The invention relates to granules composed of agglomerated reactive bulk material and a binder matrix, the binder matrix comprising as binder an organic or inorganic salt.

Provided is a magnesium oxide-containing spinel powder capable of producing a ceramic sintered body having high strength and excellent strength stability. In the magnesium oxide-containing spinel powder, a 50% particle diameter (D50) is 0.30 to 10.00 m, a ratio (D90-D50)/(D50-D10) of a difference between a 90% particle diameter (D90) and the 50% particle diameter (D50) and a difference between the 50% particle diameter (D50) and a 10% particle diameter (D10) is 1.0 to 5.0, and a composition ratio of Mg and Al in terms of an oxide equivalent content is 50 to 90% by weight of MgO and 10 to 50% by weight of Al.sub.2O.sub.3.

A body made of a ceramic material having a surface region extending from the surface of the body to a predetermined depth and a core region being integrally formed with the surface region. The ceramic material in the surface region includes a calcium containing crystalline phase.

A proton conductor of the present disclosure has a composition formula of Ba.sub.aZr.sub.1-x-yYb.sub.xNi.sub.yO.sub.3- (0.95a1.05, 0.1x0.4, and 0.15y0.30).

A body made of a ceramic material based on zirconia, the body having a surface region extending from the surface of the body to a predetermined depth and a core region integrally formed with the surface region. The ceramic material in the surface region includes a crystalline phase A formed by zirconia in tetragonal phase. The ceramic material in the surface region further includes a crystalline phase B, the crystal structure of which including apart from zirconium and oxygen at least one further component X in a periodic arrangement, the crystalline phase B having a lower theoretical density than crystalline phase A.

A method of growing a FE material thin film using physical vapor deposition by pulsed laser deposition or RF sputtering is disclosed. The method involves creating a target to be used for the pulsed laser deposition in order to create a KBNNO thin film. The resultant KBNNO thin film is able to be used in photovoltaic cells.

A black zirconia sintered body is obtained by processing and forming a powder for the black zirconia sintered body, and then sintering the same at a high temperature and normal pressure in the atmosphere. The powder for the black zirconia sintered body is prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis method using a soluble zirconium salt, a soluble yttrium salt and a color former as raw materials, wherein the molar ratio of the soluble zirconium salt, the soluble yttrium salt and the color former is 90-95:1-5:1-9. The black zirconia sintered body can be used in ceramic processes.

A process for providing fluoresence to a dental ceramic body by treating at least a portion of the outer surface of the dental ceramic body or a precursor thereof with a bismuth containing substance, characterized by the steps of placing the dental ceramic body or the precursor thereof into a closeable container, in particular a crucible; generating a bismuth containing atmosphere in the container and exposing at least a portion of the outer surface of the dental ceramic body or of the precursor to the bismuth containing atmosphere at a temperature above 1000 C.

A method of manufacturing a ceramic dielectric, including: heat-treating a barium precursor or a strontium precursor, a titanium precursor, and a donor element precursor to obtain a conducting or semiconducting oxide, preparing a mixture including the conducting or semiconducting oxide and a liquid-phase acceptor element precursor, and sintering the mixture to form a ceramic dielectric, wherein the ceramic dielectric includes a plurality of grains and a grain boundary between adjacent grains, and wherein the plurality of grains including an insulating oxide comprising an acceptor element derived from the acceptor element precursor.

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.