A moldable green-body composite includes milling silicon nitride powder with a solvent and adding a surface modifier to the milled slurry to modify a surface of the silicon nitride particles. A polysiloxane in a solvent and a binder are also added to create a green body slurry. The solvents may be polar or non-polar solvents. A sintering aid, such as yttria-alumina, may be added to the slurry as well. A reduced density silicon nitride ceramic is made from the moldable green-body composite by molding the moldable green-body composite in a mold and curing at a curing temperature to convert the moldable green-body composite to a converted composite. The converted composite can then be sintered to form a reduced density silicon nitride ceramic that has a smooth surface finish and requires no post machining or polishing. The reduced density silicon nitride ceramic may also have very good dielectric properties.

One embodiment of the present invention discloses an electrostatic chuck made of an aluminum nitride sintered body, wherein the aluminum nitride sintered body comprises aluminum nitride and a composite oxide formed along the grain boundaries of the aluminum nitride, wherein the composite oxide comprises at least two kinds of rare earth metals which have a solid-solution relationship with each other, and wherein the composite oxide comprises a collection area having a higher oxygen content than a surrounding area.

The disclosure discloses a method for preparing a multifunctional ecological exterior wall, including: preparing a ceramic board of a ceramic thermal insulation waterproof layer; preparing a ceramic sound-absorbing board of a sound-absorbing layer; and installing a ecological exterior wall: leveling a surface of the wall of a building with cement slurry, and applying a cement bonding layer thereon; laying the ceramic thermal insulation waterproof board on the cement bonding layer, and applying the cement bonding layer on the ceramic board; laying the ceramic sound-absorbing board on the cement bonding layer and reserving a gap used to place a pipe; driving the screw-thread steel bolt from the surface of the ceramic sound-absorbing board into the wall obliquely; installing and fixing the pipe in the gap, which is reserved at the upper of the ceramic sound-absorbing board; planting a green plant on the surface of the ceramic board of the sound-absorbing layer.

A method and apparatus for producing AlN whiskers includes reduced incorporation of metal particles, an AlN whisker body, AlN whiskers, a resin molded body, and a method for producing the resin molded body. The method for producing AlN whiskers includes heating an Al-containing material in a material accommodation unit to thereby generate Al gas; and introducing the Al gas into a reaction chamber through a communication portion while introducing nitrogen gas into the reaction chamber through a gas inlet port, to thereby grow AlN whiskers on the surface of an Al.sub.2O.sub.3 substrate placed in the reaction chamber.

A ceramic composite sintered body, including: a metal oxide as a main phase, and silicon carbide as a sub-phase, in which crystal grains of the silicon carbide are dispersed in crystal grains of the metal oxide and at crystal grain boundaries of the metal oxide, and an average crystal grain size of the silicon carbide dispersed at the crystal grain boundaries of the metal oxide is 0.30 μm or less.

To a co-precipitating aqueous solution, aqueous solutions containing (a) Tb ions, (b) at least one other rare earth ions selected from the group consisting of Y ions and lanthanoid rare earth ions (excluding Tb ions), (c) Al ions and (d) Sc ions are added; the resulting solution is stirred at a liquid temperature of 50° C. or less to induce a co-precipitate of the components (a), (b), (c) and (d); the co-precipitate is filtered, heated and dehydrated; and the co-precipitate is fired thereafter at from 1,000° C. to 1,300° C., thereby forming a sinterable garnet-type complex oxide powder.

The invention relates to a method for producing ceramics having piezoelectric properties in predominantly aqueous suspending agents.

The invention relates to ZrO.sub.2-reinforced mullite fibers having a content of at least 0.1 wt. % of crystalline ZrO.sub.2, said mullite fibers being distinguished by significantly improved mechanical properties compared to unmodified mullite fibers. The invention further relates to processes for manufacturing such fibers, green fibers produced as an intermediate product in the process, and the use of the ZrO.sub.2-reinforced mullite fibers in fibre-matrix composite materials.

Provided are a dispersion for a silicon carbide sintered body having a small environmental load, high dispersibility, and excellent temporal stability, and a manufacturing method thereof. The dispersion is a dispersion for a silicon carbide sintered body, containing: silicon carbide particles; boron nitride particles; a resin having a hydroxyl group; and water, wherein the dispersion has a pH at 25° C. of less than or equal to 7.0, and the silicon carbide particles and the boron nitride particles have charges of the same sign. The dispersion is manufactured by a manufacturing method of a dispersion for a silicon carbide sintered body, including a mixing step of mixing a water dispersion containing silicon carbide particles, a water dispersion containing boron nitride particles, and an aqueous solution containing a resin having a hydroxyl group.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a conductive ceramic composition comprising: conductive non-oxide ceramic particles; oxide ceramic particles electrostatically bonded or co-dispersed with the non-oxide ceramic particles; and a binder resin.