Provided is a method for manufacturing a sintered body for an electrolyte and an electrolyte for a fuel cell using the same. More particularly, the following disclosure relates to a method for preparing an electrolyte having a firm thin film layer by using a sintered body having controlled sintering characteristics, and application of the electrolyte to a solid oxide fuel cell. It is possible to control the sintering characteristics of a sintered body through a simple method, such as controlling the amounts of crude particles and nanoparticles. In addition, an electrode using the obtained sintered body having controlled sintering characteristics is effective for forming a firm thin film layer. Further, such an electrolyte having a firm thin film layer formed thereon inhibits combustion of fuel with oxygen when it is applied to a fuel cell, and thus shows significantly effective for improving the quality of a cell.

There is provided an oxide sintered material containing indium, tungsten, and zinc, the oxide sintered material including: a first crystal phase that is a main component of the oxide sintered material and includes a bixbyite type crystal phase; and a second crystal phase having a content of the zinc higher than a content of the zinc in the first crystal phase, the second crystal phase including particles having an average major axis size of not less than 3 m and not more than 50 m and having an average aspect ratio of not less than 4 and not more than 50.

A solid ceramic electrolyte may include an ion-conducting ceramic and at least one grain growth inhibitor. The ion-conducting ceramic may be a lithium metal phosphate or a derivative thereof. The grain growth inhibitor may be magnesia, titania, or both. The solid ceramic electrolyte may have an average grain size of less than about 2 microns. The grain growth inhibitor may be between about 0.5 mol. % to about 10 mol. % of the solid ceramic electrolyte.

Provided is a solid electrolyte made of yttrium-doped barium zirconate having hydrogen ion conductivity, a doped amount of yttrium being 15 mol % to 20 mol %, and a rate of increase in lattice constant at 100 C. to 1000 C. with respect to temperature changes being substantially constant. Also provided is a method for manufacturing the solid electrolyte. This solid electrolyte can be formed as a thin film, and a solid electrolyte laminate can be obtained by laminating electrode layers on this solid electrolyte. This solid electrolyte can be applied to an intermediate temperature operating fuel cell.

A Co.sub.2Z hexaferrite composition is provided containing molybdenum and one or both of barium and strontium, having the formula (Ba.sub.2Sr.sub.(3-Z)Co.sub.(2+X))Mo.sub.xFe.sub.(y-2x)O.sub.41 where x=0.01 to 0.20; y=20 to 24; and z=0 to 3. The composition can exhibit high permeabilities and equal or substantially equal values of permeability and permittivity while retaining low magnetic and dielectric loss tangents and loss factors. The composition is suitable for high frequency applications such as ultrahigh frequency and microwave antennas and other devices.

A piezoelectric ceramic includes a perovskite-type metal oxide containing barium titanate, and Mn. When a surface thereof along the remanent polarization direction is subjected to X-ray diffraction analysis at room temperature, the ratio of the diffraction intensity of the (002) plane to the diffraction intensity of the (200) plane is 1.0 or more, the diffraction peak of the (002) plane has a half width of 1.2? or less, and the lattice constant of the c-axis thereof and the lattice constant of the a-axis thereof satisfy the relationship 1.004?c/a?1.010.

Provided is a wavelength converting member made of a sintered body which inhibits color unevenness of exit light after wavelength conversion and has excellent light emitting efficiency and inhibited decrease in mechanical strength. The wavelength converting member includes a plate-like sintered body having one principal surface as a light entrance surface and the other principal surface as a light exit surface, and a porosity of 0.1% or less with fluorescent material grains containing an activator and light-transmitting material grains, the entrance surface and the exit surface are sintered surfaces in which the fluorescent material grains and light-transmitting material grains are exposed without processing. The sintered surface has an average roughness Ra of 0.1 ?m to 0.5 ?m, the fluorescent material grains exposed on a surface have an average roughness Ra1 of 0.2 nm to 0.5 nm, and the light-transmitting material grains exposed on a surface have an average roughness Ra2 of 0.3 nm to 0.7 nm.

Disclosed are ceramic bodies comprised of composite cordierite-mullite-aluminum magnesium titanate (CMAT) ceramic compositions having high cordierite-to-mullite ratio and methods for the manufacture of same.

A bearing block can include a body including an exterior surface and an interior surface defining a central bore of the body. The exterior surface can include a first material, and the interior surface can include a second material, wherein the first material can be different than the second material.

In an alumina-based sintered body containing alumina (Al.sub.2O.sub.3) as a main component and containing magnesia (MgO) whose content with respect to a content of the alumina is 0.00 mol %<MgO0.20 mol %, a density is 3.96 g/cm.sup.3 or greater, and a standard deviation of grain sizes of alumina crystal grains is smaller than 4.0 m.