A cubic boron nitride sintered material comprising cubic boron nitride grains, a binder phase, and a void, in which a percentage of the cubic boron nitride grains based on the total of the cubic boron nitride grains and the binder phase is 40 vol % to 70 vol %, a percentage of the binder phase based on the total of the cubic boron nitride grains and the binder phase is 30 vol % to 60 vol %, the binder phase includes 10 vol % to 100 vol % of aluminum oxide grains, an average grain size of the aluminum oxide grains is 50 to 250 nm, the cubic boron nitride sintered material comprises 0.001 vol % to 0.100 vol % of one or more first voids, and at least one portion of each of the first voids is in contact with the aluminum oxide grains.

A dielectric composition, a dielectric element, an electronic component and a laminated electronic component are disclosed. In an embodiment the dielectric composition includes particles having a perovskite crystal structure including at least Bi, Na, Sr and Ti, wherein at least some of the particles have a core-shell structure including a core portion and a shell portion, and wherein the content of Bi present in the core portion is no greater than 0.83 times the content of Bi present in the shell portion.

A lead-free piezoelectric element that stably operates in a wide operating temperature range contains a lead-free piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric element includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric material that includes a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by (Ba.sub.1-xCa.sub.x).sub.a(Ti.sub.1-yZr.sub.y)O.sub.3 (1.00a1.01, 0.02x0.30, 0.020y0.095, and yx) as a main component and manganese incorporated in the perovskite-type metal oxide. The manganese content relative to 100 parts by weight of the perovskite-type metal oxide is 0.02 parts by weight or more and 0.40 parts by weight or less on a metal basis.

In a monolithic refractory, in terms of a proportion in 100 mass % of a refractory raw material having a grain size of 8 mm or smaller, an amount of Ca.sub.XSr.sub.1XAl.sub.2O.sub.4 (where, 0X0.5) is 0.5 mass % or more and 10 mass % or less, and a polyvalent metal salt of oxycarboxylic acid is 0.05 mass % or more and 1.0 mass % or less.

A shaped composite body of a reaction-bonded, silicon-infiltrated mixed ceramic, the microstructure of which is determined by primary grains of crystalline B.sub.4C grains (1) of mean grain size d50>100 ?m and <500 ?m and a fraction of >10%, by weight, and <50%, by weight, and by primary grains of a finer silicon carbide with d50<70 ?m and a fraction of >10%, by weight, and <50%, by weight, and the primary grains are siliconized (3) bonded by secondarily formed silicon carbide with a fraction of >5%, by weight and <25%, by weight, in a silicon carbide matrix having a free metallic silicon (2) content of >1%, by weight, and <20%, by weight.

Articles and methods in which an electric field is used to actuate a material are generally described. Provided in one embodiment is a method including applying an electric field to a ceramic material. Applying the electric field to the ceramic material can transform the ceramic material from a first solid phase to a second distinct solid phase. The applied electric field is less than a breakdown electric field of the ceramic material, according to certain embodiments.

A CaSiAlON ceramic with enhanced mechanical properties and a method employing micron-sized and submicron precursors to form the CaSiAlON ceramic. The CaSiAlON ceramic comprises not more than 42 wt % silicon, relative to the total weight of the CaSiAlON ceramic. The method employs submicron particles and also allows for substituting a portion of aluminum nitride with aluminum to form the CaSiAlON ceramic with enhanced mechanical properties.

A multilayer electronic component includes a body including a dielectric layer including a plurality of dielectric grains and internal electrodes alternately disposed with the dielectric layer in a first direction and external electrodes disposed on the body, wherein at least one of the plurality of dielectric grains has a core-shell structure including an inner core and a shell covering at least a portion of the core, a ratio of an average size of the core to an average size of the dielectric grains having the core-shell structure is 0.4 or more and 0.8 or less, a ratio ((Dy+Tb)/Sn) of the sum of the moles of dysprosium (Dy) and the moles of terbium (Tb) to the moles of tin (Sn) included in the dielectric layer satisfies 0.7 or more and 1.5 or less, and at least one of the dielectric layers has four or more dielectric grains in the first direction.

A capacitor body includes a plurality of dielectric layers and a plurality of internal electrode layers stacked alternately. The plurality of dielectric layers include crystal grains of barium titanate, a rare earth element, and silicon. The crystal grains include a first crystal grain and a second crystal grain. The crystal grains each include a surface layer as a shell and an interior portion surrounded by the shell as a core. The first crystal grain has a higher concentration distribution of the rare earth element in the shell than in the core. The second crystal grain has distribution in which a ratio of a concentration of the silicon in the core and the shell is lower than a ratio of a concentration of the rare earth element in the core and the shell in the first crystal grain.

A bone substitute material is disclosed consisting of a zirconium dioxide ceramic having preferably an open porosity. The bone substitute material can be used in particle form or in block form.