A zirconia sintered body is provided in which the strength between layers of powders is improved. A flexural strength of a test sample of the zirconia sintered body, measured pursuant to JISR1601, is not less than 1100 MPa. The test sample is formed by preparing a plurality of zirconia powders, each containing zirconia and a stabilizer that suppresses phase transition of zirconia, the zirconia powders differing in a composition, layering the zirconia powders to form a zirconia composition, and sintering the zirconia composition to form a zirconia sintered body. The flexural strength is measured such that a load point is positioned at a boundary of the zirconia powders, the boundary traversing the test sample of the sintered body along a direction of load application.

An oxide superconductor of an embodiment includes an oxide superconductor layer having a continuous Perovskite structure including rare earth elements, barium (Ba), and copper (Cu). The rare earth elements include a first element which is praseodymium, at least one second element selected from the group consisting of neodymium, samarium, europium, and gadolinium, at least one third element selected from the group consisting of yttrium, terbium, dysprosium, and holmium, and at least one fourth element selected from the group consisting of erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium. When the number of atoms of the first element is N(PA), the number of atoms of the second element is N(SA), and the number of atoms of the fourth element is N(CA), 1.5(N(PA)+N(SA))N(CA) or 2(N(CA)N(PA))N(SA) is satisfied.

A lead-free lithium doped potassium sodium niobate piezoelectric ceramic material powdered form and having a single crystalline phase and uses thereof are described. Methods of making the said piezoelectric ceramic material are also described.

A method of making a porous cordierite ceramic article using chlorite raw material is described herein. The method includes mixing materials to form a cordierite-forming mixture. The cordierite-forming mixture includes a chlorite raw material in an amount of about 5% to about 60% by weight and a platy aluminum silicate raw material in an amount of 0% to about 30% by weight of the total inorganic content of the cordierite-forming mixture. The cordierite-forming mixture is then formed into a green body and fired to form the porous cordierite ceramic article. In some cases, the porous cordierite ceramic article exhibits a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), which provides the article with high thermal shock resistance.

A solid electrolyte capable of securing grain boundary resistance even when firing is performed at a relatively low temperature and a battery using the solid electrolyte are provided. The solid electrolyte includes a first electrolyte which contains a lithium composite metal compound, and a second electrolyte which contains Li and at least two kinds of metal elements selected from group 5 elements in period 5 or higher or group 15 elements in period 5 or higher.

Scintillator materials based on mixed garnet compositions, as well as corresponding methods and systems, are described.

A method for preparing polycrystalline fluoride ceramics using powder of fluoride ceramics nanocrystallites as starting material, wherein the method includes: (a) Optionally, a pre-processing step at a temperature ranging from 100 C. to 300 C. at vacuum of 10-5 mbar (10-3 Pa) to 10-8 mbar (10-6 Pa) for 30 minutes to 10 hours, (b) Applying a uniaxial pressure in the range from 1 to 200 MPa, at or around ambient temperature, to obtain a pre-compacted sample, (c) Applying to the pre-compacted of step b) a hydrostatic pressure by Cold Isostatic Pressing, to obtain a pre-compacted sample, (d) Loading the pre-compacted sample from step (c) into a die and submitting the sample to a uniaxial compression in combination with electric field-assisted sintering, under vacuum equal to or higher than 5 Pa. Polycrystalline fluoride ceramics obtained by this method find use in IR devices.

A proton conductor of the present disclosure has a composition formula of Ba.sub.aZr.sub.1-x-yYb.sub.xNi.sub.yO.sub.3- (0.95a1.05, 0.1x0.4, and 0.15y0.30).

An oxide superconductor of an embodiment includes an oxide superconductor layer having a continuous Perovskite structure containing rare earth elements, barium (Ba), and copper (Cu). The rare earth elements contain a first element which is praseodymium (Pr), at least one second element selected from the group consisting of neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), and gadolinium (Gd), at least one third element selected from the group consisting of yttrium (Y), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), and holmium (Ho), and at least one fourth element selected from the group consisting of erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu).

A stacked structure including: a single crystal substrate and, single crystal material on the single crystal substrate, wherein the single crystal material has a same crystallographic orientation as a crystallographic orientation of the single crystal substrate. Also a method of forming the stacked structure, a ceramic electronic component, and a device.