Methods of forming a carbon fiber reinforced carbon foam are provided. Such a method may comprise heating a porous body composed of a solid material comprising covalently bound carbon atoms and heteroatoms and having a surface defining pores distributed throughout the solid material, in the presence of an added source of gaseous hydrocarbons. The heating generates free radicals in the porous body from the heteroatoms and induces reactions between the free radicals and the gaseous hydrocarbons to form covalently bound carbon nanofibers extending from the surface of the solid material and a network of entangled carbon microfibers within the pores the porous body, thereby forming a carbon fiber reinforced carbon foam. Carbon fiber reinforced carbon foams and ballistic barriers incorporating the foams are also provided.

A cubic boron nitride-based sintered material includes cubic boron nitride particles of 70 to 95 vol %, in which in a structure of a cross-section of the sintered material, a binder phase with a width of 1 nm to 30 nm is present between the adjacent cubic boron nitride particles, the binder phase being made of a compound containing at least Al, B, and N and having a ratio of an oxygen content to an Al content of 0.1 or less in terms of atomic ratio.

A process for the preparation of a membrane electrode assembly comprising providing, in the following layer order, (I) a green supporting electrode layer comprising a composite of a mixed metal oxide and Ni oxide; (IV) a green mixed metal oxide membrane layer; and (V) a green second electrode layer comprising a composite of a mixed metal oxide and Ni oxide; and sintering all three layers simultaneously.

Provided is a transparent spinel sintered body which is formed from an Mg—Al spinel powder having an Al/Mg ratio of from 1.97 to 2.03 or a mixed powder of an Mg oxide and an Al oxide, and wherein the total content of metal impurities excluding Al and Mg is less than 100 ppm. A sample of this transparent spinel sintered body having a thickness of 3 mm has a total light transmittance of 80% or more in the thickness direction for the wavelength range of from 190 nm to 400 nm; and this transparent spinel sintered body is usable as a medium that transmits light from an ultraviolet light emitting element.

An alumina/titanium silicon carbide composite material is prepared by making titanium aluminum carbide (Ti.sub.3AlC.sub.2) in uniform contact with silicon monoxide (SiO), and carrying out vacuum sintering. The composite material is obtained through mutual diffusion of aluminum and silicon and has high compactness and stable performance. In the composite material, the alumina is generated by means of a reaction between the titanium aluminum carbide and the silicon monoxide, and can be uniformly wrapped around surfaces of titanium silicon carbide crystals to form a relatively compact oxide film, such that substance exchange between a matrix and the outside is hindered, and overall antioxidation of the composite material is improved. Toughness of the composite material is enhanced by means of the titanium silicon carbide. The prepared composite material has relatively high purity, relatively low sintering temperature, and relatively high bending strength. The process is simple and convenient for industrial production.

A porous sintered clay mineral matrix that contains aluminum and is doped with 0.1-20 mol %, based on the amount of the aluminum, one or more transition metals, one or more post-transition metals, one or more rare earth metals, or a combination thereof. An example is a kaolinite matrix. The matrix can be made from a calcined clay mineral powder that contains aluminum and is doped with at least one of these metals. Also disclosed are methods of preparing the above-described matrix and powder.

A method for making a SnO thin film includes steps of: providing a substrate and a tin oxide sputtering target; spacing the substrate and the tin oxide sputtering target from each other; and sputtering the SnO thin film on the substrate by using a magnetron sputtering method. The tin oxide sputtering target comprises uniformly mixed elemental Sn and SnO.sub.2. An atomic ratio of Sn atoms and O atoms in the tin oxide sputtering target satisfies 1:2<Sn:O≦2:1.

An oxide/oxide composite material turbomachine blade including a fiber reinforcement obtained by weaving a first plurality of threads and a second plurality of threads, with the threads of said first plurality of threads being arranged in successive layers and extending in the longitudinal direction of the fiber blank corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the blade is disclosed. The reinforcement is densified by a matrix, with the blade further including one or several internal channels having a coiled shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the blade.

The present invention provides a welding tool member for friction stir welding comprising a silicon nitride sintered body, wherein the silicon nitride sintered body includes an additive component other than silicon nitride in a content of 15% by mass or less, and the additive component includes three or more elements selected from Y, Al, Mg, Si, Ti, Hf, Mo and C. It is preferable that the content of the additive component is 3% by mass or more and 12.5% by mass or less. It is also preferable that the additive component includes four or more elements selected from Y, Al, Mg, Si, Ti, Hf, Mo and C. Due to above structure, there can be provided a welding tool member for friction stir welding having a high durability.

Provided is a method of producing an integral 3D humic acid-carbon hybrid foam, comprising: (A) forming a solid shape of humic acid-polymer particle mixture; and (B) pyrolyzing the solid shape of humic acid-polymer particle mixture to thermally reduce humic acid into reduced humic acid sheets and thermally convert polymer into pores and carbon or graphite that bonds the reduced humic acid sheets to form the integral 3D humic acid-carbon hybrid foam.