A method of forming a water resistant boundary on a fissile material for use in a water cooled nuclear reactor is described. The method comprises mixing a powdered fissile material selected from the group consisting of UN and U.sub.3Si.sub.2 with an additive selected from oxidation resistant materials having a melting or softening point lower than the sintering temperature of the fissile material, pressing the mixed fissile and additive materials into a pellet, sintering the pellet to a temperature greater than the melting point of the additive. Alternatively, if the melting point of the oxidation resistant particles is greater than the sintering temperature of UN or U.sub.3Si.sub.2, then the oxidation resistant particles can have a particle size distribution less than that of the UN or U.sub.3Si.sub.2.

The present disclosure provides a microwave-assisted carbon template method for preparing supported nano metal-oxides or nano metals. The method includes mixing a carbohydrate, urea, and a precursor of an oxide support with a metal salt in a container, adding a certain amount of water, and completely dissolving the solid chemicals through ultrasonic stirring to form a homogeneous solution. The method also includes performing microwave treatment on the obtained solution for approximately 0.1 minute to 60 minutes with a microwave heating power in a range of approximately 100 W to 50 kW to dehydrate and carbonize the carbohydrate and thus form a dark brown solid. The method further includes performing heat treatment on the dark brown solid at a temperature in a range of approximately 200° C. to 1100° C. in an air atmosphere for approximately 0.5 hour to 24 hours to obtain a metal-oxide supported by a porous oxide support.

A method of forming a high purity granular material, such as silicon carbide powder. Precursors are added to a reactor; at least part of a fiber is formed in the reactor from the precursors using chemical deposition interacting with said precursors; and the granular material is then formed from the fiber. In one aspect, the chemical deposition may include laser induced chemical vapor deposition. The granular material may be formed by grinding or milling the fiber into the granular material, e.g., ball milling the fiber. In one example, silicon carbide powder having greater than 90% beta crystalline phase purity and less than 0.25% oxygen contamination can be obtained.

A ceramic electronic component that includes a plurality of ceramic layers which are stacked together, and an internal conductor layer disposed between two adjacent ceramic layers among the plurality of ceramic layers, and in which a ceramic layer that is adjacent to the internal conductor layer includes a plurality of pores.

The present invention provides a method for producing a powder containing zirconia particles and a fluorescent agent that enables easy production of a zirconia sintered body having both high translucency and high strength despite containing a fluorescent agent. The present invention relates to a method for producing a zirconia particle- and fluorescent agent-containing powder, comprising: a mixing step of mixing a zirconia particle-containing slurry and a liquid-state fluorescent agent; and a drying step of drying the slurry containing the zirconia particles and the fluorescent agent. Preferably, the fluorescent agent comprises a metallic element, and the powder comprises the fluorescent agent in an amount of 0.001 to 1 mass % in terms of an oxide of the metallic element relative to a mass of zirconia. Preferably, the zirconia particles have an average primary particle diameter of 30 nm or less. Preferably, the zirconia particles comprises 2.0 to 9.0 mol % yttria.

Ceramic particles for use in a solar power tower and methods for making and using the ceramic particles are disclosed. The ceramic particle can include a sintered ceramic material formed from a mixture of a raw material and MnO. The sintered ceramic material can include about 0.01 wt % to about 10 wt % MnO, about 0.1 wt % to about 20 wt % Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, and about 0.01 wt % to about 10 wt % Mn.sub.2O.sub.3. The ceramic particle can have a size from about 8 mesh to about 170 mesh.

A piezoelectric composition comprises a plurality of crystal particles, wherein the piezoelectric composition includes bismuth, iron, barium, titanium, and oxygen; the crystal particle include a core and a shell having a contents of bismuth higher than that in the core and covering the core; and the total area of the cross sections of the cores exposed to the cross section of the piezoelectric composition is expressed as S.sub.CORE, the total area of the cross sections of the shells exposed to the cross section of the piezoelectric composition is expressed as S.sub.SHELL, and 100.Math.S.sub.CORE/(S.sub.CORE+S.sub.SHELL) is 50 to 90.

A method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component includes: preparing a dielectric magnetic composition including base material powder particles including BaTi.sub.2O.sub.5 or (Ba.sub.(1-x)Ca.sub.x)Ti.sub.2O.sub.5 (0x<0.1), the base material powder particles having surfaces coated with one or more of Mg, Mn, V, Ba, Si, Al and a rare earth metal; preparing ceramic green sheets using dielectric slurry including the dielectric magnetic composition; applying an internal electrode paste to the ceramic green sheets; preparing a green sheet laminate by stacking the ceramic green sheets to which the internal electrode paste is applied; and preparing a ceramic body including dielectric layers and a plurality of first and second internal electrodes arranged to face each other with each of the dielectric layers interposed therebetween by sintering the green sheet laminate.

Powder particles for forming a homogeneous green body having a sufficient strength and a process for producing a green body by using the powder particles. A green body is shaped by using powder particles of composite particles in which thermoplastic resin particles are scattered on surfaces of large particles in an amount within a predetermined volume ratio range with respect to the large particles, and loaded to form resin pools in contact point peripheral areas of adjoining ones of the large particles and form voids in areas other than the contact point peripheral areas when the thermoplastic resin particles are melted. A green body packed with the powder particles each having a small amount of the thermoplastic resin particles attached thereon is placed under a melting condition of the thermoplastic resin particles, the thermoplastic resin is melted and gathers around contact points (or proximal points) of the adjoining powder particles.

Ceramic particles for use in a solar power tower and methods for making and using the ceramic particles are disclosed. The ceramic particle can include a sintered ceramic material formed from a mixture of a ceramic raw material and a darkening component comprising MnO as Mn.sup.2+. The ceramic particle can have a size from about 8 mesh to about 170 mesh and a density of less than 4 g/cc.