Embodiments disclosed herein are related to polycrystalline textured materials exhibiting heterogeneous templated grain growth, methods of forming such materials, and related systems. An example of a method of forming a polycrystalline textured material exhibiting heterogeneous templated grain growth includes providing a plurality of seeds. The method also includes aligning at least some of the plurality of seeds (e.g., single-crystal seeds) so that a selected crystallographic orientation of at least some of the plurality of seeds are substantially aligned with each other. Additionally, the method includes positioning the plurality of seeds in a powder matrix. The method then includes pressing the plurality of seeds and the powdered matrix to form a green body. Further, the method includes sintering the green body at a temperature that is sufficient to grow a plurality of grains from corresponding ones of the plurality of seeds to form the polycrystalline textured material.

Disclosed is a plastic semiconductor material and a preparation method thereof. The semiconductor material comprises an argentite-based compound represented by the following formula (I): Ag.sub.2-δX.sub.δS.sub.1-ηY.sub.η(I), in which 0≤δ<0.5, 0≤η<0.5, X is at least one of Cu, Au, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Ti, or V, and Y is at least one of N, P, As, Sb, Se, Te, O, Br, Cl, I, or F. The material can withstand certain deformations, similar to organic materials, and has excellent semiconductor properties with adjustable electrical properties, thereby enabling the preparation of high-performance flexible semiconductor devices.

Shot-peening method. Projecting a powder onto a surface. The powder includes sintered particles, more than 95 wt % of the particles are beads. The powder has, in wt % based on the oxides: —ZrO.sub.2 partially stabilized with CeO.sub.2 and Y.sub.2O.sub.3: balance to 100%, CeO.sub.2 and Y.sub.2O.sub.3 present, in mol % according to the sum of ZrO.sub.2, CeO.sub.2 and Y.sub.2O.sub.3, CeO.sub.2: 2.5-11 mol % and Y.sub.2O.sub.3: 0.5-2 mol %, —Al.sub.2O.sub.3; 3-50%—additive chosen from CaO, manganese oxides, ZnO, praseodymium oxides, SrO, copper oxides, 0.2-6% Nd.sub.2O.sub.3, BaO, iron oxides, and mixtures thereof: CaO being less than 2%, —elements other than ZrO.sub.2, CeO.sub.2, Y.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, CaO, manganese oxides, ZnO, praseodymium oxides, ≤5% SrO, copper oxides, Nd.sub.2O.sub.3, BaO, and iron oxides: manganese oxides, praseodymium oxides, copper oxides and iron oxides being expressed as MnO, Pr.sub.6O.sub.11, CuO and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, respectively, and a relative density greater than 95%.

The invention relates to a refractory product, a batch composition for producing said product, a method for producing the product and the use of the refractory product.

An alumina sintered body including an inner layer in which alumina crystal grains contained have an average aspect ratio of 1.0 to 2.0 and an outer layer which covers at least a part of the inner layer from outside and in which alumina crystal grains contained have an average aspect ratio of more than 2.0, the alumina sintered body being free from silicon except unavoidable impurities.

The present document generally relates to additive manufacturing techniques for forming an article having a desired shape and other properties. More particularly, but not exclusively, in one embodiment a method for additive manufacturing an article includes adding a dispersant to an article forming material in the absence of binder to prepare a slurry or suspension including the material and the dispersant. The pH of the slurry may be adjusted to control the viscosity and/or coagulation rate of the slurry. The slurry may then be passed through an extrusion-based three-dimensional printing apparatus to form or print the article in a desired form or shape, and the article may thereafter be sintered. In one aspect, through control of the pH of the slurry, the viscosity and/or coagulation rate properties of the slurry may be tailored for use with different operating parameters of the extrusion-based three-dimensional printing apparatus.

Disclosed are a pseudo-ternary thermoelectric material, a method of manufacturing the pseudo-ternary thermoelectric material, a thermoelectric element, and a thermoelectric module. The pseudo-ternary thermoelectric material includes bismuth (Bi), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), and selenium (Se), and a composition ratio thereof is Bi.sub.xSb.sub.2-xTe.sub.3 in which 0.3≤x≤0.6 or (Bi.sub.2Te.sub.3).sub.1-x-y(Sb.sub.2Te.sub.3).sub.x(Sb.sub.2Se.sub.3).sub.y in which 0<x<1 and 0.001≤y≤0.05.

The invention relates to a copper-ceramic composite comprising: a ceramic substrate; and a copper or copper alloy coating on the ceramic substrate, the copper or copper alloy having grain sizes of 10 μm to 300 μm.

Ceramic comprising at least one polycrystalline metal oxide and amorphous phase, wherein the metal oxide comprises crystals with grain boundaries and triple points, wherein the amorphous phase is present at the grain boundaries and triple points. Exemplary articles made by a method described herein include electronics enclosure (e.g., a watch case, cellular phone case, or a tablet case).

A method for producing an alumina sintered body, including: a step of applying an alkaline earth metal compound onto a surface of an alumina raw material which is an unsintered alumina compact or an alumina sintered body; and a step of subjecting the alumina raw material to which the alkaline earth metal compound has been applied to heat treatment at a temperature of 1200 C. or more for 5 minutes or more and 300 minutes or less.