Disclosed are electrochemical devices, such as lithium battery electrodes, lithium ion conducting solid-state electrolytes, and solid-state lithium metal batteries including these electrodes and solid-state electrolytes. In one disclosed method, a solid state electrolyte material including a precursor layer having a first electronic conductivity is provided; and the precursor layer on the solid state electrolyte material is reduced to an interfacial layer having a second electronic conductivity greater than the first electronic conductivity. Also disclosed is a method of forming a solid state electrolyte for an electrochemical device including an anode comprising an electrochemically active metal, wherein the method comprises providing a solid state electrolyte material, and depositing an interfacial layer comprising a first metal on the surface of the solid state electrolyte material, wherein the electrochemically active metal does not form an alloy with the first metal during cycling or formation of the electrochemical device.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of an enhanced resonant frequency hexagonal ferrite material and methods of manufacturing. The hexagonal ferrite material can be Y-phase hexagonal ferrite material, such as those including strontium. In some embodiments, oxides consistent with the stoichiometry of Sr.sub.3Co.sub.2Fe.sub.24O.sub.41, SrFe.sub.12O.sub.19 or CoFe.sub.2O.sub.4 can be used form an enhanced hexagonal ferrite material.

Coating systems are provided for positioning on a surface of a substrate, along with the resulting coated components and methods of their formation. The coating system may include a layer having a compound of the formula: A.sub.1bB.sub.bZ.sub.1dD.sub.dMO.sub.6 where: A is Al, Ga, In, Sc, Y, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Fe, Cr, Co, Mn, Bi, or a mixture thereof; b is 0 to about 0.5; Z is Hf, Ti, or a mixture thereof; D is Zr, Ce, Ge, Si, or a mixture thereof; d is 0 to about 0.5; and M is Ta, Nb, or a mixture thereof.

Disclosed is a ceramic material having a formula of Li.sub.wA.sub.xM.sub.2Re.sub.3-yO.sub.z, wherein w is 5-7.5; wherein A is selected from B, Al, Ga, In, Zn, Cd, Y, Sc, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and any combination thereof; wherein x is 0-2; wherein M is selected from Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Sn, Ge, Si, Sb, Se, Te, and any combination thereof; wherein Re is selected from lanthanide elements, actinide elements, and any combination thereof; wherein y is 0.01-0.75; wherein z is 10.875-13.125; and wherein the material has a garnet-type or garnet-like crystal structure. The ceramic garnet based material is ionically conducting and can be used as a solid state electrolyte for an electrochemical device such as a battery or supercapacitor.

Compounds are generally provided, which may be particularly used to form a layer in a coating system. In one embodiment, the compound may have the formula: A.sub.xB.sub.bLn.sub.1-x-bHf.sub.1-t-dTi.sub.tD.sub.dMO.sub.6, where: A is Al, Ga, In, Sc, Y, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Fe, Cr, Co, Mn, Bi, or a mixture thereof; x is about 0.01 to about 0.99; b is 0 to about 0.5, with 1-x-b being 0 to about 0.99 such that Ln is present in the compound; Ln is a rare earth or a mixture thereof that is different than A; t is 0 to about 0.99; D is Zr, Ce, Ge, Si, or a mixture thereof; d is 0 to about 0.5; the sum of t and d is less than 1 such that Hf is present in the compound; and M is Ta, Nb, or a mixture thereof.

A sputtering target contains an oxide sinter that contains indium (In) element, tin element (Sn), zinc element (Zn), X element and oxygen, that further contains a spinel structure compound represented by Zn.sub.2SnO.sub.4, and that satisfies a formula (1) representing an atomic ratio of the elements.

0.001X/(In+Sn+Zn+X)0.05(1)

In the formula (1), In, Zn, Sn, and X represent contents of the In element, Zn element, Sn element, and X element in the oxide sinter, respectively, and the X element is at least one element selected from Ge, Si, Y, Zr, Al, Mg, Yb and Ga.

There is provided a platy zinc oxide sintered compact containing 0.80 wt % or less at least one first dopant element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga and In, the balance consisting essentially of ZnO and optionally at least one second dopant element selected from the group consisting of Br, Cl, F, Sn, Y, Pr, Ge, B, Sc, Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, Mn, Ta, W, Cu, Ni, Cr, La, Gd, Bi, Ce, Sr and Ba, the second dopant element being optional component, wherein the (002)-plane orientation in the plate surface is 60% or more. The zinc oxide sintered compact of the present invention has excellent properties such as high orientation in addition to transparency and conductivity.

Disclosed herein are doped perovskite oxides. The doped perovskite oxides may be used as a cathode material in an electrochemical cell to electrochemically generate ammonia from N.sub.2. The doped perovskite oxides may be combined with nitride compounds, for instance iron nitride, to further increase the efficiency of the ammonia production.

A magnesium-based thermoelectric conversion material made of a sintered compact of a magnesium compound, in which, in a cross section of the sintered compact, a Si-rich metallic phase having a higher Si concentration than in magnesium compound grains is unevenly distributed in a crystal grain boundary between the magnesium compound grains, an area ratio of the Si-rich metallic phase is in a range of 2.5% or more and 10% or less, and a number density of the Si-rich metallic phase having an area of 1 m.sup.2 or more is in a range of 1,800/mm.sup.2 or more and 14,000 /mm.sup.2 or less.

Compounds are generally provided, which may be particularly used to form a layer in a coating system. In one embodiment, the compound may have the formula: A.sub.xB.sub.bLn.sub.1xbHf.sub.1tdTi.sub.tD.sub.dMO.sub.6, where: A is Al, Ga, In, Sc, Y, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Fe, Cr, Co, Mn, Bi, or a mixture thereof; x is about 0.01 to about 0.99; b is 0 to about 0.5, with 1xb being 0 to about 0.99 such that Ln is present in the compound; Ln is a rare earth or a mixture thereof that is different than A; t is 0 to about 0.99; D is Zr, Ce, Ge, Si, or a mixture thereof; d is 0 to about 0.5; the sum of t and d is less than 1 such that Hf is present in the compound; and M is Ta, Nb, or a mixture thereof.