To provide a sliding member having improved wear resistance, and a method of manufacturing the sliding member. A femoral head ball according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a composite ceramic containing alumina and at least one oxide other than alumina. A surface roughness Ra of the sliding surface when the femoral head ball slides against a constituent member constituting an artificial joint is not more than 0.01 m. The sliding surface includes a plurality of recessed portions each having an opening diameter of not more than 2 m.

A kiln furniture for a powder includes an alkali, in particular Li, including a porous ceramic body forming a cavity or a container for the powder, wherein the ceramic body with open porosity of between 10 and 40% and with equivalent pore diameter between 0.5 and 25 micrometers is coated on at least part of its inner surface with a ceramic coating, the coating including a compound selected from alumina, a lithium aluminate optionally including silicon optionally silicon, aa magnesia-alumina spinel, zirconia, optionally stabilized, hafnia, yttria; having an average thickness of between 50 and 500 micrometers; a total porosity of less than 15% by volume and a volume fraction of pores of diameter greater than or equal to 2 micrometers that is less than 2.5%.

The invention relates to a strontium aluminate mixed oxide precursor and a method for producing same, as well as to a strontium aluminate mixed oxide and method for producing same. The strontium aluminate mixed oxide precursor can be transformed into a strontium aluminate mixed oxide at relatively low temperature. The strontium aluminate mixed oxide is characterized by substantially spherically-shaped particles with a spongy- or porous bone-like microstructure. A luminescent material including a strontium aluminate mixed oxide is also provided.

To provide a Tb-containing rare earth-aluminum garnet ceramic which has a Verdet constant similar to that of a TGG single crystal used in an isolator, has an insertion loss and extinction ratio equal to or greater than those of a TGG single crystal, generates less heat when a high-power laser is applied thereto, and is unlikely to cause a thermal lens effect or thermal birefringence. The present invention relates to: a Tb-containing rare earth-aluminum garnet ceramic including a garnet polycrystal represented by the compositional formula (Tb.sub.xRe.sub.1-x).sub.3(Al.sub.ySc.sub.1-y).sub.5O.sub.12 wherein Re is at least one element selected from a group consisting of Y and Lu, x=1.0-0.5, and y=1.0-0.6, and including Si and at least one element selected from a group consisting of Ca and Mg; a method for producing same; and an isolator device obtained using the ceramic.

The present invention relates to a sagger for firing a precursor material, and more specifically, to a sagger having a space internally provided to load a precursor material. When used to fire a precursor material, the sagger is capable of not only suppressing the generation of by-products but also enhancing the durability of the main body.

The disclosure discloses a composite fluorescent ceramic, a preparation method of the composite fluorescent ceramic and a light emitting device related to the technical field of optical components. The device includes a luminescent phase, a matrix phase and pores, the luminescent phase includes multiple luminescent crystal grains bonded together, the matrix phase includes multiple matrix crystal grains bonded together, the matrix phase and the luminescent phase are interspersed with each other and distributed in a composite fluorescent ceramic, at least part of pores are distributed in the luminescent phase, at least part of pores are distributed in the matrix phase, and at least part of pores are distributed between the luminescent phase and a Al.sub.2O.sub.3 matrix phase. The composite fluorescent ceramic may have high scattering performance.

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 CaF.sub.2 polycrystalline body which is a polycrystalline body constituted of CaF.sub.2 and of which an average grain size of crystalline grains is 200 m or more, and a method for producing a CaF.sub.2 polycrystalline body, the method including a process of introducing a compact which is obtained by using a CaF.sub.2 powder raw material into a vacuum sintering furnace and sintering at a temperature of not higher than 1400 C. for six hours or more, thereby obtaining the CaF.sub.2 polycrystalline body.

Strontium titanate (SrTiO.sub.3) and barium zirconate (BaZrO.sub.3) are made into a solid solution at a predetermined ratio. Specifically, a dielectric ceramic composition is represented by a basic composition (SrTiO.sub.3).sub.(1-x)(BaZrO.sub.3).sub.x (in the formula, X satisfies 0.63X0.95). More preferably, X satisfies 0.67X0.90 in this range. Such a dielectric ceramic composition may be integrated with alumina to form a composite ceramic structure.

A glass forming apparatus comprises a forming device configured to form a glass ribbon from a quantity of molten glass. The glass forming apparatus includes a refractory material comprising monazite (REPO.sub.4). In another example, a method of forming a glass ribbon with a glass forming apparatus includes the step of supporting a quantity of molten glass with a refractory member comprising a refractory material comprising monazite (REPO.sub.4). The method further includes the step of forming the glass ribbon from the quantity of molten glass.