A paramagnetic garnet-type transparent ceramic characterized by being a sintered body of a terbium-containing composite oxide represented by formula (1) in which the linear transmittance at a wavelength of 1,064 nm at an optical path length of 15 mm is 83% or higher.
(Tb.sub.1-x-ySc.sub.xCe.sub.y).sub.3(Al.sub.1-zSc.sub.z).sub.5O.sub.12  (1)
(In the formula, 0<x<0.08, 0≤y≤0.01, 0.004<z<0.16.)

A dielectric composition includes a main phase and a Ca—Si—P—O segregation phase. The main phase includes a main component expressed by ABO.sub.3. “A” includes at least one selected from calcium and strontium. “B” includes at least one selected from zirconium, titanium, hafnium, and manganese. The Ca—Si—P—O segregation phase includes at least calcium, silicon, and phosphorus.

A dielectric composition includes a BaTiO.sub.3-based component as a main component, a donor component including a first element and a second element each having a shorter ionic radius and greater atomic weight than Ba, and an acceptor component including at least one of Mg, Al, Mn and V. An ionic radius of the second element is greater than an ionic radius of the first element, a molar content of the second element is less than a molar content of the first element, and a molar content of the acceptor component is greater than a molar content of the donor component.

A solid composition according to the present disclosure is a solid composition to be used for forming a functional ceramic having a crystal phase, and contains an oxide constituted by a crystal phase different from the crystal phase of the functional ceramic at normal temperature and normal pressure, and an oxoacid compound. The oxoacid compound preferably contains at least one of a nitrate ion and a sulfate ion as an oxoanion. Further, the oxide preferably has a crystal grain size of 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less.

A stacked structure including: a single crystal substrate and, single crystal material on the single crystal substrate, wherein the single crystal material has a same crystallographic orientation as a crystallographic orientation of the single crystal substrate. Also a method of forming the stacked structure, a ceramic electronic component, and a device.

A nanoparticle cluster reduction method yields a new composition of matter including a large percentage (e.g., 75% or higher percentage) of primary nanoparticles in the new composition of matter. The particle reduction method reduces the size of nanoparticle clusters in material of the new composition of matter, allows particle reduction of specific nanoparticle cluster sizes, and allows particle reduction to primary nanoparticles. This new composition of matter can include a high permittivity and high resistivity dielectric compound. This new composition of matter, according to certain examples, has high permittivity, high resistivity, and low leakage current. In certain examples, the new composition of matter constitutes a dielectric energy storage device that is a battery with very high energy density, high operating voltage per cell, and an extended battery life cycle. An example method can include a controlled gas evolution reaction to reduce the size of nanoparticle clusters.

A precursor solution according to the present disclosure contains: an organic solvent; a lithium oxoacid salt that exhibits a solubility in the organic solvent; and a base metal compound that exhibits a solubility in the organic solvent and that is at least one base metal selected from the group consisting of Nb, Ta, and Sb.

A piezoelectric composition including manganese and a complex oxide having a perovskite structure represented by a general formula ABO.sub.3, wherein an A site element in the ABO.sub.3 is potassium or potassium and sodium, a B site element in the ABO.sub.3 is niobium, a concentration distribution of the manganese has a variation, and the variation shows a CV value of 35% or more and 440% or less.

The invention relates to a lead-free piezoceramic material based on bismuth sodium titanate (BST) having the following parent composition: x(Bi.sub.0.5Na.sub.0.5)TiO.sub.3-yBaTiO.sub.3-zSrTiO.sub.3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0≤z≤0.07 or x(Bi.sub.0.5Na.sub.0.5)TiO.sub.3-yBaTiO.sub.3-zCaTiO.sub.3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0<z≤0.05 or x(Bi.sub.0.5Na.sub.0.5)TiO.sub.3-y(Bi.sub.0.5K.sub.0.5)TiO.sub.3-zBaTiO.sub.3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0≤z<1, characterized by addition of a phosphorus-containing material in a quantity that gives a phosphorus concentration of from 100 to 2000 ppm in the piezoceramic material.

The present invention relates to a ferrite particle containing a crystal phase component containing a perovskite crystal represented by a compositional formula: RZrO.sub.3 (provided that R represents an alkaline earth metal element), having a surface roughness Rz of 0.8 .Math.m or more and 3.5 .Math.m or less, and having a standard deviation Rzσ of the surface roughness Rz falling in a range represented by the following formula 0.15 × Rz ≤ Rzσ ≤ 0.60 × Rz. The ferrite particle can be used as an electrophotographic developer carrier core material. In addition, an electrophotographic developer carrier and an electrophotographic developer can be obtained.