A dielectric ceramic composition including a first component and a second component. The first component comprises an oxide of Ca of 0.00 mol % to 35.85 mol % an oxide of Sr of 0.00 mol % to 47.12 mol %, an oxide of Ba of 0.00 mol % to 51.22 mol %, an oxide of Ti of 0.00 mol % to 17.36 mol %, an oxide of Zr of 0.00 mol % to 17.36 mol %, an oxide of Sn of 0.00 mol % to 2.60 mol %, an oxide of Nb of 0.00 mol % to 35.32 mol %, an oxide of Ta of 0.00 mol % to 35.32 mol %, and an oxide of V of 0.00 mol % to 2.65 mol %. The second component includes (by mass) at least (a) an oxide of Mn of 0.005% to 3.500% and (b) one or both of an oxide of Cu of 0.080% to 20.000% and an oxide of Ru of 0.300% to 45.000%.

A refractory object may include a zircon body that is intentionally doped with a dopant including an alkaline earth element and aluminum. The refractory object can have an improved creep deformation rate. In an embodiment, the refractory object can have a creep deformation rate of not greater than about 1.8 E-5 h.sup.−1 at a temperature of 1350° C. and a stress of 2 MPa. In another embodiment, the zircon body may include an amorphous phase including an alkaline earth metal element.

A piezoelectric material composition, a method of manufacturing the same, a piezoelectric device, and apparatus including the piezoelectric device. The piezoelectric device may include a piezoelectric device layer including a first material and a second material surrounded by the first material, a first electrode portion disposed at a first surface of the piezoelectric device layer, and a second electrode portion disposed at a second surface of the piezoelectric device layer opposite to the first surface, wherein the piezoelectric device layer comprises a piezoelectric material composition represented by Chemical Formula 1: 0.96(Na.sub.aK.sub.1-a)(Nb.sub.b(T.sub.1-b))O.sub.3-(0.04-x)MZrO.sub.3-x(Bi.sub.cAg.sub.1-c)ZrO.sub.3+d mol % NaNbO.sub.3, wherein T is Sb or Ta, M is Sr, Ba or Ca, a is 0.4≤a≤0.6, b is 0.90≤b≤0.98, c is 0.4≤c≤0.6, d is 0≤d≤5.0, and x is 0≤x≤0.04 and wherein T is Sb or Ta and M is Sr, Ba, or Ca.

A ceramic porous body including: skeleton portions including an aggregate and at least one bonding material; and pore portions formed between the skeleton portions, the pore portions being capable of allowing a fluid to flow therethrough, wherein the pore portions have a pore volume ratio of pores having a pore diameter of from 10 to 15 μm, of from 4 to 17%.

In an aspect, a Co.sub.2Z ferrite has the formula: (Ba.sub.1-xSr.sub.x).sub.3Co.sub.2+yM.sub.yFe.sub.24-2y-zO.sub.41. M is at least one of Mo, Ir, or Ru. The variable x can be 0 to 0.8, or 0.1 to 0.8. The variable y can be 0 to 0.8, or 0.01 to 0.8. The variable z can be −2 to 2. The Co.sub.2Z ferrite can have an average grain size of 5 to 100 nanometers, or 30 to 80, or 10 to 40 nanometers as measured using at least one of transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, or x-ray diffraction.

A dielectric composition includes a main ingredient having a perovskite structure represented by ABO.sub.3, where A is at least one of Ba, Sr, and Ca and B is at least one of Ti, Zr, and Hf, and a first accessory ingredient. The first accessory ingredient comprises 0.1 mole or more of a rare earth element, 0.02 mole or more of Nb, and 0.25 mole or more and 0.9 mole or less of Mg, a sum of contents of the rare earth element and Nb is 1.5 mole or less.

The present invention relates to a ceramic, to a process for preparing the ceramic and to the use of the ceramic as a dielectric in a capacitor.

The present invention provides a method of preparing bulk BSCCO-based material, the method comprising: mixing a first solution with a second solution at a pre-determined temperature to form a gel, wherein the first solution comprises salts of at least bismuth, strontium, calcium and copper and the second solution comprises a precipitating agent; drying the gel to form a xerogel; grinding the xerogel to form a homogeneous metalorganic precursor; and calcining the homogeneous metalorganic precursor to form bulk BSCCO-based materials. Further steps may enable preparation of 2D BSCCO flakes.

A ferrite sintered magnet 100 comprises M-type ferrite crystal grains 4 having a hexagonal structure, two-crystal grain boundaries 6a formed between two of the M-type ferrite crystal grains 4, and multiple-crystal grain boundaries 6b surrounded by three or more of the M-type ferrite crystal grains 4. This ferrite sintered magnet 100 contains at least Fe, Ca, B, and Si, and contains B in an amount of 0.005 to 0.9 mass % in terms of B.sub.2O.sub.3, the two-crystal grain boundaries 6a and the multiple-crystal grain boundaries 6b contain Si and Ca, and in a cross-section parallel to a c-axis of the ferrite sintered magnet, when the number of multiple-crystal grain boundaries 6b having a maximum length of 0.49 to 5 μm per cross-sectional area of 76 μm.sup.2 is N, N is 7 or less.

Provided is a dielectric ceramic composition including a first component and a second component, wherein the first component comprises an oxide of Ca of 0.00 mol % to 35.85 mol % an oxide of Sr of 0.00 mol % to 47.12 mol %, an oxide of Ba of 0.00 mol % to 51.22 mol %, an oxide of Ti of 0.00 mol % to 17.36 mol %, an oxide of Zr of 0.00 mol % to 17.36 mol %, an oxide of Sn of 0.00 mol % to 2.60 mol %, an oxide of Nb of 0.00 mol % to 35.32 mol %, an oxide of Ta of 0.00 mol % to 35.32 mol %, and an oxide of V of 0.00 mol % to 2.65 mol %, and the second component includes at least (a) an oxide of Mn of 0.005% by mass to 3.500% by mass and (b) an oxide of Cu and/or an oxide of Ru.