The present invention relates to a SiC composite and a method for manufacturing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a slurry composition for ceramic matrix composites which can not only reduce the number of precursor impregnation pyrolysis (PIP) cycles but also be useful in the PIP process to increase hardness, thermal stability, and relative density.

Disclosed is a method for fabricating a solid article from a boron carbide powder comprising boron carbide particles that are coated with a titanium compound. Further disclosed herein are the unique advantages of the combined use of titanium and graphite additives in the form of water soluble species to improve intimacy of mixing in the green state. The carbon facilitates sintering, whose concentration is then attenuated in the process of forming very hard, finely dispersed TiB2 phases. The further recognition of the merits of a narrow particle size distribution B4C powder and the use of sintering soak temperatures at the threshold of close porosity which achieve post-HIPed microstructures with average grain sizes approaching the original median particle size. The combination of interdependent factors has led to B.sub.4C-based articles of higher hardness than previously reported.

A porous ceramic particle may have a particle size of at least about 200 microns and not greater than about 4000 microns. The porous ceramic particle may further have a particular cross-section that may include a core region and a layered region overlying the core region. The layered region may include overlapping layered sections surrounding the core region. The core region may include a core region composition and a first layered section may include a first layered section composition. The first layered section composition may be different than the core region composition.

Described herein are cold-sintered ceramic polymer composites and processes for making them from ceramic precursor materials and monomers and/or oligomers. The cold sintering process and wide variety of monomers permit the incorporation of diverse polymeric materials into the ceramic.

A ceramic precursor mixtures for extrusion and firing into porous ceramics. The ceramic precursor mixtures include ceramic beads and green inorganic shear binder agglomerates. The green inorganic shear binder agglomerates can include inorganic filler particles and a polymeric binder. The green inorganic shear binder agglomerates can deform under an applied shear stress during mixing and/or extrusion such that they are smeared into a plurality of interbead gaps between adjacent ceramic beads or pore former particles. During firing, the smeared green inorganic shear binder agglomerates can sinter and react to form ribbons extending between, and interconnecting adjacent ceramic beads.

Disclosed is a method for fabricating a solid article from a boron carbide powder comprising boron carbide particles that are coated with a titanium compound. Further disclosed herein are the unique advantages of the combined use of titanium and graphite additives in the form of water soluble species to improve intimacy of mixing in the green state. The carbon facilitates sintering, whose concentration is then attenuated in the process of forming very hard, finely dispersed TiB.sub.2 phases. The further recognition of the merits of a narrow particle size distribution B.sub.4C powder and the use of sintering soak temperatures at the threshold of close porosity which achieve post-HIPed microstructures with average grain sizes approaching the original median particle size. The combination of interdependent factors has led to B.sub.4C-based articles of higher hardness than previously reported.

A process for forming an electrolyte for a metal-supported solid-oxide fuel cell, the process comprising: a. combining a doped-ceria powder with a sintering aid and solvent to form a slurry; b. applying the slurry to an anode layer; c. drying to form a green electrolyte; and d. firing the green electrolyte to form a sintered electrolyte; wherein the slurry in step b. comprises doped-ceria powder with a physical property selected from bimodal particle size distribution, a BET surface area in the range 15-40 m.sup.2/g, a spherical morphology, or combinations thereof together with an electrolyte obtained by the process, a fuel cell and fuel cell stack, comprising the electrolyte, and the use of the fuel in the generation of electrical energy.

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 m, of from 4 to 17% or more.

A MgF.sub.2 system fluoride sintered body for a radiation moderator having a compact polycrystalline structure excellent in radiation moderation performance, especially neutron moderation performance, contains CaF.sub.2 of 90% by weight at the maximum and has a relative density of 95.2% or more.

Method for manufacturing a CMC, i.e. ceramic matrix composite material, part provided with at least one cutout, as well as to such a CMC part provided with at least one cutout, the method comprising the following steps: providing (E1) a fibrous reinforcement (10), forming (E2) a cavity in a portion of the fibrous reinforcement (10), injecting (E3) a slip comprising at least a ceramic powder and a solvent, the slip being injected so as to impregnate the fibrous reinforcement (10) and to fill the cavity of the fibrous reinforcement (10), drying (E4) the obtained assembly, carrying out a densification (E6) by infiltration of a liquid densification material and solidification of said densification material, machining (E7) at least one cutout in the obtained blank (30) within the volume corresponding to the cavity of the fibrous reinforcement (10).