A method for making a gradient index infrared transmitting optic by thermally treating a preform, where the preform comprises two or more infrared transmitting glasses having different compositions and optical properties, where there is an interface between adjacent glasses, where during the thermal treatment one or more chemical elements from the glasses diffuses through one or more interface resulting in a diffused gradient index optical element comprising a gradient in the chemical element concentration, and where the optical element has a gradient in refractive index and dispersion. Also disclosed is the related infrared transmitting optical element made by this method.

A glass composition and a method for producing the glass composition having an improved infrared transmission are provided. The composition includes indium and or cadmium; germanium; phosphorus, arsenic, and/or antimony; silver; lead; and sulfur, selenium, and/or tellurium. The method is performed by melting a mixture for a time period of between about 5 to about 48 hours and mixing the mixture at a temperature range that is between about 600-1000 C.

A solid electrolyte glass at least including: at least one alkali metal element; a phosphorus (P) element; a sulfur (S) element; and one or more halogen elements selected from I, Cl, Br and F; wherein the solid electrolyte glass has two exothermic peaks that are separated from each other in a temperature range of 150 C. to 350 C. as determined by differential scanning calorimetry (in a dry nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature-elevating speed of 10 C./min from 20 to 600 C.).

A metal element-containing sulfide solid electrolyte may suppress H.sub.2S generation. Such a metal element-containing sulfide solid electrolyte may include a lithium element, a sulfur element, a phosphorus element, a halogen element, and at least one metal element selected from metal elements of Groups 3 to 12 and Period 4 or higher of the Periodic Table, in which the molar ratio of the lithium element to the phosphorus element (Li/P) is 2.4 or more and 12 or less, and the molar ratio of the sulfur element to the phosphorus element (S/P) is 3.7 or more and 12 or less.

The present invention aims to provide a vehicular exterior member that is excellent in strength and cost, and sufficiently ensures a viewing field of sharpness of a thermal image obtained by a far-infrared camera. A vehicular exterior member that includes a light blocking region and is configured to be attached to a vehicle equipped with a far-infrared camera. The vehicular exterior member further includes, in the light blocking region, a far-infrared ray transmitting region having an opening and a far-infrared ray transmitting member disposed in the opening. An average transmittance of far-infrared rays having a wavelength ranging from 8 to 13 ?m of the far-infrared ray transmitting member is equal to or larger than 25%. A length of the longest straight line in straight lines connecting any desired two points on a surface on a vehicle exterior side of the far-infrared ray transmitting member is equal to or smaller than 80 mm. A diameter of the largest circle in circles formed in a projected shape obtained by projecting the far-infrared ray transmitting member in an optical axis direction of the far-infrared camera is equal to or larger than 12 mm. An average thickness of the far-infrared ray transmitting member is equal to or larger than 1.5 mm.

A sulfide solid electrolyte material having high Li ion conductivity can be obtained by providing a method for producing a sulfide solid electrolyte material that has peaks at 2=20.2 and 2=23.6 in an X ray diffraction measurement using a CuK ray, the method including steps of: an amorphizing step of obtaining sulfide glass by amorphization of a raw material composition that contains at least Li.sub.2S, P.sub.2S.sub.5, LiI and LiBr and a heat treatment step of heating the sulfide glass at a temperature of 195 C. or higher.

Disclosed is a sulfide solid electrolyte of high robustness in its production step and of high lithium ion conductivity, the sulfide solid electrolyte including Li, P, S, Br, I, and N as its constituent elements.

There is provided an optical glass having high infrared transmittance and being useful as an on-vehicle infrared sensor and the like. An optical glass including, in expression of atomic %: Ge+Ga; 6% to 30%; S+Se+Te; 50% to 85%; and Ti; 0.001% to 0.5%, wherein a wavelength (.sub.T10%) at a long-wavelength side end in which infrared transmittance in a glass plate of the optical glass converted to a thickness of 1 mm becomes 10% is 12 m or more.

A sulfide solid electrolyte material having high Li ion conductivity can be obtained by providing a method for producing a sulfide solid electrolyte material that has peaks at 2=20.2 and 2=23.6 in an X ray diffraction measurement using a CuK ray, the method including steps of: an amorphizing step of obtaining sulfide glass by amorphization of a raw material composition that includes at least Li.sub.2S, P.sub.2S.sub.5, LiI and LiBr and a heat treatment step of heating the sulfide glass at a temperature of 195 C. or higher.

A method for producing a sulfide glass ceramic, including reacting a lithium compound, a phosphorus compound and a halogen compound in a solvent that contains a hydrocarbon and an ether compound to produce a sulfide glass that contains a Li element, a P element, a S element and one or more halogen elements, and heating the sulfide glass to produce a sulfide glass ceramic.