A honeycomb structure according to at least one embodiment of the present invention includes: a honeycomb structure portion having: an outer peripheral wall; and a partition wall arranged inside the outer peripheral wall to define a plurality of cells each extending from a first end surface of the honeycomb structure portion to a second end surface thereof to form a flow path; and a pair of electrode portions arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall of the honeycomb structure portion. The electrode portions are each a porous body in which particles of silicon carbide are bound by a binding material, the silicon carbide contains α-type silicon carbide and β-type silicon carbide, and the silicon carbide has a D50 in a volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of 25 μm or less.

A hard material which, when used as a material of a sintered material, makes it possible to obtain a sintered material with excellent abrasion resistance, a sintered material, a cutting tool including the sintered material, a method for manufacturing the hard material and a method for manufacturing the sintered material are provided. The hard material contains aluminum, nitrogen, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of titanium, chromium, and silicon, and has a cubic rock salt structure.

Disclosed is an MgO target for sputtering, which can accelerate a film formation rate even when MgO is used as a target for sputtering in the formation of an MgO film. The MgO target for sputtering, which includes MgO and an electroconductive material as main components, and in which the electroconductive material is capable of imparting orientation to a MgO film when the MgO film containing the electroconductive material is formed by a DC sputtering.

A method of manufacturing a solid-state electrolyte, the method including: providing a substrate; providing a precursor composition including a compound including a compound including lithium, a compound including lanthanum, and a compound including zirconium, and a solvent; disposing the precursor composition on the substrate to provide a coated substrate; treating the coated substrate at a temperature between −40° C. and 25° C. to form a precursor film on the substrate; and heat-treating the precursor film at a temperature of 500° C. to 1000° C. to manufacture the solid-state electrolyte, wherein the solid-state electrolyte includes Li.sub.(7-x)Al.sub.x/3La.sub.3Zr.sub.2O.sub.12 wherein 0≤x≤1, and wherein the solid-state electrolyte in the form of a film having a thickness of 5 nanometers to 1000 micrometers.

A sputtering target including a sintered body: the sintered body including: indium oxide doped with Ga or indium oxide doped with Al, and a positive tetravalent metal in an amount of exceeding 100 at. ppm and 1100 at. ppm or less relative to the total of Ga and indium, or Al and indium, the crystal structure of the sintered body substantially including a bixbyite structure of indium oxide.

Provided is a wear resistant, sintered body made of a binderless carbide, cermet or cemented carbide, e.g., WC, W2C and/or eta-phase, with a grain size less than 6.0 μm, and less than 6% binder phase (e.g., Co—Ni—Fe). At least some working surfaces of the sintered body are surface treated with a boron yielding method including applying a low viscosity liquid medium having boron or aluminum content and heating at 1200° C. to 1450° C. under a pressure less than atmospheric pressure or a hydrogen containing atmosphere to from a hardness gradient with an increased hardness of the treated working surfaces of at least 50 to 200 HV5 and favorable compressive stresses in a surface zone that gives a tougher working surfaces of the boronized sintered bodies.

A complex sintered body includes a lamination of a layer composed of a zirconia sintered body containing 0.5% or more by mole and less than 4% by mole of an oxide of cerium in terms of CeO.sub.2, 2% or more by mole and less than 6% by mole of yttria and 0.1% or more by mass and less than 2% by mass of an oxide of aluminum; and at least one of a layer composed of a zirconia-based sintered body containing 2.0% or more by mass and 20.0% or less by mass of an oxide of aluminum, and a layer composed of a zirconia-based sintered body containing 2% or more by mole and less than 6% by mole of yttria and a coloring agent.

A process for preparing alloy products is described using a self-sustaining or self-propagating SHS-type combustion process with point-source ignition, preferably a laser, in a pressurized vessel. Binary, ternary and quaternary alloys can be formed with control over polycrystalline structure and bandgap. Methods to tune the bandgap and the alloys formed are described. The alloy products may be doped. Preferably sulfides, tellurides or selenides are formed. Cooling during reaction takes place.

Provided are metal oxide ceramic materials and intermediate materials thereof (e.g., nanozirconia gels, nanozirconia green bodies, pre-sintered ceramic bodies, zirconia dental ceramic materials, and dental articles). The nanozirconia gels are formable gels. Also provided are methods of making and using the metal oxide materials and intermediate materials. The nanozirconia gels can be made using, for example, osmotic processing. The nanozirconia gels can be used to make nanozirconia green bodies, pre-sintered ceramic bodies, zirconia dental ceramic materials, and dental article. The nanozirconia green bodies, pre-sintered ceramic bodies, zirconia dental ceramic materials, and dental articles have desirable properties (e.g., optical properties and mechanical properties).

A transparent complex oxide sintered body is manufactured by sintering a compact in an inert atmosphere or vacuum, and HIP treating the sintered compact, provided that the compact is molded from a source powder based on a rare earth oxide: (Tb.sub.xY.sub.1-x).sub.2O.sub.3 wherein 0.4≤x≤0.6, and the compact, when heated in air from room temperature at a heating rate of 15° C./min, exhibits a weight gain of at least y % due to oxidative reaction, y being determined by the formula: y=2x+0.3. The sintered body has a long luminescent lifetime as a result of controlling the valence of Tb ion.