A method of making a proppant may include adding a dry ceramic precursor to a granulator, adding a slurry to the granulator, granulating the dry ceramic precursor and the slurry to form densified granules, and firing the densified granules to form a ceramic proppant. The dry ceramic precursor may include an alumina- or aluminosilicate-containing material, such as, for example, at least one of kaolin, ball clay, bauxitic kaolin, smectite clay, bauxite, gibbsite, boehmite, metakaolin, or diaspora. The slurry may include a recycled proppant material, such as, a fired recycled proppant material or a green recycled proppant material.

The present invention provides a fused product comprising LTM perovskite, L designating lanthanum, T being an element selected from strontium, calcium, magnesium, barium, yttrium, ytterbium, cerium, and mixtures of these elements, and M designating manganese.

A three-dimensional (3D) printing composition includes ceramic filaments comprising an additive having an aspect ratio of at least 2:1. 3D printed ceramic articles include the ceramic filaments.

A manufacturing method of ceramic powder includes mixing a barium carbonate having a specific surface are of 15 m.sup.2/g or more, a titanium dioxide having a specific surface area of 20 m.sup.2/g or more, a first compound of a donor element having a larger valence than Ti, and a second compound of an acceptor element having a smaller valence than Ti and having a larger ion radium than Ti and the donor element, and synthesizing barium titanate powder by calcining the barium carbonate, the titanium dioxide, the first compound and the second compound until a specific surface area of the barium titanate powder becomes 4 m.sup.2/g or more and 25 m.sup.2/g or less.

A method for producing a component includes a) providing at least two preforms each made of a carbon composite material, b) joining the at least two preforms at least at one respective connecting surface to form a composite, in which a joining compound is introduced between the joining surfaces of the preforms and then cured and the joining compound contains silicon carbide and at least one polymer adhesive, and c) siliconizing the composite to form the component. A component, such as an optical component produced thereby, is also provided.

There are provided a cubic boron nitride sintered body having a surface also excellent in adhesiveness to a ceramic coating film, while having excellent wear resistance and defect resistance, and a manufacturing method thereof, and a tool. The cubic boron nitride sintered body of the present invention includes 60.0 to 90.0% by volume of cubic boron nitride, the remainder being a binder phase, wherein the binder phase contains: at least any of a nitride, a boride, and an oxide of Al; at least any of a carbide, a nitride, a carbonitride, and a boride of Ti; and a compound represented by the following formula (1):
W.sub.2Ni.sub.xCo.sub.(1-x)B.sub.2(0.40≤x<1)  (1).

The invention relates to a method of making a reinforced catalytic microporous and/or mesoporous bound composition comprising the steps of: providing a pre-formed catalytic crystalline material; mixing the catalytic crystalline material with water, a metal oxide binder, and a reinforcing glass fiber to form an extrudable composition; extruding the extrudable slurry under conditions sufficient to form the reinforced catalytic bound extrudate; and calcining the reinforced catalytic bound extrudate at a temperature and for a time sufficient to form a calcined reinforced catalytic bound catalyst. Advantageously, the reinforcing glass fiber can have a diameter from 5-100 microns and a length-to-diameter ratio from 300:1-3000:1 and can be present in an amount from about 1-50 parts, based on about 1000 parts combined of catalytic crystalline material and metal oxide binder.

The disclosed materials, methods, and apparatus, provide novel ultra-high temperature materials (UHTM) in fibrous forms/structures; such “fibrous materials” can take various forms, such as individual filaments, short-shaped fiber, tows, ropes, wools, textiles, lattices, nano/microstructures, mesostructured materials, and sponge-like materials. At least four important classes of UHTM materials are disclosed in this invention: (1) carbon, doped-carbon and carbon alloy materials, (2) materials within the boron-carbon-nitride-X system, (3) materials within the silicon-carbon-nitride-X system, and (4) highly-refractory materials within the tantalum-hafnium-carbon-nitride-X and tantalum-hafnium-carbon-boron-nitride-X system. All of these material classes offer compounds/mixtures that melt or sublime at temperatures above 1800° C.—and in some cases are among the highest melting point materials known (exceeding 3000° C.). In many embodiments, the synthesis/fabrication is from gaseous, solid, semi-solid, liquid, critical, and supercritical precursor mixtures using one or more low molar mass precursor(s), in combination with one or more high molar mass precursor(s). Methods for controlling the growth, composition, and structures of UHTM materials through control of the thermal diffusion region are disclosed.

Textured ceramic compositions having improved piezoelectric characteristics as compared with their random counterparts are provided. Methods of making the compositions and devices using them are also included. More particularly, compositions comprising textured ceramic Na.sub.0.5Bi.sub.0.5TiO.sub.3—BaTiO.sub.3(NBT-BT) materials synthesized from high aspect ratio NBT seeds exhibit improved characteristics, including an increased longitudinal piezoelectric constant (d.sub.33) and magnetoelectric coupling coefficient over randomly oriented NBT-BT. Additionally provided are compositions comprising of nanostructured Na.sub.0.5B.sub.0.5TiO.sub.3—BaTiO.sub.3 ferroelectric whiskers having a high aspect ratio. Nanostructured whiskers can be used to improve the piezoelectric properties of the bulk ceramics. The inventive materials are useful in microelectronic devices, with some finding particular application as multilayer actuators and transducers.

A method of making a sintered ceramic proppant may include providing a kaolin clay. The kaolin clay may include an Al.sub.2O.sub.3 content no greater than about 46% by weight, and a K.sub.2O content no greater than 0.1% by weight. The kaolin clay may have a particle size distribution such that greater than 70% of the particles have an equivalent spherical diameter of less than 0.5 microns as measured by Sedigraph, and a shape factor less than about 18. The method may further include blunging the kaolin clay, agglomerating the kaolin clay, and sintering the agglomerated kaolin clay to produce a sintered ceramic proppant. The kaolin clay may have an A-bob Hercules viscosity of at least about 3,300 rpm at 18 kilodyne-cm and 70% solids.