Polycrystalline cubic boron nitride compact include a body having sintered microcrystalline cubic boron nitride in a matrix of binder material. The microcrystalline cubic boron nitride particles have a size ranging from 2 microns to 50 microns. The particles of microcrystalline cubic boron nitride include a plurality of sub-grains, each sub-grain having a size ranging from 0.1 micron to 2 microns. The compacts are manufactured in a high pressure—high temperature (HPHT) sintering process. The compacts exhibit intergranular defect formation following introduction of wear. The sub-grains promote crack propagation based on micro-chipping rather than on a cleavage mechanism and, in sintered bodies, cracks propagate intergranularly rather than intragranularly, resulting in increased toughness and improved wear characteristics as compared to monocrystalline cubic boron nitride. The compacts are suitable for use as abrasive tools.

A sintered bead and an associated method. The sintered bead has the following chemical composition, as mass percentages on the basis of the oxides: ZrO.sub.2+HfO.sub.2+Y.sub.2O.sub.3+CeO.sub.2: remainder to 100%; 0%≤Al.sub.2O.sub.3≤1.5%; CaO≤2%; oxides other than ZrO.sub.2, HfO.sub.2, Y.sub.2O.sub.3, CeO.sub.2, Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and CaO: ≤5%. The contents of Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and CeO.sub.2, as molar percentages on the basis of the sum of ZrO.sub.2, HfO.sub.2, Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and CeO.sub.2, being such that 1.8%≤Y.sub.2O.sub.3≤2.5% and 0.1%≤CeO.sub.2≤0.9%. The sintered bead has following crystalline phases, as mass percentages on the basis of the crystalline phases and for a total of 100%: stabilized zirconia: remainder to 100%; monoclinic zirconia: ≤10%; crystalline phases other than stabilized zirconia and monoclinic zirconia: <7%.

A carbon-metal/alloy composite material includes a composition represented by (1-a)Sn.sub.1-xM.sup.1.sub.x+aM.sup.2+cC, wherein: M.sup.1 includes one or more transition metals, metals, or metalloids; M.sup.2 includes one or more transition metals, metals, or metalloids; x is 0≦x≦1; a is 0≦a≦1; and c is 0<c≦99. A method of forming the carbon-metal/alloy composite material includes the steps of dissolving one or more precursor materials in a solvent to form a solution; adding an organic carbon forming precursor to the solution to form a mixture; heating the mixture in an autoclave reactor for a prescribed period of time; separating solids formed from the mixture after the heating; washing the separated solids with a washing solvent; and heating the washed solids under a non-oxidizing atmosphere to form the carbon-metal/alloy composite material.

A porous carbon-metal/alloy composite material includes a composition represented by (1−a)Sn.sub.1-xM.sup.1.sub.x+aM.sup.2+cC, wherein: M.sup.1 includes one or more transition metals, metals, or metalloids; M.sup.2 includes one or more transition metals, metals, or metalloids; x is 0≦x≦1; a is 0≦a≦1; and c is 0<c≦99. A method of forming the porous carbon-metal/alloy composite material includes the steps of dissolving one or more metal salts and a metal salt of polysaccharide to form a mixture; subjecting the mixture to heat treatment under an inert atmosphere to form carbon-metal/alloy composite material and metal salt by-product; and washing the formed carbon-metal/alloy composite material and the metal salt by-product with washing solvent to remove the metal salt by-product and obtain the porous carbon-metal/alloy composite material.

A dielectric composition is provided. The dielectric composition includes: a main component made of: a first complex oxide expressed by a chemical formula {K(Ba.sub.1-xSr.sub.x).sub.2Nb.sub.5O.sub.15}; and a second complex oxide expressed by a chemical formula that differs the chemical formula of the first complex oxide. The second complex oxide is a complex oxide expressed by one of chemical formulae: {(Ca.sub.1-ySr.sub.y)(Zr.sub.1-zTi.sub.z)O.sub.3}; {Ba(Ti.sub.1-uZr.sub.u)O.sub.3}; {(Ca.sub.1-vSr.sub.v)TiSiO.sub.5}; and {(Ba.sub.1-wRe.sub.2w/3)Nb.sub.2O.sub.6}, x satisfies 0.35≦x≦0.75, and a satisfies 0.25≦a≦0.75 when a molar ratio between the first and second complex oxides is defined by a:b in an order and a+b=1.00.

Translucency of a yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramic is improved to achieve even higher translucency than what is currently offered on the market, without greatly altering its mechanical properties. The enhancement is done by incorporating magnesium-containing dopants into the microstructure of yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramic dental ceramics.

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.

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 %.

cubic boron nitride sintered material including 90.0% by mass or more and 99.5% by mass or less of cubic boron nitride and 0.5% by mass or more and 10.0% by mass or less of silicon, wherein the cubic boron nitride sintered material has a total content of the cubic boron nitride and the silicon of 94.0% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less.

A method of preparing a ceramic fabric and ceramic matrix composite components constructed from the ceramic fabric include transforming ceramic tows, or ceramic fabrics, to varying degrees from a first tow geometry to a second tow geometry, thereby reducing a first dimension of the ceramic tows and increasing a second dimension of the ceramic tows orthogonal to the first dimension. Plies constructed with flattened tows, or as-received tows, have various inter-tow pore sizes that are arranged with increasing inter-tow pore size towards exterior surfaces of the preform structure.