A rare earth aluminate sintered compact including rare earth aluminate phosphor crystalline phases and voids, wherein an absolute maximum length of 90% or more by number of rare earth aluminate phosphor crystalline phases is in a range from 0.4 m to 1.3 m, and an absolute maximum length of 90% or more by number of voids is in a range from 0.1 m to 1.2 m.

The present invention provides a method for making a high strength, small grain size ceramic having a transgranular fracture mode by rapid densification of a green body and subsequent cooling of the densified ceramic. The ceramic may include dislocations, defects, dopants, and/or secondary phases that are formed as a result of the process and resulting in stress fields capable of redirecting or arresting cracks within the material. This ceramic can maintain transparency from ultraviolet to mid-wave infrared.

Disclosed is a fused grain having the following chemical composition, expressed in percentages by mass on the basis of the oxides: ZrO.sub.2+HfO.sub.2: 2% to 13%; elements other than ZrO.sub.2, HfO.sub.2, Y.sub.2O; and Al.sub.2O.sub.3: 2%. Y.sub.2O.sub.3+Al.sub.2O.sub.3: made up to 100%; with 0.0065Y.sub.2O;/(ZrO.sub.2+HfO.sub.2)0.1300.

A dielectric composition includes a dielectric grain including a perovskite compound and a first segregation phase including at least Ca, Al, Si, and O.

A multilayer ceramic electronic component includes: a ceramic body including a dielectric layer having a main component represented by (Ba.sub.1-xCa.sub.x)(Ti.sub.1-y(Zr, Sn, Hf).sub.y)O.sub.3 (where, 0x1, 0y0.5), and having a plurality of grains and grain boundaries disposed between the plurality of grains, and including first and second internal electrodes alternately stacked with the dielectric layer interposed therebetween; a first external electrode; and a second external electrode, wherein the dielectric layer includes a triple point in contact with three grain boundaries and a secondary phase of Si disposed inside the triple point, wherein a dispersion of an Si content at an interface between the dielectric layer and the internal electrode may be 1% by weight or less.

Provided is a piezoelectric ceramics including crystal grains each including: a first region that is formed of a perovskite-type metal oxide having a crystal structure in which a central element of a unit cell is located at an asymmetrical position; and a second region that is formed of a perovskite-type metal oxide having a crystal structure in which a central element of a unit cell is located at a symmetrical position, and that is present inside the first region, wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the second region to a cross-sectional area of the piezoelectric ceramics is 0.1% or less.

A sputtering target which is made of an alumina sintered body having a purity of not less than 99.99% by mass %, a relative density of not less than 98%, and an average grain size of less than 5 m or is made of an alumina sintered body having a purity of not less than 99.999% by mass % and a relative density of not less than 98%. A sputtered film having an excellent insulation resistance and an excellent homogeneity can be obtained by using the sputtering target.

Sintered product having a relative density of greater than 90%, with, to more than 80% of the volume thereof, a stack of flat ceramic platelets, the assembly of the platelets having a mean thickness of less than 3 m, having a width of greater than 50 mm, and including more than 20% of alumina, as a percentage on the basis of the weight of the product. The width of the product is the largest dimension measured in the plane in which the length of the product is measured, along a direction perpendicular to the direction of the length. The length of the product is the largest dimension thereof in a plane parallel to the general plane in which the platelets extend.

Set forth herein are garnet material compositions, e.g., lithium-stuffed garnets and lithium-stuffed garnets doped with alumina, which are suitable for use as electrolytes and catholytes in solid state battery applications. Also set forth herein are lithium-stuffed garnet thin films having fine grains therein. Disclosed herein are novel and inventive methods of making and using lithium-stuffed garnets as catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes for all solid state lithium rechargeable batteries. Also disclosed herein are novel electrochemical devices which incorporate these garnet catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes. Also set forth herein are methods for preparing novel structures, including dense thin (<50 um) free standing membranes of an ionically conducting material for use as a catholyte, electrolyte, and, or, anolyte, in an electrochemical device, a battery component (positive or negative electrode materials), or a complete solid state electrochemical energy storage device. Also, the methods set forth herein disclose novel sintering techniques, e.g., for heating and/or field assisted (FAST) sintering, for solid state energy storage devices and the components thereof.

A composite material comprising 50 to 95 mass % grains of primary material selected from the group consisting of talc, mica, graphite and hexagonal boron nitride, and 0.01 to 40 mass % fibers having a length of 0.05 to 20 mm, and a ratio of length to diameter of at least 5. The grains of the primary material have a mean size of 3 to 50 microns.