Provided are a MnZnO sputtering target that can be used for DC sputtering and a production method therefor. The MnZnO sputtering target has a chemical composition containing Mn, Zn, O, and an element X (X is one or two elements selected from the group consisting of W and Mo). A surface to be sputtered of the target has an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of 1.5 ?m or less or a maximum height Ry of 10 ?m or less.

Articles and methods in which an electric field is used to actuate a material are generally described. Provided in one embodiment is a method including applying an electric field to a ceramic material. Applying the electric field to the ceramic material can transform the ceramic material from a first solid phase to a second distinct solid phase. The applied electric field is less than a breakdown electric field of the ceramic material, according to certain embodiments.

A refractory object may include a zircon body that may include at least about 0.1 wt. % and not greater than about 5.5 wt. % of an Al.sub.2O.sub.3 containing component for a total weight of the zircon body. The zircon body may further include at least about 25 wt. % and not greater than about 35 wt. % of a SiO.sub.2 component for a total weight of the zircon body.

A superconducting composition of matter including overlapping first and second regions. The regions comprise unit cells of a solid, the first region comprises an electrical insulator or semiconductor, and the second region comprises a metallic electrical conductor. The second region extends through the solid and a subset of said second region comprise surface metal unit cells that are adjacent to at least one unit cell from the first region. The ratio of the number of said surface metal unit cells to the total number of unit cells in the second region being at least 20 percent.

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.

[Object] To provide a sputtering target for producing an oxide semiconductor thin film having high properties, which serves as a substitute for IGZO, and a method of producing the same. [Solving Means] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a sputtering target according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an oxide sintered body including indium, tin, and germanium, in which an atom ratio of germanium with respect to a total of indium, tin, and germanium is 0.07 or more and 0.40 or less, and an atom ratio of tin with respect to the total of indium, tin, and germanium is 0.04 or more and 0.60 or less. As a result, it is possible to achieve transistor characteristics of having mobility of 10 cm.sup.2/Vs or more.

A hard lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic of the general structure ABO3 is specified, wherein the PZT ceramic has doping with Mn on the B sites and doping with Cu on the A sites and/or on the B sites. A process for producing a ceramic material and an electroceramic component are moreover specified.

The present disclosure provides a ceramic sintered body having a favorable dielectric constant. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the ceramic sintered body includes a semiconductor ceramic phase dispersed in a dielectric ceramic phase, wherein the semiconductor ceramic phase and the dielectric ceramic phase jointly form a percolative composite, and a volume fraction of the semiconductor ceramic phase is close to and less than a percolation threshold.

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.

A varistor composition free of Sb comprising: (a) ZnO; (b) BBiZnPr glass, or BBiZnLa glass, or a mixture thereof; (c) a cobalt compound, a chromium compound, a nickel compound, a manganese compound, or mixtures thereof; (d) SnO.sub.2; and (e) an aluminum compound, a silver compound, or a mixture thereof. By adjusting the ratio between the components, the varistor composition may be made into a multilayer varistor with inner electrodes having a low concentration of noble metals at a sintering temperature less than 1200 C. The multilayer varistor made from the varistor composition has good maximum surge current, good ESD withstand ability, and low fabrication cost.