A thermistor material and a method for preparing a thermistor material are provided. The thermistor material is prepared by mixing and heating a mixture containing BaTiO.sub.3, B.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, Li.sub.2O, P.sub.2O.sub.5, Cs.sub.2O, Nd.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and TiO.sub.2.

Provided is a dielectric thin film including a metal oxide. The metal oxide includes bismuth, sodium, barium, and titanium, at least a part of the metal oxide is a tetragonal crystal having a perovskite structure, and a (100) plane of at least a part of the tetragonal crystal is oriented in a normal direction do of a surface of the dielectric thin film 3.

A method of producing, from a continuous or discontinuous (e.g., chopped) carbon fiber, partially to fully converted metal carbide fibers. The method comprises reacting a carbon fiber material with at least one of a metal or metal oxide source material at a temperature greater than a melting temperature of the metal or metal oxide source material (e.g., where practical, at a temperature greater than the vaporization temperature of the metal or metal oxide source material). Additional methods, various forms of carbon fiber, metal carbide fibers, and articles including the metal carbide fibers are also disclosed.

A piezoelectric material contains: a first component which is a rhombohedral crystal in a single composition, has a Curie temperature Tc1, and is a lead-free-system composite oxide having a perovskite-type structure; a second component which is a crystal other than a rhombohedral crystal in a single composition, has a Curie temperature Tc2 higher than Tc1, and is a lead-free-system composite oxide having a perovskite-type structure; and a third component which is a rhombohedral crystal in a single composition, has a Curie temperature Tc3 equal to or higher than Tc2, and is a lead-free-system composite oxide that has a perovskite-type structure and is different from the first component. When a molar ratio of the third component to the sum of the first component and the third component is α and α×Tc3+(1−α)×Tc1 is Tc4, |Tc4−Tc2| is 50° C. or lower.

Disclosed herein are refractory coating compositions with improved drying times, defect prevention, and gas permeability and methods for using such refractory coating compositions.

Particular aspects of the present disclosure provide bio-resorbable and biocompatible compositions for bioengineering, restoring, or regenerating tissue or bone. In one embodiment, a biocompatible composition includes a three-dimensional porous or non-porous scaffold material comprising a calcium phosphate-based ceramic having at least one dopant therein selected from metal ion dopants or metal oxide dopants. The composition is sufficiently biocompatible to provide for a cell or tissue scaffold, and resorbable at a controlled resorption rate for controlled strength loss under body, body fluid or simulated body fluid conditions.

Disclosed herein are methods of forming a hydrous kaolin clay product. The method can include (i) refining coarse crude kaolin clay to form a refined, coarse kaolin clay, and/or refining a tertiary, fine crude kaolin clay to form a refined, fine, hydrous kaolin clay, (ii) centrifuging the refined, coarse kaolin clay; the refined, fine, hydrous kaolin clay, or a blend thereof to provide a hydrous kaolin stream, and (iii) refining the hydrous kaolin stream to form the hydrous kaolin clay product. The hydrous kaolin stream can be blended with a delaminated, coarse kaolin clay, prior to refining the hydrous kaolin stream. The hydrous kaolin clay product can have a total alkali content of 0.2% or less by weight of the hydrous kaolin clay product. Compositions including cordierite ceramics, industrial coatings, paints, adhesives, inks, and fillers comprising the hydrous kaolin clay product are also described herein.

A method of forming a solid, dense, hermetic lithium-ion electrolyte membrane comprises combing an amorphous, glassy, or low melting temperature solid reactant with a refractory oxide reactant to form a mixture, casting the mixture to form a green body, and sintering the green body to form a solid membrane. The resulting electrolyte membranes can be incorporated into lithium-ion batteries.

The present invention(s) is directed to novel conductive M.sub.n+1X.sub.n(T.sub.s) compositions exhibiting high volumetric capacitances, and methods of making the same. The present invention(s) is also directed to novel conductive M.sub.n+1X.sub.n(T.sub.s) compositions, methods of preparing transparent conductors using these materials, and products derived from these methods.

Provided is a silicate glass, a method for preparing a silicate glass-ceramics by using the silicate glass, and a method for preparing a lithium disilicate glass-ceramics by using the silicate glass, and more particularly, to a method for preparing a glass-ceramics that has a nanosize of 0.2 to 0.5 μm and contains lithium disilicate and silicate crystalline phases. A nano lithium disilicate glass-ceramics containing a SiO.sub.2 crystalline phase includes: a glass composition including 70 to 85 wt % SiO.sub.2, 10 to 13 wt % Li.sub.2O, 3 to 7 wt % P.sub.2O.sub.5 working as a nuclei formation agent, 0 to 5 wt % Al.sub.2O.sub.3 for increasing a glass transition temperature and a softening point and enhancing chemical durability of glass, 0 to 2 wt % ZrO.sub.2, 0.5 to 3 wt % CaO for increasing a thermal expansion coefficient of the glass, 0.5 to 3 wt % Na.sub.2O, 0.5 to 3 wt % K.sub.2O, and 1 to 2 wt % colorants, and 0 to 2.0 wt % mixture of MgO, ZnO, F, and La.sub.2O.sub.3.