The present application provides vanadium dioxide doped with Ti, or vanadium dioxide further doped with other atoms selected from the group of W, Ta, Mo, and Nb. The vanadium dioxide of the present application is excellent in moisture resistance and in which deterioration of endothermic characteristics due to moisture is suppressed.

A solid ionic conducting material for use in an electrochemical device comprises an oxyhydroxide or hydrated oxide derived from of an oxide with a perovskite, Brownmillerite, layered oxide, and/or K.sub.4CdCl.sub.6 structure, the elemental composition of the initial oxide being selected to provide suitable conduction properties for the derived anhydrous or hydrated oxyhydroxide or hydrated oxide. A method of making such a solid ionic conducting material, including treatment with water, and an electrochemical device incorporating such a solid ionic conducting material (optionally as an electrolyte) are also disclosed.

[Object] Provided are a Zn—Sn—O-based oxide sintered body which is used as a sputtering target or a tablet for vapor deposition and which is resistant to crack formation and the like during film formation, and a method for producing the same. [Solving means] The oxide sintered body is characterized in that tin is contained with an atomic ratio of Sn/(Zn+Sn) being 0.01 to 0.6, an average crystal particle diameter of the sintered body is 4.5 μm or less, and a degree of orientation represented by I.sub.(222)/[I.sub.(222)+I.sub.(400)] is 0.52 or more, where I.sub.(222) and I.sub.(400) represent integrated intensities of the (222) plane and the (400) plane of a Zn.sub.2SnO.sub.4 phase measured by X-ray diffraction using the CuKα radiation. The oxide sintered body has an improved mechanical strength, so that the oxide sintered body is resistant to breakage during processing of the sintered body and also is resistant to breakage and crack formation during film formation of transparent conductive films when used as a sputtering target or a tablet for vapor deposition.

An oxide electrolyte sintered body with high lithium ion conductivity and a method for producing the same, which can obtain the oxide electrolyte sintered body with high lithium ion conductivity by sintering at lower temperature than ever before. The method for producing an oxide electrolyte sintered body may comprise the steps of: preparing crystal particles of a garnet-type ion-conducting oxide which comprises Li, H, at least one kind of element L selected from the group consisting of an alkaline-earth metal and a lanthanoid element, and at least one kind of element M selected from the group consisting of a transition element that can be 6-coordinated with oxygen and typical elements belonging to the Groups 12 to 15, and which is represented by a general formula (Li.sub.x−3y−z,E.sub.y,H.sub.z)L.sub.αM.sub.βO.sub.γ (where E is at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, Fe and Si, 3≦x−3y−z≦7, 0≦y<0.22, 0<z≦2.8, 2.5≦α≦3.5, 1.5≦β≦2.5, and 11≦γ≦13); preparing a lithium-containing flux; and sintering a mixture of the crystal particles of the garnet-type ion-conducting oxide and the flux by heating at 400° C. or more and 650° C. or less.

A composite article comprises a substrate, the substrate comprising a silicon containing material and an additive comprising boron nitride nanotubes.

Disclosed herein are doped perovskite oxides. The doped perovskite oxides may be used as a cathode material in an electrochemical cell to electrochemically generate ammonia from N.sub.2. The doped perovskite oxides may be combined with nitride compounds, for instance iron nitride, to further increase the efficiency of the ammonia production.

Ceramic raw material powder includes: a main phase having a perovskite structure, wherein elements acting as a donor and an acceptor are solid-solved in B sites of the perovskite structure, wherein a relationship of (concentration of the element acting as a donor)×(valence of the element acting as a donor−4)<(concentration of the element acting as an acceptor)×(4−valence of the element acting as an acceptor) is satisfied, in a center region of each grain of the ceramic raw material powder, wherein a relationship of (concentration of the element acting as a donor)×(valence of the element acting as a donor−4)>(concentration of the element acting as an acceptor)×(4−valence of the element acting as an acceptor) is satisfied, in a circumference region of each grain of the ceramic raw material powder.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor that includes a ceramic body including a stack of a plurality of dielectric layers and a plurality of first and second internal electrodes; and first and second external electrodes provided at each of both end faces of the ceramic body. Each of the plurality of dielectric layers contain Ba, Ti, P and Si. The plurality of dielectric layers include an outer dielectric layer located on an outermost side in the stacking direction; an inner dielectric layer located between the first and second internal electrodes; and a side margin portion in a region where the first and second internal electrodes do not exist. In at least one of the outer dielectric layer, the inner dielectric layer and the side margin portion, the P and the Si segregate in at least one of grain-boundary triple points of three ceramic particles.

A method of producing, from a continuous or discontinuous (e.g., chopped) carbon fiber, partially to fully converted metal carbide fibers. The method comprises reacting a carbon fiber material with at least one of a metal or metal oxide source material at a temperature greater than a melting temperature of the metal or metal oxide source material (e.g., where practical, at a temperature greater than the vaporization temperature of the metal or metal oxide source material). Additional methods, various forms of carbon fiber, metal carbide fibers, and articles including the metal carbide fibers are also disclosed.

An abrasive article, comprising a polycrystalline material comprising abrasive grains and a filler material having an average negative coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) within a range of temperatures between about 70 K to about 1500 K. A method of forming an abrasive article, comprising preparing an abrasive material, preparing a filler material having an average negative coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) within a range of temperatures between about 150 K to about 1500 K, and forming a polycrystalline material comprising grains of the abrasive material and the filler material.