A multilayer ceramic electronic device includes a laminated body having alternately laminated internal electrode layers and dielectric layers. The dielectric layer has a thickness of 0.5 m or less. The internal electrode layers contain ceramic particles. A content ratio of the ceramic particles contained in the internal electrode layer is 2 to 15% by representation of cross sectional area.

A thermoelectric conversion material formed of a sintered body containing magnesium silicide as a main component contains 0.5 mass % or more and 10 mass % or less of aluminum oxide. The aluminum oxide is distributed at a crystal grain boundary of the magnesium silicide.

The object of the present invention is to provide a dielectric ceramic composition having even improved insulation specific resistance and highly accelerated lifetime. A dielectric ceramic composition comprising a dielectric particle having a core-shell structure including a main component expressed by a general formula ABO.sub.3 (A is Ba and the like; and B is Ti and the like) and a rare earth element component R, in which a shell part of the core-shell structure has an average rare earth element concentration C of 0.3 atom % or more, and a rare earth element concentration gradient S is 0.010 atom %/nmS0.009 atom %/nm or a rare earth element concentration variation satisfies /C0.15 (a is a standard deviation of a rare earth element concentration and C is an average rare earth element concentration).

A dielectric porcelain composition having a main component of a lead-free perovskite type compound at least containing Ba, Ca, Ti, and Sb, and having a Curie temperature Tc of 140 C. or higher.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes: a ceramic body including dielectric layers and first and second internal electrodes disposed to face each other with each of the dielectric layers interposed therebetween; and first and second external electrodes disposed on external surfaces of the ceramic body and electrically connected to the first and second internal electrode, respectively, wherein the dielectric layer includes dielectric grains having a core-shell structure including a core and a shell, and a domain wall is disposed in the shell.

A method for producing a piezoelectric component is disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes producing a ceramic precursor material of the general formula Pb.sub.1-x-y-(2a-b)/2V.sub.(2a-b)/2Ba.sub.xSr.sub.y[(Ti.sub.zZr.sub.1-z).sub.1-a-bW.sub.aRE.sub.b]O.sub.3, where RE is a rare earth metal and V is a Pb vacancy, mixing the ceramic precursor material with a sintering aid, forming a stack which includes alternating layers including the ceramic precursor material and a layer including Cu and debindering and sintering the stack thereby forming the piezoelectric component having Cu electrodes and at least one piezoelectric ceramic layer including Pb.sub.1-x-y-[(2a-b)/2]-p/2V.sub.[(2a-b)/2-p/2]Cu.sub.pBa.sub.xSr.sub.y[(Ti.sub.zZr.sub.1-z).sub.1-a-bW.sub.aRE.sub.b]O.sub.3, where 0x0.035, 0y0.025, 0.42z0.5, 0.0045a0.009, 0.009b0.011, and 2a>b, p2ab.

A dielectric composite including a plurality of crystal grains including a semiconductor or conductive material, and a grain boundary insulation layer between the crystal grains, wherein the grain boundary insulation layer includes a two-dimensional layered material covering at least a portion of a surface of at least one of the crystal grains, and a multi-layered capacitor and an electronic device including the same.

Methods for improving the wear performance of silicon nitride and/or other ceramic materials, particularly to make them more suitable for use in manufacturing biomedical implants.

A honeycomb structure according to at least one embodiment of the present invention includes: partition walls defining cells each extending from a first end surface of the honeycomb structure to a second end surface thereof to form a fluid flow path; and an outer peripheral wall. The partition walls and the outer peripheral wall are each formed of ceramics containing silicon carbide and silicon. A surface of the silicon has formed thereon an oxide film having a thickness of from 0.1 ?m to 5.0 ?m.

According to the present invention, a dielectric ceramic composition, which can be fired in a reducing atmosphere, has a high dielectric constant, has an electrostatic capacity exhibiting little change, when used as a dielectric layer of a ceramic electronic component such as a laminated ceramic capacitor even under a condition of 150 to 200 C., and has small dielectric losses at 25 C. and 200 C., can be provided.