According to the present invention, a dense composite material includes titanium silicide in an amount of 43 to 63 mass %; silicon carbide in an amount less than the mass percentage of the titanium silicide; and titanium carbide in an amount less than the mass percentage of the titanium silicide. In the dense composite material, a maximum value of interparticle distances of the silicon carbide is 40 μm or less, a standard deviation of the interparticle distances is 10 or less, and an open porosity of the dense composite material is 1% or less.

A cubic boron nitride sintered material includes: more than or equal to 50 volume % and less than 80 volume % of cubic boron nitride grains; and more than 20 volume % and less than or equal to 50 volume % of a binder phase, and when an oxygen content is measured in a direction perpendicular to an interface between cubic boron nitride grains using TEM-EDX, a first region having an oxygen content larger than an average value of an oxygen content of a cubic boron nitride grain exists, the interface exists in the first region, and a length of the first region along the direction perpendicular to the interface is more than or equal to 0.1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm.

Provided is an oxide-containing magnetic material sputtering target wherein the oxides have an average grain diameter of 400 nm or less. Also provided is a method of producing an oxide-containing magnetic material sputtering target. The method involves depositing a magnetic material on a substrate by the PVD or CVD method, then removing the substrate from the deposited magnetic material, pulverizing the material to obtain a raw material for the target, and further sintering the raw material. An object is to provide a magnetic material target, in particular, a nonmagnetic grain-dispersed ferromagnetic sputtering target capable of suppressing discharge abnormalities of oxides that are the cause of particle generation during sputtering.

A beam shaping assembly for neutron capture therapy includes a beam inlet, a target having nuclear reaction with an incident proton beam from the beam inlet to produce neutrons forming a neutron beam, a moderator adjoining to the target, a reflector surrounding the moderator, a thermal neutron absorber adjoining to the moderator, a radiation shield arranged inside the beam shaping assembly and a beam outlet. The material of the moderator is subjected to a powder sintering process using a powder sintering device so as to change powders or a power compact into blocks. The reflector leads the neutrons deviated from the main axis back. The thermal neutron absorber is used for absorbing thermal neutrons so as to avoid overdosing in superficial normal tissue during therapy. The radiation shield is used for shielding leaking neutrons and photons so as to reduce dose of the normal tissue not exposed to irradiation.

A composite polycrystal contains polycrystalline diamond formed of diamond grains that are directly bonded mutually, and compressed graphite dispersed in the polycrystalline diamond.

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.

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.

In some embodiments, a ceramic armor product includes: a ceramic powder; an at least one metal-based additive; and a density of 4.3-4.7 g/cc, wherein the ceramic armor product is substantially lacking grain orientation. In some embodiments, a ceramic armor product, includes: a ceramic powder, wherein the ceramic powder is titanium diboride (TiB2); an at least one metal-based additive, wherein the at least one metal based additive comprises elements ranging from atomic numbers 21 through 30, 39 through 51, and 57 through 77; and a density of 4.3-4.7 g/cc, wherein the ceramic armor product is substantially lacking grain orientation.

Provided is an inorganic structure including a plurality of zirconium silicate particles; and a binding part that covers a surface of each of the zirconium silicate particles and binds the zirconium silicate particles together. The binding part contains an amorphous compound containing silicon, a metallic element other than silicon, and oxygen, and contains substantially no alkali metal, B, V, Te, P, Bi, Pb and Zn. Also provided is a method for producing an inorganic structure including: a step for obtaining a mixture by mixing a plurality of zirconium silicate particles, a plurality of amorphous silicon dioxide particles, and an aqueous solution containing a metallic element other than silicon; and a step for pressurizing and heating the mixture under conditions of a pressure of 10 to 600 MPa and a temperature of 50 to 300° C.

A polycrystalline super hard construction has a first region having a body of thermally stable polycrystalline super hard material having a plurality of intergrown grains of super hard material; a second region forming a substrate having a hard phase and a binder phase; and a third region interposed between the first and second regions. The third region includes a composite material having a first phase comprising a plurality of non-intergrown grains of super hard material, and a matrix material. A fourth region interposed between the second and third region has a major proportion having one or more components of the binder material of the second region, and one or more reaction products between the binder material of the second region and one or more components of the third region.