Methods of flash sintering have been developed in which particle are initially coated with thin layers by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Examples are provided in which 8 mol % yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) particles are coated with small quantities of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 by particle atomic layer deposition (ALD). Sintered materials that result from the process have been characterized. Sintered materials having unique characteristics are also described.

A composite sintered body, wherein the composite sintered body consists of ceramic composite sintered body, the ceramic composite sintered body comprises aluminum oxide as a main phase, and silicon carbide as a sub-phase, in which the composite sintered body has mullite in crystal grains of the aluminum oxide.

A heat dissipation member dissipates heat generated at a heat source. The heat dissipation member may include a substrate having a porosity ratio of 5 volume % or less; and an inorganic porous layer disposed on a surface of the substrate, wherein the inorganic porous layer may have a porosity ratio ranging from 25 volume % or more to 85 volume % or less and have lower thermal conductivity than the substrate. In this heat dissipation member, 15 mass % or more of constituents of the inorganic porous layer may be alumina.

A paramagnetic garnet-type transparent ceramic that exhibits a high laser damage threshold, said ceramic being a sintered body of a Tb-containing rare earth-aluminum garnet represented by formula (1), and being characterized in that the average sintered grain size is 10-40 μm, and the insertion loss at a wavelength of 1,064 nm in the optically effective region along the length direction of a 20 mm-long sample is 0.05 dB or less.

(Tb.sub.1-x-yY.sub.xSc.sub.y).sub.3(Al.sub.1-zSc.sub.z).sub.5O.sub.12  Formula (1)

(In the formula, 0≤x<0.45, 0≤y<0.08, 0≤z<0.2, and 0.001<y+z<0.20.)

A method for forming a sintered composition includes providing a slurry precursor including a chalcogenide compound; tape casting the slurry precursor to form a green tape; and sintering the green tape at a temperature in a range of 500° C. to 1350° C. for a time in a range of less than 60 min. An energy device includes a first sintered, non-polished electrode having a first surface and a second surface; a first current collector disposed on the first surface of the first electrode; an electrolyte layer disposed on the second surface of the first electrode; and a second electrode disposed on the electrolyte layer.

A ceramic member includes a matrix phase of a perovskite compound including La, Ca, and Mn, and a heterophase including Mn and O as main components, wherein crystal grains of the perovskite compound have an average grain size of about 2.5 μm or more and about 6.4 μm or less.

A sintered MnZn ferrite comprising as main components 53.5 to 54.3% by mol of Fe calculated as Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, and 4.2 to 7.2% by mol of Zn calculated as ZnO, the balance being Mn calculated as MnO, and comprising as sub-components 0.003 to 0.018 parts by mass of Si calculated as SiO.sub.2, 0.03 to 0.21 parts by mass of Ca calculated as CaCO.sub.3, 0.40 to 0.50 parts by mass of Co calculated as Co.sub.3O.sub.4, 0 to 0.09 parts by mass of Zr calculated as ZrO.sub.2, and 0 to 0.015 parts by mass of Nb calculated as Nb.sub.2O.sub.5, per 100 parts by mass in total of the main components (calculated as the oxides), C.sub.(zn)/C.sub.(co) being 9.3 to 16.0 wherein C.sub.(zn) is the content of Zn contained as a main component (% by mol calculated as ZnO in the main components), and C.sub.(co) is the content of Co contained as a sub-component (parts by mass calculated as Co.sub.3O.sub.4 per 100 parts by mass in total of the main components).

A cBN sintered material comprising cBN particles and a binder phase, in which the binder phase contains AlN and AlB.sub.2, a content proportion of cBN particles is 70 to 97 vol %, cBN sintered material has a volume resistivity up to 5×10.sup.−3 Ωcm, a rate of a peak intensity derived from Al with respect to a peak intensity derived from cBN particles is less than 1.0%, cBN particles include fine particles and coarse particles, coarse particles optionally include ultra-coarse particles, with respect to the entire cBN particles, a content proportion α of fine particles is from 10 vol %, a content proportion β of coarse particles is from 30 vol %, a content proportion γ of ultra-coarse particles is 25 vol % or less, and a total of the content proportion α of fine particles and the content proportion β of coarse particles is 50 to 100 vol %.

A cubic boron nitride sintered material comprising cubic boron nitride grains, a binder phase, and a void, in which a percentage of the cubic boron nitride grains based on the total of the cubic boron nitride grains and the binder phase is 40 vol % to 70 vol %, a percentage of the binder phase based on the total of the cubic boron nitride grains and the binder phase is 30 vol % to 60 vol %, the binder phase includes 10 vol % to 100 vol % of aluminum oxide grains, an average grain size of the aluminum oxide grains is 50 to 250 nm, the cubic boron nitride sintered material comprises 0.001 vol % to 0.100 vol % of one or more first voids, and at least one portion of each of the first voids is in contact with the aluminum oxide grains.

A composite ceramic including: a lithium garnet major phase; and a grain growth inhibitor minor phase, as defined herein. Also disclosed is a method of making composite ceramic, pellets and tapes thereof, a solid electrolyte, and an electrochemical device including the solid electrolyte, as defined herein.