A method (100) for producing a sintered component being a solid electrolyte and/or an electrode including sulfur for an all-solid state battery, the method including mixing powders (102) so as to obtain a powder mixture, at least one of the powders comprising sulfur, pressing (106) a component with the powder mixture and sintering (108) the component under a partial pressure of sulfur comprised between 150 Pa and 0.2 MPa so as to obtain a sintered component comprising sulfur, the sintered component exhibiting the peaks in positions of 2=15.08 (0.50), 15.28 (0.50), 15.92 (0.50), 17.5 (0.50), 18.24 (0.50), 20.30 (0.50, 23.44 (0.50), 24.48 (0.50), and 26.66 (0.50) in a X-ray diffraction measurement using CuK line.

Thermoelectric materials based on tetrahedrite structures for thermoelectric devices and methods for producing thermoelectric materials and devices are disclosed.

A hard lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic has an ABO.sub.3 structure with A sites and B sites. The PZT ceramic is doped with Mn and with Nb on the B sites and the ratio Nb/Mn is <2. A piezoelectric multilayer component having such a PZT ceramic and also a method for producing a piezoelectric multilayer component are also disclosed.

A multilayer component and a mathod for producing a multilayer component are disclosed. In an embodiment a multilayer component includes a ceramic main element and at least one metal structure, wherein the metal structure is cosintered and wherein main element is a varistor ceramic having 90 mol % of ZnO, from 0.5 to 5 mol % of Sb.sub.2O.sub.3, from 0.05 to 2 mol % of Co.sub.3O.sub.4, Mn.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2 and/or Cr.sub.2O.sub.3, and <0.1 mol % of B.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and/or NiO.

A thermoelectric conversion material formed of a sintered body containing magnesium silicide as a main component contains 0.5 mass % or more and 10 mass % or less of aluminum oxide. The aluminum oxide is distributed at a crystal grain boundary of the magnesium silicide.

A ceramic composition in one embodiment contains, relative to 100 parts by mass of diopside crystal powder, 0.3 to 1.5 parts by mass of a Li component in terms of an oxide thereof and 0.1 to 1 part by mass of a B component in terms of an oxide thereof. In this embodiment, the content of the Li component in terms of an oxide thereof is larger than the content of the B component in terms of an oxide thereof. In this embodiment, a total content of the Li component and the B component is 2.25 parts by mass or less in terms of oxides thereof

A voltage nonlinear resistor according to the present invention includes a sintered body consisting essentially of zinc oxide and containing bismuth, antimony, and boron as accessory components. The accessory components are bismuth oxide of 1.5 to 2.5 mol %, antimony oxide of 1 to 2 mol %, and boron oxide of 0.3 mol % or less in terms of oxides.

A method for producing a solid electrolyte for an all-solid state battery, the solid electrolyte having the following chemical formula XM.sub.2(PS.sub.4).sub.3, where X is lithium (Li), sodium (Na), silver (Ag) or magnesium (Mg.sub.0,5) and M is titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), germanium (Ge), silicon (Si), tin (Sn) or a mixture of X and aluminium (X+Al) and the method including: mixing powders so as to obtain a powder mixture; pressing a component with powder mixture; and sintering component for a period of time equal to or greater than 100 hours so as to obtain the solid electrolyte. The solid electrolyte exhibits the peaks in positions of 2?=13.64? (?1?), 13.76? (?1?), 14.72? (?1?), 15.36? (?1?), 15.90? (?1?), 16.48? (?1?), 17.42? (?1?), 17.56? (?1?), 18.58? (?1?), and 22.18? (?1?) in a X-ray diffraction measurement using CuK? line. The disclosure is also related to a method of producing a solid electrolyte.

A target for sputtering, use of the target and method of manufacture of the target is provided. The target has a single piece target material for sputter deposition, with at least 1 mm thickness of material for sputtering, having a lamellar structure and comprising a metal oxide with at least 50 wt. % or more of tungsten oxide. The atomic ratio of oxygen over tungsten results in a compound with oxygen deficiency with respect to the stoichiometric tungsten oxide. The method includes spraying metallic tungsten and/or tungsten oxide powder in amounts so as to provide a layer of material for sputtering being at least 1 mm thick and comprising non-stoichiometric tungsten oxide.

The present invention has as its problem the provision of a bulk oxide superconductor which has a high workability and high critical current density characteristic regardless of the external conditions and solves the problem by limiting the amount of addition of Ag to 5 mass % or less, using the QMG method to produce a bulk superconductor and thereby obtain a single crystal-like bulk superconductor of a structure with parts where Ag particles are present and parts where Ag particles are not present made to adjoin each other.