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).

Provided is a lithium complex oxide sintered plate for use in a positive electrode of a lithium secondary battery. The lithium complex oxide sintered plate has a structure in which a plurality of primary grains having a layered rock-salt structure are bonded, and has a porosity of 3 to 40%, a mean pore diameter of 15 m or less, an open porosity of 70% or more, and a thickness of 15 to 200 m. The plurality of primary grains has a primary grain diameter, i.e., a mean diameter of the primary grains, of 20 m or less and a mean tilt angle of more than 0 to 30 or less. The mean tilt angle is a mean value of the angles defined by the (003) planes of the primary grains and the plate face of the lithium complex oxide sintered plate.

A crack self-healing functionally gradient material for ceramic cutting tools and a preparation method thereof. The material for ceramic cutting tools has a symmetrical gradient structure, and based on the percentage by mass, components of each layer include 50%-80% of Ti(C.sub.7,N.sub.3), 25%-5% of (W.sub.7,Ti.sub.3)C and 20%-0% of TiSi.sub.2; contents of components of layers that are symmetrical relative to a central layer are the same and a thickness is symmetrically distributed; a content of Ti(C.sub.7,N.sub.3) gradually increases from the surface layer to the central layer, contents of (W.sub.7,Ti.sub.3)C and TiSi.sub.2 gradually decrease by 5% from the surface layer to the central layer, and the contents of Ni and Mo gradually increase from the surface layer to the central layer.

A sputtering target configured from a magnesium oxide sintered body, wherein a ratio of crystal grains of the magnesium oxide sintered body in which a number of pinholes in a single crystal grain is 20 or more is 50% or less. The present invention is a sputtering target configured from a magnesium oxide sintered body in which the generation of particles during sputtering is less.

In an embodiment, a polycrystalline diamond compact includes a substrate and a preformed polycrystalline diamond table having an upper surface, an interfacial surface, and at least one side surface extending therebetween. The interfacial surface of the polycrystalline diamond table is bonded to the substrate. The polycrystalline diamond table includes bonded diamond grains defining interstitial regions. The polycrystalline diamond table includes a first region extending inwardly from at least a portion of the upper surface and at least a portion of the at least one side surface. The first region spaced from the interfacial surface. The polycrystalline diamond table includes at least a second region extending inwardly from the interfacial surface to the upper surface. The first region includes at least a first infiltrant disposed interstitially between the bonded diamond grains thereof. The second region includes at least a second infiltrant disposed interstitially between the bonded diamond grains thereof.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor has a laminate comprising dielectric layers stacked alternately with internal electrode layers of different polarities, wherein: the dielectric layers contain ceramic grains whose primary component is BaTiO.sub.3; the ceramic grains contain at least one type of donor element (D) selected from the group that includes Nb, Mo, Ta, and W, and at least one type of acceptor element (A) selected from the group that includes Mg and Mn; and the ratio of the concentration of the donor element (D) and that of the acceptor element (A) (D/A) is greater than 1 at the center parts of the ceramic grains, while the D/A ratio is less than 1 at the outer edge parts of the ceramic grains (if A=0, then D/A= and D=A=0 never occurs).

There are provided a dielectric ceramic composition and a multilayer ceramic capacitor containing the same. The dielectric ceramic composition according to the present disclosure may contain a main base material ingredient and a first accessory ingredient, wherein the first accessory ingredient contains samarium (Sm) and other rare earth (RE) elements, and a ratio (a/b) of a content (a) of samarium (Sm) to a content (b) of other rare earth elements in the first accessory ingredient satisfies 0.1a/b2.0.

A zirconia sintered body is provided having a color tone equivalent to the color tone guides of various natural teeth and having the same aesthetics as a natural front tooth. The present invention provides a colored translucent zirconia sintered body comprising zirconia containing greater than 4.0 mol % and not greater than 6.5 mol % of yttria, less than 0.25 mol % of erbia, less than 2,000 ppm of iron oxide in terms of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, less than 0.01 wt. % of cobalt oxide in terms of CoO, and less than 0.1 wt. % of alumina; the zirconia sintered body having a relative density of not less than 99.90%, a total light transmittance of not less than 25% and less than 40% for light having a wavelength of 600 nm at a sample thickness of 1.0 mm, and a strength of not less than 500 MPa.

Provided is a lead-free piezoelectric material having a high Curie temperature, a satisfactory mechanical quality factor, and a satisfactory Young's modulus, and a piezoelectric element and a multilayered piezoelectric element each using the piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material contains 0.04 mol % or more to 2.00 mol % or less of Cu with respect to 1 mol of a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the following general formula: (K.sub.vBi.sub.wBa.sub.1-v-w).sub.1-yNa.sub.x(Nb.sub.yTi.sub.1-y)O.sub.3 where relationships of 0<v0.39, 0<w0.39, 0.9w/v1.1, 0.80x0.95, and 0.85y0.95 are satisfied.

A piezoelectric ceramic contains a main component, Mn as a first auxiliary component, and a second auxiliary component containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cu, B, and Si. The main component contains a perovskite metal oxide having the following general formula (1):
(Ba.sub.1-xCa.sub.x).sub.a(Ti.sub.1-yZr.sub.y)O.sub.3(0.100x0.145,0.010y0.039)(1) The amount b (mol) of Mn per mole of the metal oxide is in the range of 0.0048b0.0400, the second auxiliary component content on a metal basis is 0.001 parts by weight or more and 4.000 parts by weight or less per 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide, and the value a of the general formula (1) is in the range of 0.9925+ba1.0025+b.