Disclosed herein are doped thermoelectric ceramic oxide compositions comprising a calcium cobaltite ceramic. The doped thermoelectric ceramic oxide compositions can have a formula Ca.sub.3-xM.sup.2.sub.xCo.sub.4O.sub.9M.sup.1.sub.y, where M.sup.1 represents a first metal dopant, M.sup.2 represents a second metal dopant, x is a number having a value of from about 0.00 to about 3.00, and y is a number having a value of from about 0.01 to about 0.50. The doped thermoelectric ceramic oxide compositions have an increased energy conversion efficiency as compared to an undoped or conventional thermoelectric ceramic oxide materials. Also disclosed are methods for making the doped thermoelectric ceramic oxide compositions. Products and devices are disclosed comprising the thermoelectric ceramic oxide compositions, e.g., solid-state conversion devices that can utilize heat to generate electricity. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

A zirconia blank produced by introducing a zirconia suspension into a porous mould and demoulding the blank formed as well as the use of the optionally presintered blank formed for the preparation of a dental restoration using a very short dense-sintering process.

Composite materials with thermoelectric properties and devices made from such materials are described. The thermoelectric composite material may comprise a metal oxide material and graphene or modified graphene. It has been found that the addition of graphene or modified graphene to thermoelectric metal oxide materials increases ZT. It has further been found that the ZT of the metal oxide becomes effective over a broader temperature range and at lower temperatures.

An oxide sintered body has metal elements of In, Ga, Zn, and Sn and contains Ga.sub.2In.sub.6Sn.sub.2O.sub.16, ZnGa.sub.2O.sub.4, and InGaZnO.sub.4. The contents of In, Ga, Zn, and Sn in the oxide sintered body satisfy the relations [Ga]37 atomic %, [Sn]15 atomic %, and [Ga]/([In]+[Zn])0.7, where [In], [Ga], [Zn], and [Sn] represent ratios (atomic %) of In, Ga, Zn, and Sn with respect to all metal elements contained in the oxide sintered body, respectively.

Provided are a molding step (A) of preparing an alumina molded body 11 from a molding raw material which contains an alumina raw material powder having an average particle size of 2 m to 5 m and a molding additive, and a sintering step (B) of preparing an alumina molded body 12, which becomes a spark plug insulator 1, by sintering the alumina molded body 11. At the sintering step (B), the alumina molded body 11 is conveyed to a continuous furnace 100 provided with a heating zone Z1 which is heated to 700 C. to 1600 C. by a heating means 401, followed by introducing oxygen gas to control the heating zone Z1 to have a high oxygen atmosphere with an oxygen concentration exceeding 20 mol %.

In an aspect, a ferrite composition comprises a RuCo.sub.2Z ferrite having the formula: (Ba.sub.3-xM.sub.x)Co.sub.2(MRu).sub.yFe.sub.24-2y-zO.sub.41, wherein M is at least one of Sr, Pb, or Ca; M is at least one of Co, Zn, Mg, or Cu; x is 1 to 3; y is greater than 0 to 2; and z is 4 to 4. In another aspect, an article comprises the ferrite composition. In yet another aspect, method of making the ferrite composition comprises mixing ferrite precursor compounds comprising Fe, Ba, Co, and Ru; and sintering the ferrite precursor compounds in an oxygen atmosphere to form the RuCo.sub.2Z ferrite.

A method for producing an optical wavelength conversion member (9) composed of a sintered body containing, as main components, Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and a component represented by formula A.sub.3B.sub.5O.sub.12:Ce; an optical wavelength conversion member; an optical wavelength conversion component including the optical wavelength conversion member; and a light-emitting device including the optical wavelength conversion member or the optical wavelength conversion component. The production method of the sintered body includes firing in a firing atmosphere having a pressure of 10.sup.4 Pa or more and an oxygen concentration of 0.8 vol. % or more and less than 25 vol. %.

[Object] An object is to provide a SnZnO-based oxide sintered body which has a mechanical strength, a high density, and a low resistance characteristic and which is applied as a sputtering target, and a method for producing the same.

[Solving Means] In this oxide sintered body, Sn is contained with an atomic ratio of Sn/(Sn+Zn) being 0.1 or more and 0.9 or less, and a first additional element M is contained with an atomic ratio of M/(Sn+Zn+M+X) being 0.0001 or more and 0.04 or less relative to a total amount of all the metal elements, and a second additional element X is contained with an atomic ratio of X/(Sn+Zn+M+X) being 0.0001 or more and 0.1 or less relative to the total amount of all the metal elements, where the first additional element M is at least one selected from Si, Ti, Ge, In, Bi, Ce, Al, and Ga, and the second additional element X is at least one selected from Nb, Ta, W, and Mo, and a relative density of the sintered body is 90% or more and a specific electrical resistance of the sintered body is 1 .Math.cm or less.

A cylindrical sputtering target includes a plurality of cylindrical sintered compacts adjacent to each other while having a space therebetween. The plurality of cylindrical sintered compacts have a relative density of 99.7% or higher and 99.9% or lower. The plurality of cylindrical sintered compacts adjacent to each other have a difference therebetween in the relative density of 0.1% or smaller.

A process for producing a highly carbonaceous fibre or set of fibres including combining a structured precursor comprising a hydrocellulose fibre or a set of fibres, and an unstructured precursor, including lignin or a lignin derivative in the form of a solution having a viscosity less than 15,000 mPa.Math.s.sup.1 at the temperature at which the combination step takes place, in order to obtain a hydrocellulose fibre or set of fibres coated with the lignin or lignin derivative, wherein the process further includes a step of thermal and dimensional stabilization of the hydrocellulose fibre or set of fibres covered with the lignin in order to obtain a hydrocellulose fibre or set of fibres covered with a deposit of lignin or lignin derivative, and a carbonization step of the hydrocellulose fibre or set of fibres coated with a lignin deposit in order to obtain a highly carbonaceous fibre or set of fibres.