionally, EI acknowledges funding from DFG within the Heisenberg program (IO 64/14–1).