The invention relates to a coloured zirconia ceramic dental mill blank having fluorescing properties, processes of production such a mill blank and uses thereof, in particular for producing zirconia ceramic dental restorations.

The dental mill blank having a shape allowing the dental mill blank to be attached or fixed to a machining device, the dental mill blank comprising a porous zirconia material, the porous zirconia material comprising the oxides Zr oxide calculated as ZrO.sub.2: from about 80 to about 97 wt.-%, Al oxide calculated as Al.sub.2O.sub.3: from about 0 to about 0.15 wt.-%, Y oxide calculated as Y.sub.2O.sub.3: from about 1 to about 10 wt.-%, Bi oxide calculated as Bi.sub.2O.sub.3: from about 0.01 to about 0.20 wt.-%, Tb oxide calculated as Tb.sub.2O.sub.3: from about 0.01 to about 0.8 wt.-%, and optionally one or two of the following oxides: Er oxide calculated as Er.sub.2O.sub.3: from about 0.01 to about 3.0 wt.-%, Mn oxide calculated as MnO.sub.2: from about 0.0001 to about 0.08 wt.-%, wt.-% with respect to the weight of the porous zirconia material.

In order to provide a dielectric composition having high density even when fired at a relatively low temperature, the main component of a dielectric composition includes tantalum and at least one of barium or strontium, and the subcomponent of the dielectric composition includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of vanadium, titanium, and aluminum.

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 target for sputtering comprises SiZrxOy wherein x is higher than 0.02 but not higher than 5, and y is higher than 0.03 but not higher than 2*(1+x), wherein the target has an XRD pattern with silicon 2-theta peak at 28.29°+/−0.3°, or a tetragonal phase ZrO2 2-theta peak at 30.05°+/−0.3°. The target has a low resistivity, below 1000 ohm.Math.cm, preferably below 100 ohm.Math.cm, more preferably below 10 ohm.Math.cm, even lower than 1 ohm.Math.cm.

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a solid solution ceramic material having increased electromechanical strain, as well as ceramic materials obtainable therefrom and uses thereof. In one aspect, the present invention provides a method A method of increasing electromechanical strain in a solid solution ceramic material which exhibits an electric field induced strain derived from a reversible transition from a non-polar state to a polar state; i) determining a molar ratio of at least one polar perovskite compound having a polar crystallographic point group to at least one non-polar perovskite compound having a non-polar crystallographic point group which, when combined to form a solid solution, forms a ceramic material with a major portion of a non-polar state; ii) determining the maximum polarization, P.sub.max, remanent polarisation, P.sub.r, and the difference, P.sub.max−P.sub.r, for the solid solution formed in step i); and either: iii)a) modifying the molar ratio determined in step i) to form a different solid solution of the same perovskite compounds which exhibits an electric field induced strain and which has a greater difference, P.sub.max−P.sub.r, between maximum polarization, P.sub.max, and remanent polarisation, P.sub.r, than for the solid solution from step i), or; iii)b) adjusting the processing conditions used for preparing the solid solution formed in step i) to increase the difference, P.sub.max−P.sub.r, in maximum polarization, P.sub.max, and remanent polarisation, P.sub.r, of the solid solution.

A gas plug of the present disclosure is composed of a columnar porous composite in which a plurality of silicon compound phases containing silicon carbide as a main component are connected to each other via a silicon phase having silicon as a main component. The porous composite is housed inside a tubular body made from a dense ceramic.

Disclosed are a dielectric ceramic includes a plurality of crystal grain bulks including a ceramic, and a grain boundary between the plurality of crystal grain bulks, wherein a dopant is segregated in the grain boundary.

The invention relates to the use of a printing sol as construction material in an additive manufacturing process for producing a 3-dim article, the printing sol comprising solvent(s), nano-sized crystalline zirconia particles in an amount from 2 to 25 vol.-% with respect to the volume of the sol, the average primary particle size of the nano-sized crystalline zirconia particles being in a range up to 50 nm, a first monomer being a polymerizable surface modification agent represented by formula A-B, with A being capable of attaching to the surface of the nano-sized crystalline zirconia particles and B being a radiation curable group, optionally a second monomer, the second monomer comprising at least one radiation curable moiety but no acidic or silane group(s), photo initiator(s). The invention also relates to a ceramic article obtainable according to such a process.

A dielectric material includes a base material containing barium zirconate titanate as a main component, containing zirconium in an amount of 4 at % or more and 30 at % or less with respect to titanium and zirconium, and having an atomic concentration ratio of barium to titanium and zirconium of 1 or more and 1. 1 or less, and a subcomponent containing 2 at % or more and 4 at % or less of europium with respect to titanium of the barium zirconate titanate.