An electroconductive paste comprises high melting point metal particles having a melting point that exceeds the firing temperature; molten metal particles containing a metal or an alloy that melts at the firing temperature, for which the melting point is 700 C. or less; active metal particles containing an active metal; and an organic vehicle.

Methods for producing components for use in high temperature systems that include reacting a fluid reactant and a porous preform that has a pore volume and contains a solid oxide reactant that defines a solid volume of the porous preform. The method includes infiltrating the fluid reactant into the porous preform to react with the solid oxide reactant to produce a oxide/metal composite component, during which a displacing metal replaces a displaceable species of the solid oxide reactant to produce at least one solid oxide reaction product that has a reaction product volume that at least partially fills the pore volume. The oxide/metal composite component includes at least one oxide phase and at least one metal phase. The component is exposed to temperatures greater than 500 C. and the at least one oxide phase and the at least one metal phase exhibit thermal expansion values within 50% of one another.

Methods for producing components for use in high temperature systems that include reacting a fluid reactant and a porous preform that has a pore volume and contains a solid oxide reactant that defines a solid volume of the porous preform. The method includes infiltrating the fluid reactant into the porous preform to react with the solid oxide reactant to produce a oxide/metal composite component, during which a displacing metal replaces a displaceable species of the solid oxide reactant to produce at least one solid oxide reaction product that has a reaction product volume that at least partially fills the pore volume. The oxide/metal composite component includes at least one oxide phase and at least one metal phase. The component is exposed to temperatures greater than 500 C. and the at least one oxide phase and the at least one metal phase exhibit thermal expansion values within 50% of one another.

A method of metallizing a ceramic substrate includes depositing a barrier layer onto the substrate, depositing a tie layer onto the barrier layer, and depositing a metal layer onto the tie layer to metallize the substrate. The barrier layer may include an oxygen rich material, a nitrogen rich material, or a carbon rich material.

A method of metallizing a ceramic substrate includes depositing a barrier layer onto the substrate, depositing a tie layer onto the barrier layer, and depositing a metal layer onto the tie layer to metallize the substrate. The barrier layer may include an oxygen rich material, a nitrogen rich material, or a carbon rich material.

The disclosure relates to a process for preparing particulate materials having high electrochemical capacities that are suitable for use as anode active materials in rechargeable metal-ion batteries. In one aspect, the disclosure provides a process for preparing a particulate material comprising a plurality of composite particles. The process includes providing particulate porous carbon frameworks comprising micro pores and/or mesopores, wherein the porous carbon frameworks have a D.sub.50 particle diameter of at least 20 m; depositing an electroactive material selected from silicon and alloys thereof into the micropores and/or mesopores of the porous carbon frameworks using a chemical vapour infiltration process in a fluidised bed reactor, to provide intermediate particles; and comminuting the intermediate particles to provide said composite particles.

The disclosure relates to a process for preparing particulate materials having high electrochemical capacities that are suitable for use as anode active materials in rechargeable metal-ion batteries. In one aspect, the disclosure provides a process for preparing a particulate material comprising a plurality of composite particles. The process includes providing particulate porous carbon frameworks comprising micro pores and/or mesopores, wherein the porous carbon frameworks have a D.sub.50 particle diameter of at least 20 m; depositing an electroactive material selected from silicon and alloys thereof into the micropores and/or mesopores of the porous carbon frameworks using a chemical vapour infiltration process in a fluidised bed reactor, to provide intermediate particles; and comminuting the intermediate particles to provide said composite particles.

A method for enhancing optical properties of sintered, zirconia ceramic bodies and zirconia ceramic dental restorations is provided. The porous or pre-sintered stage of a ceramic body is treated with two different yttrium-containing compositions and sintered, resulting in sintered ceramic bodies having enhanced optical properties. The enhanced optical properties may be substantially permanent, remaining for the useful life of the sintered ceramic body.

Methods of making templated materials using BCP-derived templates, nanocomposites and compositions. The methods use pressure to fill a BCP-derived template with an inorganic material or materials and/or organic material or organic materials to form a templated material. A nanocomposite, which may be a templated material, may include an inorganic material or materials and/N or organic material or materials defining a three-dimensional space and a BCP-derived material disposed on at least a portion of the inorganic material(s) and/or organic material(s). A composition, which may be a templated material where the BCP-derived template is removed, may include an inorganic material or materials and/or organic material or materials defining a three-dimensional space. A device may include nanocomposite(s) and/or composition(s). A device may be an electronic device, energy device, a sensor, or the like.

A metal matrix composite comprises and/or consists of a uniform distribution of calcined ceramic particles having an average particle size of between 0.30 and 0.99 microns and a metal or alloy uniformly distributed with the ceramic particles and wherein the ceramic particles include oxides of two separate metals selected from the group consisting of Al, Li, Be, Pb, Fe, Ag, Au, Sn, Mg, Ti, Cu, and Zn, and in which said ceramic particles comprise at least 15 volume percent of the metal matrix sintered together and wherein said metal-matrix being machinable with a high speed steel (HSS) bit for greater than about one minute without excessive wear to the bit.