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 piezoelectric component has at least one piezoelectric ceramic layer and at least one electrode adjacent the piezoelectric ceramic layer. The piezoelectric ceramic layer has a piezoelectric ceramic material of the general formula Pb.sub.1-x-y-[(2a-b)/2]-p/2V.sub.[(2a-b)/2-p/2]Cu.sub.pBa.sub.xSr.sub.y[(Ti.sub.zZr.sub.1-z).sub.1-a-bW.sub.aRE.sub.b]O.sub.3, where 0x0.035, 0y0.025, 0.42z0.5, 0.0045a0.009, 0.009b0.011, 2a>b, p2ab, RE is a rare earth metal, and V is a Pb vacancy.

A stacked ceramic capacitor that includes a ceramic body formed by stacking dielectric ceramic layers and internal electrodes mainly composed of Ni; and an external electrode formed on an outer surface of ceramic body. The dielectric ceramic layers are formed by using a dielectric ceramic composition that includes a main ingredient expressed by (K.sub.aNa.sub.bLi.sub.cM2.sub.d)(Nb.sub.wTa.sub.xMg.sub.yM4.sub.z)O.sub.3, where M2 is at least one of Ca, Sr and Ba, M4 is at least one of Zr, Hf and Sn, and a, b, c, d, w, x, y, and z satisfy predetermined relationships; and includes 2 to 15 molar parts of Mn with respect to 100 molar parts of a total content of Nb, Ta, Mg, and M4.

A pre-impregnated composite tape is provided that includes: a matrix material; a plurality of fibers forming unidirectional arrays of tows encased within the matrix material; and a plurality of filler particles dispersed between adjacent fibers in the tape. The fibers have a mean fiber diameter of about 5 microns and about 40 microns, and are included within the tape at a volume fraction of about 15% and about 40%. The plurality of filler particles have a log-normal volumetric median particle size, such that the tape has a ratio of the log-normal volumetric median particle size to the mean fiber diameter that is about 0.05:1 to about 1:1. A method is also provided for forming a ceramic matrix composite.

The present invention provides a piezoelectric material not containing lead and potassium, showing satisfactory insulation and piezoelectricity, and having a high Curie temperature. The invention relates to a piezoelectric material includes a main component containing a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by Formula (1): (Na.sub.xBa.sub.1-y)(Nb.sub.yTi.sub.1-y)O.sub.3 (wherein, 0.80x0.94 and 0.83y0.94), and an additive component containing at least one element selected from Mn and Ni, wherein the content of the Ni is 0 mol or more and 0.05 mol or less based on 1 mol of the perovskite-type metal oxide, and the content of the Mn is 0 mol or more and 0.005 mol or less based on 1 mol of the perovskite-type metal oxide.

A compound sintered body contains cubic boron nitride particles and binder particles. The composite sintered body contains 40 vol % or more and 80 vol % or less of the cubic boron nitride particles. The binder particles contain TiCN particles. The composite sintered body shows a first peak belonging to a (200) plane of the TiCN particles in a range in which a Bragg angle 2 is 41.7 or more and 42.6 or less in an X-ray diffraction spectrum measured using a Cu-K ray as a ray source.

A silicon carbide based material exhibiting high strength, good thermal shock resistance, high resistance to abrasion and being chemically stable to harsh environmental conditions is described. The carbide Ball Hill ceramic comprises a -SiAlON bonding phase in which sintering is facilitated by at least one rare earth oxide sintering agents incorporated within the Vibrating Sieve batch admixture as starting materials. The residual rare earth sintering aid being chosen so as to impart good mechanical and refractory properties.

Articles and methods in which an electric field is used to actuate a material are generally described. Provided in one embodiment is a method including applying an electric field to a ceramic material. Applying the electric field to the ceramic material can transform the ceramic material from a first solid phase to a second distinct solid phase. The applied electric field is less than a breakdown electric field of the ceramic material, according to certain embodiments.

A dielectric ceramic composition and a multilayer ceramic capacitor containing the same are provided. The dielectric ceramic composition contains a base material powder represented by (1x)BaTiO.sub.3xPbTiO.sub.3 containing a first main ingredient represented by BaTiO.sub.3 and a second main ingredient represented by PbTiO.sub.3, wherein x satisfies 0.0025x0.4. The multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a ceramic body in which dielectric layers containing the dielectric ceramic composition are alternately stacked with first and second internal electrodes, and first and second external electrodes formed on both end portions of the ceramic body and respectively electrically connected to the first and second internal electrodes.

A method of forming a ceramic body including forming a mixture made of at least a first powder material (PM1) including carbon having a first average particle size (PS1), a second powder material (PM2) including carbon and different than the first powder material, the second powder material having a second average particle size (PS2) less than the first average particle size (PS1), and an aluminum content (AC2) greater than the aluminum content (AC1) of the first powder material, and further including forming a green body from the mixture, and sintering the green body and forming a ceramic body having a first type of grain having an average grain size of not greater than about 8 times the first average particle size (PS1).