The invention relates to a material for storing and releasing oxygen, consisting of a reactive ceramic made of copper, manganese and iron oxides, wherein, subject to the oxygen partial pressure of a surrounding atmosphere and/or an ambient temperature, the reactive ceramic has a transition region that can be passed through any number of times, said transition region being between a discharge threshold state of a three-phase crednerite/cuprite/hausmannite mixed ceramic and a charge threshold state of a two-phase spinel/tenorite mixed ceramic. A passing through of the transition region from the discharge threshold state towards the charging threshold state is associated with oxygen uptake and a passing through of the transition region from the charge threshold state towards the discharge threshold state is associated with oxygen release.

A sintered electroconductive oxide having a perovskite oxide type crystal structure represented by a compositional formula: M1.sub.aM2.sub.bMn.sub.cAl.sub.dCr.sub.eO.sub.f wherein M1 represents at least one element selected from group 3 elements; and M2 represents at least one element selected from among Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba, wherein element M1 predominantly includes at least one element selected from Nd, Pr and Sm, and a, b, c, d, e and f satisfy the following relationships: 0.6005≦a<1.000, 0<b≦0.400, 0≦c<0.150, 0.400≦d<0.950, 0.050<e≦0.600, 0.50<e/(c+e)≦1.00, and 2.80≦f≦3.30. Also disclosed is a thermistor element including a thermistor portion which is formed of the sintered electroconductive oxide as well as a temperature sensor employing the thermistor element.

A piezoelectric ceramic has a primary phase constituted by ceramic grains of perovskite crystal structure containing Pb, Nb, Zn, Ti, and Zr, and a secondary phase constituted by ZnO grains present sporadically in the primary phase. The piezoelectric ceramic of high kr and high specific dielectric constant can be sintered at low temperature and exhibit minimal characteristics variations.

A membrane electrode assembly includes an electrode consisting of lanthanum strontium cobalt complex oxide or consisting of a composite of lanthanum strontium cobalt complex oxide and an electrolyte material, and a first solid electrolyte membrane represented by a composition formula of BaZr.sub.1-xYb.sub.xO.sub.3-δ (0<x<1). The electrode is in contact with the first solid electrolyte membrane.

The object of the present invention is to provide the dielectric ceramic composition having good characteristics even under the high electric field intensity, and particularly good IR characteristic and the high temperature accelerated lifetime. The dielectric ceramic composition according to the present invention comprises a main component comprising a perovskite type compound shown by a compositional formula (Ba.sub.1-x-ySr.sub.xCa.sub.y).sub.m(Ti.sub.1-zZr.sub.z)O.sub.3 (note that, said “m”, “x”, “y” and “z” all show a mol ratio, and each satisfies 0.94≦m≦1.1, 0≦x≦0.2, 0≦y≦0.2, 0.06≦z<0.2), a first sub component comprising oxides of a rare earth element R (note that, R is any one selected from the group consisting of Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu), a second sub component comprising oxides of Mg, a third sub component comprising oxides at least one element M selected from the group consisting of Mn, Cr, Co and Fe, a fourth sub component as a sintering agent, a ratio of the first sub component in terms of oxides (RO.sub.3/2) is 8 to 20 mol, a ratio of the second sub component in terms of oxides (MgO) is 3 to 15 mol, a ratio of the third sub component in terms of oxides (MO) is 0.6 to 2.0 mol, with respect to 100 mol of said main component; and when a content of the first sub component is R mol, a content of the second sub component is M mol, and a content of the third sub component is N mol with respect to 100 mol of said main component, then 1.0≦R(M+N)≦2.4 is satisfied.

A dielectric ceramic composition has good characteristics even under the high electric field intensity, and particularly good IR characteristic and the high temperature accelerated lifetime. The dielectric ceramic composition has a main component having a perovskite type compound shown by a compositional formula (Ba.sub.1-x-ySr.sub.xCa.sub.y).sub.m(Ti.sub.1-zZr.sub.z)O.sub.3, a first sub component having oxides of a rare earth element R, a second sub component as a sintering agent, wherein the dielectric particles has dielectric particles having high diffusion rate of the rare earth element, preferably of a complete solid solution particle, and when a concentration of Ti atom in the diffusion phase is 100 atom %, then an average concentration of the rare earth element R in the diffusion phase is 5 atom % or more, and an average concentration of Zr in the diffusion phase is 10 atom % or more.

A dielectric ceramic composition having good characteristic even under high electric field intensity, and particularly good IR characteristic and high temperature accelerated lifetime. The present invention is a dielectric ceramic composition comprising, a main component comprising a perovskite type compound shown by a compositional formula (Ba1-x-ySrxCay)m(Ti1-zZrz)O3, a first sub component comprising oxides of a rare earth element, a second sub component as a sintering agent, wherein said dielectric ceramic composition is a complete solid solution particle wherein the rare earth element is solid dissolved to entire dielectric particle, or a core-shell particle having high ratio of the diffusion phase, and comprises the dielectric particle having 5 to 20 atom % of the average concentration of the rare earth element in the diffusion phase, and having uniform concentration distribution of the rare earth element in the diffusion phase.

The invention relates to a ceramic material, comprising lead zirconate titanate, which additionally contains K and optionally Cu. The ceramic material can be used in an electroceramic component, for example a piezoelectric actuator. The invention also relates to methods for producing the ceramic material and the electronic component.

The present invention provides a piezoelectric material not containing lead and potassium, having a high relative density, a high Curie temperature, and a high mechanical quality factor, and exhibiting good piezoelectricity. The piezoelectric material contains 0.04 percent by mole or more and 2.00 percent by mole or less of Cu relative to 1 mol of metal oxide represented by General formula (1) below.
((Na.sub.1-zLi.sub.z).sub.xBa.sub.1-y)(Nb.sub.yTi.sub.1-y)O.sub.3 (in Formula, 0.70≦x≦0.99, 0.75≦y≦0.99, and 0<z<0.15, and x<y)  General formula (1)

Na-rich electrolyte compositions provided herein can be used in a variety of devices, such as sodium ionic batteries, capacitors and other electrochemical devices. Na-rich electrolyte compositions provided herein can have a chemical formula of Na.sub.3OX, Na.sub.3SX, Na .sub.(3-δ) M.sub.δ/2OX and Na .sub.(3-δ) M.sub.δ/2SX wherein 0<δ<0.8, wherein X is a monovalent anion selected from fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, H.sup.−, CN.sup.−, BF.sub.4.sup.−, BH.sub.4.sup.−, ClO.sub.4.sup.−, CH.sub.3.sup.−, NO.sub.2.sup.−, NH.sub.2.sup.− and mixtures thereof, and wherein M is a divalent metal selected from the group consisting of magnesium, calcium, barium, strontium and mixtures thereof. Na-rich electrolyte compositions provided herein can have a chemical formula of Na .sub.(3-δ) M.sub.δ/3OX and/or Na .sub.(3-δ) M.sub.δ/3SX; wherein 0<δ<0.5, wherein M is a trivalent cation M.sup.3, and wherein X is selected from fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, H.sup.−, CN.sup.−, BF.sub.4.sup.−, BH.sub.4.sup.−, ClO.sub.4.sup.−, CH.sub.3.sup.−, NO.sub.2.sup.−, NH.sup.2− and mixtures thereof. Synthesis and processing methods of NaRAP compositions for battery, capacitor, and other electrochemical applications are also provided.