A ceramic substrate and a method for production thereof are provided, in which the ceramic substrate includes a composite of : a first ceramic layer including Sr anorthite and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 or an oxide dielectric with a dielectric constant higher than that of Al.sub.2O.sub.3; and a second ceramic layer including Sr anorthite and cordierite and having a dielectric constant lower than that of the first ceramic layer.

Textured ceramic compositions having improved piezoelectric characteristics as compared with their random counterparts are provided. Methods of making the compositions and devices using them are also included. More particularly, compositions comprising textured ceramic Na.sub.0.5Bi.sub.0.5TiO.sub.3—BaTiO.sub.3(NBT-BT) materials synthesized from high aspect ratio NBT seeds exhibit improved characteristics, including an increased longitudinal piezoelectric constant (d.sub.33) and magnetoelectric coupling coefficient over randomly oriented NBT-BT. Additionally provided are compositions comprising of nanostructured Na.sub.0.5B.sub.0.5TiO.sub.3—BaTiO.sub.3 ferroelectric whiskers having a high aspect ratio. Nanostructured whiskers can be used to improve the piezoelectric properties of the bulk ceramics. The inventive materials are useful in microelectronic devices, with some finding particular application as multilayer actuators and transducers.

Isopipes (13) for making glass sheets using a fusion process are provided. The isopipes are made from alumina materials which have low levels of the elements of group IVB of the periodic chart, i.e., Ti, Zr, and Hf, as well as low levels of Sn. In this way, the alumina isopipes can be used with glasses that contain tin (e.g., as a fining agent or as the result of the use of tin electrodes for electrical heating of molten glass) without generating unacceptable levels of tin-containing defects in the glass sheets, specifically, at the sheets' fusion lines. The alumina isopipes disclosed herein are especially beneficial when used with tin-containing glasses that exhibit low tin solubility, e.g., glasses that have (RO+R.sub.2O)/Al.sub.2O.sub.3 ratios between 0.9 and 1.1, where, in mole percent on an oxide basis, (RO+R.sub.2O) is the sum of the concentrations of the glass' alkaline earth and alkali metal oxides and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 is the glass' alumina concentration.

A method of making a sintered ceramic proppant may include providing a kaolin clay. The kaolin clay may include an Al.sub.2O.sub.3 content no greater than about 46% by weight, and a K.sub.2O content no greater than 0.1% by weight. The kaolin clay may have a particle size distribution such that greater than 70% of the particles have an equivalent spherical diameter of less than 0.5 microns as measured by Sedigraph, and a shape factor less than about 18. The method may further include blunging the kaolin clay, agglomerating the kaolin clay, and sintering the agglomerated kaolin clay to produce a sintered ceramic proppant. The kaolin clay may have an A-bob Hercules viscosity of at least about 3,300 rpm at 18 kilodyne-cm and 70% solids.

A method of forming a shaped abrasive particle including extruding a mixture into a form, applying a dopant material to an exterior surface of the form, and forming a precursor shaped abrasive particle from the form.

The invention relates to a binder, which contains water glass and further a phosphate or a borate or both. The invention further relates to a method for constructing molds and cores layer by layer, the molds and cores comprising a construction material mixture, which at least comprises a refractory molding base material, and the binder. In order to produce the molds and cores layer by layer in 3-D printing, the refractory molding base material is applied layer by layer and is selectively printed with the binder layer by layer, and consequently a body corresponding to the molds or cores is constructed and the molds or cores are released after the unbonded construction material mixture has been removed.

Colloidal perovskite nanoplatelets can provide a material platform, with tunability extending from the deep UV, across the visible, into the near-IR. The high degree of spectral tunability can be achieved through variation of the cation, metal, and halide composition as well as nanoplatelet thickness.

A high strength ceramic body for use in a regenerative burner media bed, comprising a generally spherical refractory portion and a plurality of irregular aggregate portions distributed randomly throughout the generally spherical portion. The aggregate portions are selected from the group comprising tabular alumina, white fused alumina, mullite, chamotte, and combinations thereof. The generally spherical portion has a porosity of less than 1 percent and is more than 99.5 weight percent alumina.

A method of forming a cutting element comprises forming a first material comprising discrete coated particles within a container. The first material is pressed to form a first green structure comprising interbonded coated particles. A second material comprising additional discrete coated particles is formed over the first green structure within the container. The second material is pressed to form a second green structure comprising additional interbonded coated particles. The first green structure and the second green structure are sintered to form a multi-layered cutting table. Additional methods of forming a cutting element, a cutting element, and an earth-boring tool are also described.

Radiofrequency and other electronic devices can be formed from textured hexaferrite materials, such as Z-phase barium cobalt ferrite Ba.sub.3Co.sub.2Fe.sub.24O.sub.41 (Co.sub.2Z) having enhanced resonant frequency. The textured hexaferrite material can be formed by sintering fine grain hexaferrite powder at a lower temperature than conventional firing temperatures to inhibit reduction of iron. The textured hexaferrite material can be used in radiofrequency devices such as circulators or telecommunications systems.