A carbon-metal/alloy composite material includes a composition represented by (1-a)Sn.sub.1-xM.sup.1.sub.x+aM.sup.2+cC, wherein: M.sup.1 includes one or more transition metals, metals, or metalloids; M.sup.2 includes one or more transition metals, metals, or metalloids; x is 0≦x≦1; a is 0≦a≦1; and c is 0<c≦99. A method of forming the carbon-metal/alloy composite material includes the steps of dissolving one or more precursor materials in a solvent to form a solution; adding an organic carbon forming precursor to the solution to form a mixture; heating the mixture in an autoclave reactor for a prescribed period of time; separating solids formed from the mixture after the heating; washing the separated solids with a washing solvent; and heating the washed solids under a non-oxidizing atmosphere to form the carbon-metal/alloy composite material.

A porous carbon-metal/alloy composite material includes a composition represented by (1−a)Sn.sub.1-xM.sup.1.sub.x+aM.sup.2+cC, wherein: M.sup.1 includes one or more transition metals, metals, or metalloids; M.sup.2 includes one or more transition metals, metals, or metalloids; x is 0≦x≦1; a is 0≦a≦1; and c is 0<c≦99. A method of forming the porous carbon-metal/alloy composite material includes the steps of dissolving one or more metal salts and a metal salt of polysaccharide to form a mixture; subjecting the mixture to heat treatment under an inert atmosphere to form carbon-metal/alloy composite material and metal salt by-product; and washing the formed carbon-metal/alloy composite material and the metal salt by-product with washing solvent to remove the metal salt by-product and obtain the porous carbon-metal/alloy composite material.

A dielectric composition is provided. The dielectric composition includes: a main component made of: a first complex oxide expressed by a chemical formula {K(Ba.sub.1-xSr.sub.x).sub.2Nb.sub.5O.sub.15}; and a second complex oxide expressed by a chemical formula that differs the chemical formula of the first complex oxide. The second complex oxide is a complex oxide expressed by one of chemical formulae: {(Ca.sub.1-ySr.sub.y)(Zr.sub.1-zTi.sub.z)O.sub.3}; {Ba(Ti.sub.1-uZr.sub.u)O.sub.3}; {(Ca.sub.1-vSr.sub.v)TiSiO.sub.5}; and {(Ba.sub.1-wRe.sub.2w/3)Nb.sub.2O.sub.6}, x satisfies 0.35≦x≦0.75, and a satisfies 0.25≦a≦0.75 when a molar ratio between the first and second complex oxides is defined by a:b in an order and a+b=1.00.

A ceramic electronic component includes a multilayer body in which internal electrodes are stacked in a first axis direction, the multilayer body having side faces perpendicular to a second axis direction that is orthogonal to the first axis direction, ends of the internal electrodes being positioned at the side faces and aligned within a range of 0.5 μm in the second axis direction; and side margin portions covering the side faces, respectively, the side margin portions including a ceramic polycrystal as a main component and glass grains dispersed in the polycrystal, a total volume ratio of the glass grains with respect to the polycrystal being 1% or more and 20% or less, a median diameter of the glass grains is 0.20 μm or more and less than 0.75 μm, and is 90% or more of a median diameter of crystal grains constituting the polycrystal.

A cBN sintered body has 40%-85% cBN by volume and 15% to 60% binder phase by volume. and inevitable impurities. The binder phase has an Al compound including Al and at least one element selected from N, O and B, and a Zr compound including Zr and at least one element selected from C, N, O and B. The Zr compound includes ZrO, or ZrO and ZrO.sub.2. In an X-ray diffraction, where a peak intensity of a (111) plane of the ZrO is I.sub.1, a peak intensity of a (101) plane of tetragonal ZrO.sub.2 is I.sub.2t and a peak intensity of a (111) plane of cubic ZrO.sub.2 is I.sub.2c, a ratio of the intensity of I.sub.1 to total intensities of I.sub.1, I.sub.2t and I.sub.2c is 0.6-1.0, and an average grain size of the Al compound is 80 nm-300 nm.

A ZrO.sub.2—Al.sub.2O.sub.3-based ceramic sintered compact containing tetragonal ZrO.sub.2 particles having a crystallite size of from 5 to 20 nm as a main component and having an α-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 crystallite size of not greater than 75 nm and a relative density of not less than 99% can be produced by preparing a Y.sub.2O.sub.3 partially stabilized ZrO.sub.2—Al.sub.2O.sub.3-based powder having a molar ratio (mol %) of zirconia (ZrO.sub.2) and yttria (Y.sub.2O.sub.3) of from 96.5:3.5 to 97.5:2.5 and a mass ratio (mass %) of ZrO.sub.2 containing Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and alumina (Al.sub.2O.sub.3) of from 85:15 to 75:25, molding this powder by cold isostatic pressing, and then performing sintering to a high density by microwave sintering for 45 to 90 min in an inert gas atmosphere at 1200 to 1400° C. When performing microwave sintering, a heating rate is preferably from 5 to 20° C./min up to 600° C. and from 50 to 150° C./min at 600° C. or higher.

A composite sintered material includes a plurality of diamond grains, a plurality of cubic boron nitride grains, and a remainder of a binder phase, wherein the binder phase includes cobalt, a content of the cubic boron nitride grains in the composite sintered material is more than or equal to 3 volume % and less than or equal to 40 volume %, and an average length of line segments extending across continuous cubic boron nitride grains in appropriately specified straight lines extending through the composite sintered material is less than or equal to a length three times as large as an average grain size of the cubic boron nitride grains.

An insulator composition includes Al.sub.2O.sub.3 having a particle size of 120 to 500 nm. The insulator composition has a strength of 400 to 740 MPa and a particle size of 1 μm or less.

A particle mixture having: ZrO.sub.2+HfO.sub.2+Y.sub.2O.sub.3+CeO.sub.2; 0%≤Al.sub.2O.sub.3≤1.5%; other oxides than ZrO.sub.2, HfO.sub.2, Y.sub.2O.sub.3, CeO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3: between 0.5% and 12%. The contents of Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and CeO.sub.2, on the basis of the sum of ZrO.sub.2, HfO.sub.2, Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and CeO.sub.2, being such that 1.8%≤Y.sub.2O.sub.3≤3% and 0.1%≤CeO.sub.2≤0.9%. The mixture includes between 0.5% and 10% of particles of an oxide pigment. The content of other oxides and which are not included in the oxide pigment being less than 2%. The particles of the oxide pigment including, for more than 95%, of a material chosen from: oxide(s) of perovskite structure or equivalent of precursor(s) of these oxides, oxides of spinal structure or an equivalent amount of precursor(s) of these oxides, and oxides of hematite structure E.sub.2O.sub.3, oxides of rutile structure FO.sub.2, with “E” and “F” being chosen.

Provided is a crystalline silicon carbide fiber containing silicon carbide, boron nitride, and zirconium carbide and having a content of Si of 64% by weight or more and a content of C of 28% by weight or more, in which the average particle size of SiC crystal grains is 100 nm or more.