A composite polycrystal contains polycrystalline diamond formed of diamond grains that are directly bonded mutually, and compressed graphite dispersed in the polycrystalline diamond.

A method of making a ceramic matrix composites (CMC) having superior properties at high temperatures. The CMC can include a sol gel mixture mixed or blended metal oxide particles. The sol-gel mixture can be an aqueous colloidal suspension of a metal oxide, preferably from about 10 wt % to about 25 wt % of the metal oxide, containing a metal oxide such as alumina (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), silica (SiO.sub.2) or alumina-coated silica. The mixture can be infiltrated into a ceramic fiber, gelled, dried and sintered to form the CMC of the present teachings.

A method of producing a dielectric material by preparing a slurry by mixing a dielectric powder, water, one of an organic-acid metal salt and an inorganic metal salt, and an organic silicon compound, causing the slurry to come into contact with an anion exchange resin to remove an anion derived from the one of the organic-acid metal salt and the inorganic metal salt from the slurry, and drying the slurry to obtain the dielectric material.

This invention relates to particulate electroactive materials consisting of a plurality of composite particles, wherein the composite particles comprise a plurality of silicon nanoparticles dispersed within a conductive carbon matrix. The particulate material comprises 40 to 65 wt % silicon, at least 6 wt % and less than 20% oxygen, and has a weight ratio of the total amount of oxygen and nitrogen to silicon in the range of from 0.1 to 0.45 and a weight ratio of carbon to silicon in the range of from 0.1 to 1. The particulate electroactive materials are useful as an active component of an anode in a metal ion battery.

A binder for an injection moulding composition, the binder includes, in percentage by mass and for a total of 100%: 35% to 60% of a component (a), or polymer base, made of a polymer or a mixture of polymers, each of the polymer being non-amphiphilic and having a mass average molar mass greater than or equal to 5,000 g/mol, 30% to 55% of a component (b), or wax, made of a polymer or a mixture of polymers, each of the polymer being non-amphiphilic and having a mass average molar mass less than 5,000 g/mol, and less than 10% of an amphiphilic component (c), or surfactant, and less than 10% of other components (d). The polymer base comprising 2% to 15% of a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer (SEBS), in percentage by mass based on the mass of the binder.

Provided is an inorganic structure including a plurality of zirconium silicate particles; and a binding part that covers a surface of each of the zirconium silicate particles and binds the zirconium silicate particles together. The binding part contains an amorphous compound containing silicon, a metallic element other than silicon, and oxygen, and contains substantially no alkali metal, B, V, Te, P, Bi, Pb and Zn. Also provided is a method for producing an inorganic structure including: a step for obtaining a mixture by mixing a plurality of zirconium silicate particles, a plurality of amorphous silicon dioxide particles, and an aqueous solution containing a metallic element other than silicon; and a step for pressurizing and heating the mixture under conditions of a pressure of 10 to 600 MPa and a temperature of 50 to 300° C.

The present invention provides a polyvinyl acetal resin which leaves less fine undissolved matter when dissolved in an organic solvent and thus can improve productivity particularly when used as a binder for a ceramic green sheet, and which can also provide a ceramic green sheet having excellent toughness and enables production of a highly reliable multilayer ceramic capacitor. Provided is a polyvinyl acetal resin having: a wavenumber A (cm.sup.−1) of a peak within a range of 3,100 to 3,700 cm.sup.−1 in an IR absorption spectrum measured using an infrared spectrophotometer; and a hydroxy group content (mol %), the wavenumber A of the peak and the hydroxy group content satisfying relations of the following formulas (1) and (2):

[(3,470−A)/Hydroxy group content]≤5.5  (1)

(3,470−A)≤185  (2)

wherein A is a wavenumber which is lower than 3,470 cm.sup.−1 and at which a transmittance a (%) satisfying [100−(100−X)/2] is exhibited, where X (%) is a minimum transmittance of the peak within the wavenumber range of 3,100 to 3,700 cm.sup.−1.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a metal nitride, which is a method for synthesizing a metal nitride by igniting a raw material powder containing a metal powder housed in a reaction vessel (2) under a nitrogen atmosphere and propagating nitriding combustion heat of the metal powder to the whole of the housed raw material powder, characterized in that the raw material powder is housed in the reaction vessel (2) as a molded body (1B) having a void ratio of 40 to 70%. According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for producing a metal nitride capable of suppressing the occurrence of powder scattering and improving the recovery rate of the metal nitride.

Disclosed is a method of fabricating an anode for a lithium-ion battery, including milling a mixture of nano-silicon, one or more carbonaceous materials and one or more solvents, wherein the mixture is retained as a wet slurry during milling. The mixture is carbonised to produce a silicon thinly coated with carbon (Si@C) material. Further milling occurs of a second mixture of the Si@C material, one or more graphite, one or more second carbonaceous materials and one or more second solvents, wherein the second mixture is retained as a second wet slurry during milling. The second mixture is carbonised to produce a Si@C/graphite/carbon material. The anode is formed from the Si@C/graphite/carbon material.

Provided are a powder for laser manufacturing which can be stably manufactured and from which a three-dimensional manufactured object ensuring a manufacturing accuracy can be obtained and a using method thereof. A powder for ceramic manufacturing for obtaining a manufactured object by repeatedly sintering or fusing and solidifying in sequence a powder in an irradiation portion with laser light, in which the powder includes a plurality of compositions, at least one composition of the compositions is an absorber that relatively strongly absorbs the laser light compared to other compositions, and at least a part of the absorber changes to a different composition that relatively weakly absorbs the laser light by irradiation with the laser light and a using method of a powder in which the powder is used.