The present invention relates to an unsintered composite powder composition comprising silicon carbide and aluminium nitride, a sintering process and a sintered silicon carbide material obtained or obtainable therefrom, as well as a SiCAlN composite ceramic, uses thereof and articles comprising the same. In one aspect, the present invention provides an unsintered composite powder composition comprising from 90.0% to 99.9% by weight silicon carbide and from 0.1% to 10% by weight of aluminium nitride. In another aspect, the present invention provides a SiCAlN composite ceramic material having the formula .sub.x(SiC).sub.1-x (AlN), wherein 0.999?x?0.900; and wherein the composite ceramic material has a fracture toughness of greater than 4.5 MPa.Math.m.sup.1/2; and a thermal conductivity of greater than 120 W/m K.

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.

Provided herein are rapid, high quality film sintering processes that include high-throughput continuous sintering of lithium-lanthanum zirconium oxide (lithium-stuffed garnet). The instant disclosure sets forth equipment and processes for making high quality, rapidly-processed ceramic electrolyte films. These processes include high-throughput continuous sintering of lithium-lanthanum zirconium oxide for use as electrolyte films. In certain processes, the film is not in contact with any surface as it sinters (i.e., during the sintering phase).

There are provided a sintered body having both excellent mechanical strength and translucency, a method for producing the same and an orthodontic bracket.

A sintered body, comprising a crystal grain having a cubic domain and a tetragonal domain, a stabilizer and lanthanum being dissolved in zirconia to form a solid solution as a matrix, and the amount of stabilizer contained being 1% or more by mole and 6% or less by mole, in which an average torque strength is 1.00 kgf.Math.cm or more, and an in-line transmittance is 35% or more for visible light having a wavelength of 600 nm at a sample thickness of 1 mm.

Setter plates are fabricated from Li-stuffed garnet materials having the same, or substantially similar, compositions as a garnet Li-stuffed solid electrolyte. The Li-stuffed garnet setter plates, set forth herein, reduce the evaporation of Li during a sintering treatment step and/or reduce the loss of Li caused by diffusion out of the sintering electrolyte. Li-stuffed garnet setter plates, set forth herein, maintain compositional control over the solid electrolyte during sintering when, upon heating, lithium is prone to diffuse out of the solid electrolyte.

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.

It is an object to provide a cubic boron nitride polycrystalline material excellent in toughness. A cubic boron nitride polycrystalline material containing fine cubic boron nitride which is granular, has a maximum grain size not greater than 100 nm, and has an average grain size not greater than 70 nm and at least one of plate-shaped cubic boron nitride in a form of a plate having an average major radius not smaller than 50 nm and not greater than 10000 nm and coarse cubic boron nitride which is granular, has a minimum grain size exceeding 100 nm, and has an average grain size not greater than 1000 nm is provided.

In one aspect, the disclosure relates to thermoelectric ceramic oxide compositions comprising a CaMnO.sub.3 ceramic. In a further aspect, the disclosed thermoelectric ceramic oxide compositions can dramatically increase the energy conversion efficiency of thermoelectric through a combination of modifying the chemistry of precursor materials, and simultaneously introducing a metal oxide liquid phase during sintering. In a further aspect, the present disclosure pertains to thermoelectric ceramic oxide compositions comprising a metal doped CaMnO.sub.3 having with a metal oxide grain boundary phase; wherein the metal is selected from group 13, group 14, group 15, group 16, or a rare earth element. In a still further aspect, the disclosure relates to methods for making the thermoelectric ceramic oxide materials. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

The present invention relates to a method of producing porous alpha-SiC containing shaped body and porous alpha-SiC containing shaped body produced by that method. The porous alpha-SiC containing shaped body shows a characteristic microstructure providing a high degree of mechanical stability.

Provided is a cBN sintered material for a tool body in which a ratio (PN.sub.TB/PN.sub.BN) of the number (PN.sub.TB) of cBN particles in contact with a Ti boride having a long axis of 150 nm or more to the total number (PN.sub.BN) of cBN particles is 0.05 or less.