An electrostatic chuck includes a dielectric layer including an oriented alumina sintered body having a degree of c-plane orientation of 5% or more, the degree of c-plane orientation being determined by a Lotgering method using an X-ray diffraction profile obtained by the irradiation of an X-ray in the 2 range of 20 to 70; a ceramic layer integrated with a surface disposed opposite a wafer placement surface of the dielectric layer; and an electrostatic electrode between the dielectric layer and the ceramic layer.

The present invention relates to a honeycomb structure having promoter particles and a binder phase interposed between the promoter particles, and a method for manufacturing the same. The promoter particles contain at least first promoter particles made of a ceria-zirconia solid solution. The binder phase, in each of which a number of inorganic binder particles are aggregated with each other, with -alumina being a main component, contain one or two of Fe and Cr dissolved in -alumina. The honeycomb structure has a specific surface area at a ratio of 90% or more of after heating to before heating at a temperature of 1200 C.

To provide powder for thermal spraying, a method of thermal spraying, and a thermally sprayed coating, which can efficiently work supplying of a dry state powder by using a powder supplying apparatus with a thermal spraying apparatus, and which prevent variation and pulsation or lowering of supplied amount of powder and achieve a required film forming rate, and can obtain a denser coating on the surface of the substrate to be thermally sprayed. [Solution] Powder for thermal spraying 1 is a powder mixture obtained by mixing ceramic powder A whose particle diameter is D.sub.1 and ceramic powder B whose particle diameter is D.sub.2, wherein D.sub.1 is 0.5 to 12 ?m as a median diameter, D.sub.2 is 0.003 to 0.100 ?m as an average particle diameter converted from the BET specific surface area, and when, in the powder mixture, the total weight of the ceramic powder A to be used whose prescribed particle diameter D.sub.1 is W.sub.1, and the total weight of the ceramic powder B to be added to the ceramic powder A is W2, an addition ratio Y of the ceramic powder B defined by Y=W.sub.2/(W.sub.1+W.sub.2) satisfies: Y?0.2066?D.sub.1.sup.?0.751 and Y?0.505?D.sub.1.sup.?0.163.

An extruded, solid honeycomb body comprises a copper-promoted, small pore, crystalline molecular sieve catalyst for converting oxides of nitrogen in the presence of a reducing agent, wherein the crystalline molecular sieve contains a maximum ring size of eight tetrahedral atoms, which extruded, solid honeycomb body comprising: 20-50% by weight matrix component comprising diatomaceous earth, wherein 2-20 weight % of the extruded, solid honeycomb body is diatomaceous earth; 80-50% by weight of the small pore, crystalline molecular sieve ion-exchanged with copper; and 0-10% by weight of inorganic fibers.

Provided is a zinc oxide-based sputtering target capable of improving the film formation rate while suppressing arcing in the formation of a zinc oxide-based transparent conductive film by sputtering. This zinc oxide-based sputtering target includes a zinc oxide-based sintered body mainly including zinc oxide crystal grains, and has a degree of (002) orientation of 50% or greater at a sputtering surface and a density of 5.30 g/cm.sup.3 or greater.

A method comprising (a) reacting aluminum metal with an acid in the presence of water to provide a first aluminum salt solution comprising an aluminum salt in water, wherein the aluminum salt comprises a reaction product of the acid and the aluminum metal, (b) heating the first aluminum salt solution to provide a mother liquor and solid aluminum salt, (c) optionally, separating the solid aluminum salt from the mother liquor, (d) optionally, dissolving at least a portion of the separated solid aluminum salt with water to provide a second aluminum salt solution, (e) spray roasting the first, or second (if produced), aluminum salt solution to provide an aluminum oxide powder, and (f) washing the aluminum oxide powder, wherein the washed aluminum oxide powder comprises less than about 30 ppmw total metallic and alkyl impurities.

An alumina sintered body according to the present invention includes a surface having a degree of c-plane orientation of 5% or more, the degree of c-plane orientation being determined by a Lotgering method using an X-ray diffraction profile obtained through X-ray irradiation at 2=20 to 70. The alumina sintered body contains Mg and F, a Mg/F mass ratio is 0.05 to 3500, and a Mg content is 30 to 3500 ppm by mass. The alumina sintered body has a crystal grain size of 15 to 200 m. When a field of view of 370.0 m long372.0 m wide is photographed with a 1000-fold magnification and the photograph is visually observed, a number of pores having a diameter of 0.2 to 0.6 m is 250 or less.

Disclosed herein are methods for controlling and/or predicting the shrinkage and/or growth of a ceramic honeycomb structure between a green body state and a fired state by adjusting the hydrated alumina content of the batch composition. Also disclosed herein is substantially clay-free cordierite honeycombs produced in accordance with such methods.

In one aspect, sintered ceramic bodies are described herein which, in some embodiments, demonstrate improved resistance to wear and enhanced cutting lifetimes. For example, a sintered ceramic body comprises tungsten carbide (WC) in an amount of 40-95 weight percent, alumina in an amount of 5-30 weight percent and ditungsten carbide (W.sub.2C) in an amount of at least 1 weight percent.

In one aspect, sintered ceramic bodies are described herein which, in some embodiments, demonstrate improved resistance to wear and enhanced cutting lifetimes. For example, a sintered ceramic body comprises tungsten carbide (WC) in an amount of 40-95 weight percent, alumina in an amount of 5-30 weight percent and ditungsten carbide (W.sub.2C) in an amount of at least 1 weight percent.