Embodiments relate to an improved hydroflux assisted densification process that introduces a transport phase (formed by the introduction of water during the process to suppress melting temperatures) for sintering, the transport phase being a non-aqueous solution. The process can facilitate sintering at low temperature ranges (at or below 300° C.) to yield densification>90% without the need for additional post-processing steps that otherwise would be needed if conventional processes were used. Control of the pressures and water content used during the process can enhance densification mechanisms related to dissolution-reprecipitation, allowing for a greater range of compositional spectra of materials that can be densified, a reduction of the amount of transport phase needed, a reduction of impurities and an improvement of properties in the densified material. Certain hydrated acetate powders can be used to generate a hydroxide mixture flux that is better for the low-temperature densification process.

An antimicrobial material including a substrate and an antimicrobial mixed metal oxide, mixed metal sulfide, or mixed metal oxysulfide in and/or on the substrate is described, as well as antimicrobial coating materials and coatings formed therefrom. The antimicrobial material may be constituted in an antimicrobial surface of a surface-presenting substrate, to combat transmission and spread of microbial disease, e.g., disease mediated by microbial pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Antimicrobial mixed metal oxide, mixed metal sulfide, or mixed metal oxysulfide as described may be contacted with microorganisms to effect inactivation thereof.

The present invention relates to different inorganic ceramic coatings whose chemical compositions comprise silicates, acids, metallic oxysalts such as tungstates and molybdates, water, and non-metallic oxides such as silicon oxide. Said water-based inorganic ceramic coatings improve the ceramic, anti-corrosive and resistance properties of the metal substrates that are coated with same. Likewise, the present invention relates to a sol-gel process for synthesizing said coatings in which the non-metallic oxide, before being mixed with the rest of the components of the chemical compositions as claimed, can be pre-treated with hydrochloric acid and ammonium hydroxide, or can be sonicated to achieve a particle size in the range from approximately 160 to approximately 180 nm. Finally, the present invention also relates to a method for coating the metal parts with the inorganic ceramic coatings as claimed in the present invention.

A process for manufacturing ceramic-metal composite material, comprises dissolving ceramic powder into water to obtain an aqueous solution of ceramic; mixing metal powder having a multimodal particle size where largest particle size is one fourth of the minimum dimension of a device, with the aqueous solution of ceramic to obtain a powder containing ceramic precipitated on the surface of metal particles; mixing the powder containing ceramic precipitated on the surface of the metal particles, with ceramic powder having a particle size below 50μ.Math.τ.Math., to obtain a powder mixture; adding saturated aqueous solution of ceramic to the powder mixture to obtain an aqueous composition containing ceramic and metal; compressing the aqueous composition to form a disc of ceramic-metal composite material containing ceramic and metal; and removing water from the ceramic-metal composite material; wherein ceramic content of the disc is 10 vol-% to 35 vol-%. Alternatively, ceramic-ceramic composite material may be manufactured.

The ceramic material element includes a main phase of orthorhombic perovskite-structure and a secondary phase due to a heat treatment within 700° C. to 850° C. for a first period followed by a second period within 1140° C. to 1170° C., from a mixture of materials A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 excluding lead, the materials A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 having molar ratios R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5, respectively, where the material A1 comprises potassium, the material A2 comprises sodium, the material A3 comprises barium, the material A4 comprises niobium, and the material A5 comprises nickel, and the molar ratio R1 is in a range 0.29-0.32, the molar ratio R2 is in a range 0.20-0.23, the molecular ratio R3 is in a range 0.01-0.02, the molar ratio R4 is in a range 0.54-0.55, and the molar ratio R5 is in a range 0.006-0.011, while a relative ratio of R1/R2 is in the range 1.24-1.52, and a relative ratio of R4/R2 is in the range 2.32-2.62. The ceramic material element converts optical radiation energy and mechanical vibration energy into electric energy.

Provided is a lead-free piezoelectric material reduced in dielectric loss tangent, and achieving both a large piezoelectric constant and a large mechanical quality factor. A piezoelectric material according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a piezoelectric material including a main component formed of a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the general formula (1): Na.sub.x+s(1−y)(Bi.sub.wBa.sub.1−s−w).sub.1−yNb.sub.yTi.sub.1−yO.sub.3 (where 0.84≤x≤0.92, 0.84≤y≤0.92, 0.002≤(w+s)(1−y)≤0.035, and 0.9≤w/s≤1.1), and a Mn component, wherein the content of the Mn is 0.01 mol % or more and 1.00 mol % or less with respect to the perovskite-type metal oxide.

A hard lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic has an ABO.sub.3 structure with A sites and B sites. The PZT ceramic is doped with Mn and with Nb on the B sites and the ratio Nb/Mn is <2. A piezoelectric multilayer component having such a PZT ceramic and also a method for producing a piezoelectric multilayer component are also disclosed.

A ferrite sintered magnet comprising an M type Sr ferrite having a hexagonal structure as a main phase, wherein the ferrite sintered magnet does not substantially comprise a rare earth element and Co, a content of B is 0.005 to 0.9% by mass in terms of B.sub.2O.sub.3, and a content of Zn is 0.01 to 1.2% by mass in terms of ZnO.

According to the present invention, there are provided ferrite particles for bonded magnets and a resin composition for bonded magnets which are capable of producing a bonded magnet molded product having a good tensile elongation and exhibiting excellent magnetic properties, as well as a bonded magnet molded product such as a rotor which is obtained by using the resin composition. The present invention relates to ferrite particles for bonded magnets having a bulk density of not less than 0.5 g/cm.sup.3 and less than 0.6 g/cm.sup.3 and a degree of compaction of not less than 65%, a resin composition for bonded magnets using the ferrite particles, and a molded product obtained by using the ferrite particles and the resin composition.

An antiskid and wear-resistant glaze, an antiskid, wear-resistant and easy-to-clean ceramic tile and a preparation method thereof, relating to the technical field of building ceramics, are provided. This antiskid and wear-resistant glaze is prepared by antiskid and wear-resistant particles, a printing paste and sodium tripolyphosphate. This antiskid, wear-resistant and easy-to-clean ceramic tile comprises, from the bottom up, a green body layer, an overglaze layer, a decoration layer, an antiskid and wear-resistant layer and an easy-to-clean protection layer provided in turn, wherein the antiskid and wear-resistant layer is mainly prepared by antiskid and wear-resistant particles, and the easy-to-clean protection layer is mainly prepared by easy-to-clean protection particles.