A molding material mixture for producing casting molds for metal processing, particularly for non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum or magnesium, is intended to reduce problems such as metal-mold reaction and/or shrinkage porosity defect. The free-flowing refractory molding material in the molding material mixture is coated with a mixture of inorganic salts exhibiting a eutectic melting point in the range of about 400 C to about 500 C, particularly in the range of about 420 C to about 460 C. Preferably this coating occurs by contacting the inorganic salt mixture with the molding material mixture at a temperature between 500 C and 700 C, in a manner that maintains the free-flowing nature of the coated product. One mixture of inorganic salts that is used is a mixture consisting of, by weight: 74% potassium fluoroborate; 15% potassium chloride; and 12% potassium fluoride. This mixture has a eutectic melting point of 420 C.

Ceramic matrix composite articles include, for example a first plurality of plies of ceramic fibers in a ceramic matrix defining a first extent, and a local at least one second ply in said ceramic matrix defining a second extent on and/or in said first plurality of plies with the second extent being less than said first extent. The first plurality of plies has a first property, the at least one second ply has at least one second property, and said first property being different from said at least one second property. The different properties may include one or more different mechanical (stress/strain) properties, one or more different thermal conductivity properties, one or more different electrical conductivity properties, one or more different other properties, and combinations thereof.

A method of making a ceramic matrix composites (CMC) having superior properties at high temperatures. The CMC can include a sol gel mixture mixed or blended metal oxide particles. The sol-gel mixture can be an aqueous colloidal suspension of a metal oxide, preferably from about 10 wt % to about 25 wt % of the metal oxide, containing a metal oxide such as alumina (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), silica (SiO.sub.2) or alumina-coated silica. The mixture can be infiltrated into a ceramic fiber, gelled, dried and sintered to form the CMC of the present teachings.

Ceramic-bonded diamond composite particle includes a plurality of diamond grains and silicon carbide reaction bonded to the diamond grains having a composition of 60-90 wt. % diamond, 10-40 wt. % silicon carbide, ≦2 wt. % silicon. Particles are formed by processes that forms granules in a pre-consolidation process, forms a densified compact including ceramic-bonded diamond composite material in a consolidation process or forms ceramic-bonded diamond composite material directly, and a post-consolidation process in which the densified compact or ceramic-bonded diamond composite material is mechanically broken to form a plurality of the particles. Inert or active material can be incorporated into the densified compact or coated on granules to reduce the number and extent of diamond to silicon carbide bonding occurring in the consolidation process and make the ceramic-bonded diamond composite material more friable and easily breakable into composite particles.

This invention relates to particulate electroactive materials consisting of a plurality of composite particles, wherein the composite particles comprise a plurality of silicon nanoparticles dispersed within a conductive carbon matrix. The particulate material comprises 40 to 65 wt % silicon, at least 6 wt % and less than 20% oxygen, and has a weight ratio of the total amount of oxygen and nitrogen to silicon in the range of from 0.1 to 0.45 and a weight ratio of carbon to silicon in the range of from 0.1 to 1. The particulate electroactive materials are useful as an active component of an anode in a metal ion battery.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a silicon-based carbon composite, a preparation method therefor, and an anode active material for a lithium secondary battery, comprising same, and, more specifically, the silicon-based carbon composite of the present invention is a silicon-based carbon composite having a core-shell structure, wherein the core comprises silicon, silicon oxide compound and magnesium silicate, the shell comprises at least two carbon layers comprising a first carbon layer and a second carbon layer, and the second carbon layer is reduced graphene oxide, and thus, during application of the silicon-based carbon composite to an anode active material for a secondary battery, the charge/discharge capacity, initial charge/discharge efficiency and capacity retention of the secondary battery can be improved.

Nuclear fuel structures and methods for fabricating are disclosed herein. The nuclear fuel structure includes a plurality of fibers arranged in the structure and a multilayer fuel region within at least one fiber of the plurality of fibers. The multilayer fuel region includes an inner layer region made of a nuclear fuel material, and an outer layer region encasing the nuclear fuel material. A plurality of discrete multilayer fuel regions may be formed over a core region along the at least one fiber, the plurality of discrete multilayer fuel regions having a respective inner layer region of nuclear fuel material and a respective outer layer region encasing the nuclear fuel material. The plurality of fibers may be wrapped around an inner rod or tube structure or inside an outer tube structure of the nuclear fuel structure, providing both structural support and the nuclear fuel material of the nuclear fuel structure.

Disclosed is a coated ceramic fiber including a silicon carbide coating layer adjacent to the ceramic fiber and a silicon dioxide coating layer adjacent to the silicon carbide coating layer, wherein the silicon dioxide coating layer forms micro cracks after a crystal structure transformation. The coated ceramic fiber may be included in a composite material having a ceramic matrix.

A system for coating ceramic fibers for use in manufacturing a ceramic matric composite (CMC) article includes a frame having a plurality of frame members arranged so as to create a void therebetween. At least one of frame members includes a hollow body and at least one perforated hole defined in the hollow body. Thus, the ceramic fibers are securable at respective ends of the frame and extend across the void. The frame also includes an inlet in fluid communication with the perforated hole(s) so as to allow a coating material to flow into and through the hollow body and out of the perforated hole(s) at a location of at least a portion of one of the ceramic fibers. As such, the coating material is configured to cause the portion of one of the ceramic fibers to separate from the frame such that the portion is uniformly coated with the coating material.

A method for coating fibers, includes desizing sized short fibers having an average length less than or equal to 5 mm, the short fibers being made of ceramic material or carbon, sieving the desized short fibers in order to separate them from any agglomerates of sized short fibers still present, introducing the desized and sieved short fibers into a reactor, and coating the short fibers in the reactor by chemical vapor deposition in a fluidized bed.