Provided is a barrier film, comprising: a base layer; and an inorganic layer including a first region and a second region, which have different elemental contents (atomic %) of Si, N, and O from each other as measured by XPS, and having a compactness expressed through an etching rate of 0.17 nm/s or less in the thickness direction for an Ar ion etching condition to etch Ta.sub.2O.sub.5 at a rate of 0.09 nm/s, wherein the second region has a higher elemental content of N than that of the first region, the first region has a thickness of 50 nm or more, and the ratio (d1/d2) of the thickness (d1) of the first region to the thickness (d2) of the second region is 2 or less, the barrier film having excellent barrier properties and optical properties. The barrier film can be used for electronic products sensitive to moisture or the like.

Forming a lithium lanthanum zirconate thin film includes disposing zirconium oxide on a substrate to yield a zirconium oxide coating, contacting the zirconium oxide coating with a solution including a lithium salt and a lanthanum salt, heating the substrate to yield a dried salt coating on the zirconium oxide coating, melting the dried salt coating to yield a molten salt mixture, reacting the molten salt mixture with the zirconium oxide coating to yield lithium lanthanum zirconate, and cooling the lithium lanthanum zirconate to yield a lithium lanthanum zirconate coating on the substrate. In some cases, the zirconium oxide coating is contacted with an aqueous molten salt mixture including a lithium salt and a lanthanum salt, the molten salt mixture is reacted with the zirconium oxide coating to yield lithium lanthanum zirconate, and the lithium lanthanum zirconate is cooled to yield a lithium lanthanum zirconate coating on the substrate.

Methods of forming porous nano-scale or micro-scale structured materials and structured materials formed thereby. Such methods entail providing a donor material and reacting the donor material to form a compound that deposits on a surface of a substrate to produce nano-scale or micro-scale geometric features of the structured material. In particular embodiments, the donor material is in a solution and the reacting step is performed by contacting the surface of the substrate with the solution and directing heat through the solution onto the surface to locally heat a portion of the solution in contact therewith.

A silver mirror film includes a plurality of silver particles arranged in a film surface direction, a plurality of interparticle silicon particles between the silver particles, and a plurality of surface silicon particles on surfaces of the silver particles so as to at least partially cover the surfaces. The interparticle silicon particles and the surface silicon particles are present as (Si.sub.xO.sub.2y).sub.n{x≥1, y≥1, and n≥1}.

Methods of manufacture of an optical diffuser. In one embodiment, an optical diffuser is formed by providing a wafer including a silicon slice of which an upper face is covered with a first layer made of a first material itself covered with a second layer made of a second selectively etchable material with respect to the first material. The method further includes forming openings in the second layer extending up to the first layer and filling the openings in the second layer with a third material. The method yet further includes bonding a glass substrate to the wafer on the side of its upper face and removing the silicon slice.

Thin glass-like ceramic films which possess organic or physically functional structures with thicknesses in the 15 to 500 nm range and bottom-up methods for their fabrication are described. SiO.sub.2-rich structures having gradient properties are formed from a silsesquioxane having an electronegative β substituent and at least one organofunctional silane or at least one metal alkoxide.

This disclosure relates to basic inorganic compositions. Methods of providing antifungal/antibacterial resistance and/or hydrophobicity and/or corrosion resistance by coating surfaces with the basic inorganic compositions are provided. In another aspect, a silicate composition comprising at least one alkali earth metal; and a Group IV element of silicon, germanium, tin, or lead having at least one hydrocarbon moiety covalently bonded thereto is provided.

According to the present disclosure, a method for coating nickel on an organosiloxane polymer is provided. A nickel organosiloxane polymer composite is also provided.

A film forming device includes a bottom plate detachably provided on a bottom surface of a mist spray head. The bottom plate includes a raw material solution opening, reaction material openings, and inert gas openings formed in regions corresponding to a raw material solution ejection port, reaction material ejection ports, and inert gas ejection ports, when the bottom plate is attached to the bottom surface of the mist spray head.

Methods for forming sintered-bonded high temperature coatings over ceramic turbomachine components are provided, as are ceramic turbomachine components having such high temperature coatings formed thereover. In one embodiment, the method includes the step or process of removing a surface oxide layer from the ceramic component body of a turbomachine component to expose a treated surface of the ceramic component body. A first layer of coating precursor material, which has a solids content composed predominately of at least one rare earth silicate by weight percentage, is applied to the treated surface. The first layer of the coating precursor material is then heat treated to sinter the solids content and form a first sintered coating layer bonded to the treated surface. The steps of applying and sintering the coating precursor may be repeated, as desired, to build a sintered coating body to a desired thickness over the ceramic component body.