Provided herein is a method of making a conductive network by combining uncoated carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotubes coated with an electroactive substance to create an electrically conductive network; and redistributing at least a portion of the electroactive substance. Also provided herein is an electrically conductive network with an active material coating; first carbon nanotubes coated with the active material coating; and second carbon nanotubes partially coated with the active material coating, wherein at least a portion of the surfaces of the second carbon nanotubes directly contact surfaces of other second carbon nanotubes without the active material coating between these second carbon nanotubes, and wherein the first carbon nanotubes and the second carbon nanotubes are entangled to form an electrically conductive network.

Method for the preparation, by means of a heating technique, of a composite material composed of a matrix of at least a first oxide of at least one metal and/or at least one metalloid reinforced by reinforcements in at least a second oxide of at least one metal and/or at least one metalloid, characterised in that the following successive steps are carried out: the reinforcements are placed in at least one liquid precursor of the first oxide of at least one metal and/or at least one metalloid; said reinforcements and the liquid precursor are heated so as to form the first oxide by means of the thermal decomposition of said liquid precursor, and to deposit the first oxide thus formed around the reinforcements and between the reinforcements thus forming the matrix.

An electroactive ceramic may be incorporated into a transparent optical element between transparent electrodes and may characterized by a preferred crystallographic orientation. The preferred crystallographic orientation may be aligned along a polar axis of the electroactive ceramic and substantially parallel to each of the electrodes. Optical properties of the optical element, including transmissivity, haze, and clarity may be substantially unchanged during actuation thereof and the attendant application of a voltage to the electroactive ceramic.

Provided herein is a method of manufacturing a nanoscale coated network, which includes providing nanofibers, capable of forming a network in the presence of a liquid vehicle and providing a nanoscale solid substance in the presence of the liquid vehicle. The method may also include forming a network of the nanofibers and the nanoscale solid substance and redistributing at least a portion of the nanoscale solid substance within the network to produce a network of nanofibers coated with the nanoscale solid substance. Also provided herein is a nanoscale coated network with an active material coating that is redistributed to cover and electrochemically isolate the network from materials outside the network.

A piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric body having a main phase configured by lead zirconate titanate and a heterogenous phase configured by a different component to lead zirconate titanate, and a pair of electrodes provided on the piezoelectric body. The piezoelectric body has a surface region within 10 m of a surface, and an inner region more than 10 m from the surface. A surface area coverage of the heterogenous phase in a cross section of the surface region is at least 0.75% greater than a surface area coverage of the heterogenous phase in a cross section of the inner region.

The present disclosure relates to piezoelectric compositions of Formula I comprising Lead ZirconateLead Titanate solid solution. The disclosure further relates to a method of obtaining said composition, method of preparing/fabricating piezoelectric component(s) and piezoelectric component(s)/article(s) obtained thereof. The piezoelectric composition and articles of the present disclosure show excellent electromechanical characteristics along with very large insulation resistance (IR).

Disclosed is a solid state electrolyte comprising a compound of Formula 1

Li.sub.7a*(b4)*xM.sup.a.sub.La.sub.3Hf.sub.2M.sup.b.sub.O.sub.12xX.sub.x (1)

wherein M.sup.a is a cationic element having a valence of a+; M.sup.b is a cationic element having a valence of b+; and X is an anion having a valence of 1, wherein, when M.sup.a includes H, 05, otherwise 00.75, and wherein 01.5, 0x1.5, and (a*+(b4)+x)>0, 01.

A composition for forming a Ce-doped PZT-based piezoelectric film contains: PZT-based precursors containing metal atoms configuring the composite metal oxides; a diol; and polyvinylpyrrolidone. The PZT-based precursors are contained so that a metal atom ratio (Pb:Ce:Zr:Ti) in the composition satisfies (1.00 to 1.28):(0.005 to 0.05):(0.40 to 0.55):(0.60 to 0.45) and the total of Zr and Ti in a metal atom ratio is 1. A concentration of the PZT-based precursor in 100 mass % of the composition is from 17 mass % to 35 mass % in terms of an oxide concentration, a rate of diol in 100 mass % of the composition is from 16 mass % to 56 mass %, and a molar ratio of polyvinylpyrrolidone to 1 mole of the PZT-based precursor is 0.01 moles to 0.25 moles in terms of monomers.

There is disclosed a piezoelectric ceramic having the composition: a[PbTiO.sub.3]-b[SrTiO.sub.3]-c[BiFeO.sub.3]-d[(K.sub.xBi.sub.1-x)TiO.sub.3]; wherein 0.4<x<0.6; 0.1<a<0.4; 0.01<b0.2; c0.05; d0.01; and a+b+c+d=1 optionally comprising an A- or B-site metal dopant in an amount of up to 2 at. %.

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.