A crucible having a heat treated body. The heat treated body comprises a composition including an oxide material, from 5 wt % to 50 wt % a nitride material, and optionally a sintering aid. A weight ratio of the nitride material to the oxide material ranges from 0.02:1 to 2.0:1. The heat treated body has an oxide material lattice structure with nitride material at least partially encapsulated therein.

The present invention provides a zirconia sintered body containing a fluorescent agent and having excellent translucency and excellent strength. The present invention also provides a zirconia shaped body and a zirconia calcined body from which the zirconia sintered body can be obtained. The present invention relates to a zirconia sintered body comprising a fluorescent agent, wherein the zirconia sintered body comprises 4.5 to 9.0 mol % yttria, and has a crystal grain size of 180 nm or less, and a three-point flexural strength of 500 MPa or more. The present invention relates to a zirconia shaped body comprising a fluorescent agent, wherein the zirconia shaped body comprises 4.5 to 9.0 mol % yttria, and has a three-point flexural strength of 500 MPa or more after being sintered at 1,100° C. for 2 hours under ordinary pressure, and a crystal grain size of 180 nm or less after being sintered at 1,100° C. for 2 hours under ordinary pressure. The present invention relates to a zirconia calcined body comprising a fluorescent agent, wherein the zirconia calcined body comprises 4.5 to 9.0 mol % yttria, and has a three-point flexural strength of 500 MPa or more after being sintered at 1,100° C. for 2 hours under ordinary pressure, and a crystal grain size of 180 nm or less after being sintered at 1,100° C. for 2 hours under ordinary pressure.

The present invention provides a zirconia pre-sintered body that enables one visit treatment due to the short firing time and from which a zirconia sintered body having excellent translucency is obtained irrespective of the thickness, and a method for producing the zirconia pre-sintered body. The present invention is a method for producing a zirconia molded body, wherein the zirconia molded body comprises: zirconia; and a stabilizer capable of inhibiting a phase transformation of zirconia, at least a part of the stabilizer is undissolved in zirconia as a solid solution, and the method comprises press molding a mixed powder comprising zirconia and the stabilizer at a pressure of 175 MPa or more to obtain a zirconia molded body.

A metal oxide composition for use in ceramic bodies to form a ceramic whitener-opacifier composition is disclosed. The metal oxide composition includes one or more crystalline metal oxides or crystalline mixed metal oxides of Al, Ca, Mg, Si and Zr. The metal oxide composition includes at least (i) Al in an amount of from about 5 wt % to about 40 wt % measured as Al2O3, (ii) Ca in an amount of from about 10 wt % to about 30 wt % measured as CaO, (iii) Mg in an amount 5 of from about 0 wt % to about 25 wt % measured as MgO, (iv) Si in an amount of from about 10 wt % to about 25 wt % measured as SiO2, and (v) Zr in an amount of from about 15 wt % to about 35 wt % measured as ZrO.

An object of the present invention is to provide an IGZO sputtering target capable of improving uniformity for at least one property selected from the number of microcracks in the structure, the number of pores in the sintered body structure, and surface roughness.

The IGZO sputtering target according to the present invention has an oxide sintered body, the oxide sintered body comprising indium (In), gallium (Ga), zinc (Zn) and unavoidable impurities, wherein, on a surface of the oxide sintered body, a lightness difference ΔL* satisfies ΔL*<3.0, in which the ΔL* is obtained by subtracting lightness Lc*at a central portion on the surface from lightness Le* at a position of 10 mm from an end portion to the central portion side on the surface, and wherein the oxide sintered body has a relative density of 97.0% or more.

An optical converter is provided that has both a stable colour even at highest luminous powers and a high luminous efficiency. The optical converter includes a ceramic element that is fluorescent so that light of a first wavelength is absorbed in the ceramic element and fluorescent having longer wavelength light is emitted. The ceramic element includes pores spatially irregularly distributed within the ceramic element. The distribution of the pores within the ceramic element is inhomogeneous so that the radial distribution function of the pore locations deviates from unity and has a maximum at a characteristic distance, the maximum having a value of at least 1.2.

A process for the preparation of non-fibrous alkaline titanates comprising the steps of: melting alkaline titanate in a furnace at a temperature ranging from 1300° C. to 1500° C. to form a molten product; cooling said molten product by placing it in contact with a material having a temperature equal to or lower than 15° C.

A multicolor light-storing ceramic for fire-protection indication and a preparation method thereof are provided. The preparation method includes: adding a glass based raw material, a light-storing powder, a dispersant and an alumina powder into a granulator, adding water mixed with a pore-forming agent and then mechanically stirring for granulation; adding a plasticizer after the stirring of 4˜8 h, and continuing the stirring for 1˜3 h to thereby obtain a mixture; packing the mixture into a mold and performing tableting; demolding and obtaining a light-storing self-luminous quartz ceramic by drying and firing using a kiln; printing a pattern onto a surface of the ceramic and then curing to obtain a light-storing ceramic for indication sign. Using an industrial waste glass has advantages of low sintering temperature and green environmental protection; dispersed pores and alumina introduced as scattering sources improves light absorption efficiency, fluorescence output phase ratio and light transmission of the ceramic.

Provided is a wavelength converting member and a method of producing the same. Proposed is a wavelength converting member including: a fluorescent material containing at least one kind selected from a nitride-based fluorescent material and an oxynitride-based fluorescent material; and an aluminate containing at least one kind selected from the group consisting of a rare earth aluminate and an alkaline earth metal aluminate. Further, a method of producing a wavelength converting member, including: preparing a molded body obtained by mixing a fluorescent material containing at least one kind selected from a nitride-based fluorescent material and an oxynitride-based fluorescent material and an aluminate containing at least one kind selected from the group consisting of a rare earth aluminate and an alkaline earth metal aluminate; and sintering the molded body to obtain a wavelength converting member containing the fluorescent material and the aluminate, is proposed.

This zirconia powder contains 2.5 to 3.5 mol % of yttria; has a specific surface area of 5 to 20 m.sup.2/g; and has crystal phases that include a monoclinic crystal phase percentage of 20 to 40% and a tetragonal crystal phase percentage of 60 to 80%. When the zirconia powder is molded under a mold pressure of 0.8 t/cm.sup.2 and then sintered under a condition of 2 hours at 1450° C. to obtain a sintered body, the sintered body has crystal phases that include a monoclinic crystal phase percentage of 1 to 3%, a tetragonal crystal phase percentage of 77 to 94%, and a cubic crystal phase percentage of 5 to 20%.