An armor component and manufacturing thereof which includes a ceramic hard material, where the hard material has a bulk density that is lower than 3.5 g/cm.sup.3 and includes grains of ceramic material having a Vickers hardness that is higher than 15 GPa, bonded by an bonding matrix, the bonding matrix representing between 20 and 80% by weight of the constituent hard material of the ceramic body, and including alumina, silicon nitride and TiC.sub.xN.sub.1-x crystalline phases, wherein x is included between 0 and 1.

A hard material which, when used as a material of a sintered material, makes it possible to obtain a sintered material with excellent abrasion resistance, a sintered material, a cutting tool including the sintered material, a method for manufacturing the hard material and a method for manufacturing the sintered material are provided. The hard material contains aluminum, nitrogen, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of titanium, chromium, and silicon, and has a cubic rock salt structure.

A sintered ferrite magnet comprising (a) a ferrite phase having a hexagonal M-type magnetoplumbite structure comprising Ca, an element R which is at least one of rare earth elements and indispensably includes La, an element A which is Ba and/or Sr, Fe, and Co as indispensable elements, the composition of metal elements of Ca, R, A, Fe and Co being represented by the general formula of Ca.sub.1-x-yR.sub.xA.sub.yFe.sub.2n-zCo.sub.z, wherein the atomic ratios (1-x-y), x, y and z of these elements and the molar ratio n meet the relations of 0.3≦(1-x-y)≦0.65, 0.2≦x≦0.65, 0≦y≦0.2, 0.03≦z≦0.65, and 4≦n≦7, and (b) a grain boundary phase indispensably containing Si, the amount of Si being more than 1% by mass and 1.8% or less by mass (calculated as SiO.sub.2) based on the entire sintered ferrite magnet, and its production method.

A method of manufacturing polycrystalline abrasive elements consisting of micron, sub-micron or nano-sized ultrahard abrasives dispersed in micron, sub-micron or nano-sized matrix materials. A plurality of ultrahard abrasive particles having vitreophilic surfaces are coated with a matrix precursor material in a refined colloidal process and then treated to render them suitable for sintering. The matrix precursor material can be converted to an oxide, nitride, carbide, oxynitride, oxycarbide, or carbonitride, or an elemental form thereof. The coated ultrahard abrasive particles are consolidated and sintered at a pressure and temperature at which they are crystallographically or thermodynamically stable.

A refractory object may include a zircon body that may include at least about 0.1 wt. % and not greater than about 5.5 wt. % of an Al.sub.2O.sub.3 containing component for a total weight of the zircon body. The zircon body may further include at least about 25 wt. % and not greater than about 35 wt. % of a SiO.sub.2 component for a total weight of the zircon body.

A Dielectric Energy Storage System (DESS) and method that stores energy for a wide variety of applications.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a thermoelectric material having high thermoelectric conversion performance in a broad temperature range. The method for manufacturing a thermoelectric material according to the present disclosure includes forming a mixture by weighing Cu and Se based on the following chemical formula 1 and mixing the Cu and the Se, and forming a compound by thermally treating the mixture: <Chemical Formula 1> Cu.sub.xSe where 2<x≦2.6.

A composite magnetic material has a plurality of grains having a magnetic ferrite phase, grain boundaries surrounding the grains, and a plurality of nanoparticles disposed at the grain boundaries. The nanoparticles of the composite material are both magnetic and electrically insulating, having a magnetic flux density of greater than about 100 mT and an electrical resistivity of at least about 10.sup.8 Ohm-cm. Also provided is a method of making the composite material. The material is useful for making inductor cores of electronic devices.

A ferrite sintered magnet contains a main phase formed of ferrite having a hexagonal magnetoplumbite type crystalline structure; a first subphase containing La, Ca, and Fe, in which an atomic ratio of La is higher than that of the main phase, and the atomic ratio of La is higher than an atomic ratio of Ca; and a second subphase containing La, Ca, Si, B, and Fe, in which an atomic ratio of Ca is higher than an atomic ratio of La, an atomic ratio of B is higher than an atomic ratio of Fe, and the atomic ratio of Fe is lower than that of the main phase. An area ratio of the second subphase on a cross-sectional surface of the ferrite sintered magnet is greater than or equal to 1%.

A piezoelectric material which is low in load on the environment, and also satisfies both the requirements of a high piezoelectric constant and a high mechanical quality factor. The piezoelectric material comprises a plurality of crystal grains containing Ba, Ca, Ti, Zr, Mn, and O. An average equivalent circle diameter of the crystal grains is not smaller than 1.0 μm and not larger than 10 μm. The crystal grains include crystal grains A each having a first domain with a width of not smaller than 300 nm and not larger than 800 nm, and crystal grains B each having a second domain with a width of not smaller than 20 nm and not larger than 50 nm.