A composite sintered body according to the present invention contains at least cubic boron nitride and a binder. Cubic boron nitride has a continuous skeleton structure as a result of bonding of a plurality of first cubic boron nitride particles to each other. The binder has a continuous structure as a result of bonding of a plurality of binder particles to each other, that are present in a region except for a bonding interface where the first cubic boron nitride particles are bonded to each other. Second cubic boron nitride particles isolated from the first cubic boron nitride particles forming the skeleton structure are dispersed in the continuous structure of the binder particles.

A nanocomposite optical ceramic (NCOC) material includes a plurality of coated (core-shell) nanoparticles having nanoparticles of a first material coated with a coating of a second material. The first material and the second material are mutually insoluble and each have a transmissivity of at least 80% for an intended wavelength. The first material and the second material have a difference in index of refraction of less than 25%. The first material and second material have grins with a diameter of less than 1/20.sup.th the intended wavelength. The coating of the second material on the nanoparticles of the first material is up to 50 nm thick. The NCOC contains no more than 0.01% voids per unit volume.

The invention concerns a method for surface treatment of a ceramic material in powder form, wherein said method comprising the step of providing a powder formed of a plurality of particles of the ceramic material to be treated, and wherein said ceramic powder particles are subjected to an ion implantation process by directing towards an external surface of said particles a beam of singly or multiply charged ions produced by a charge of singly or multiply charged ions, for example of the electron cyclotron resonance ECR type, wherein said particles have a generally polyhedral shape.

The invention also concerns a material in powder form, formed of a plurality of particles having a ceramic external layer and a ceramic core, wherein said particles have a generally polyhedral shape.

A sintered body includes a first hard particle, a second hard particle, and a binder. The first hard particle is an M sialon particle having a coating layer. The M sialon particle is represented by M.sub.xSi.sub.(6xz)Al.sub.zO.sub.zN.sub.(8z) (in the formula, M is a metal containing at least one selected from the group consisting of calcium, strontium, barium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanoid, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and group IV, group V, and group VI elements of the periodic table, and relationships of 0.01x2, 0.01z4.2, and 1.79(6xz)5.98 are satisfied). The second hard particle is a cubic boron nitride particle.

This invention provides resin formulations which may be used for 3D printing and pyrolyzing to produce a ceramic matrix composite. The resin formulations contain a solid-phase filler, to provide high thermal stability and mechanical strength (e.g., fracture toughness) in the final ceramic material. The invention provides direct, free-form 3D printing of a preceramic polymer loaded with a solid-phase filler, followed by converting the preceramic polymer to a 3D-printed ceramic matrix composite with potentially complex 3D shapes or in the form of large parts. Other variations provide active solid-phase functional additives as solid-phase fillers, to perform or enhance at least one chemical, physical, mechanical, or electrical function within the ceramic structure as it is being formed as well as in the final structure. Solid-phase functional additives actively improve the final ceramic structure through one or more changes actively induced by the additives during pyrolysis or other thermal treatment.

A method for treating at least one silicon carbide fibre includes a surface layer including carbon and/or a silicon oxycarbide, the treatment including at least removing the surface layer from the fibre by placing in contact with an ammonia phase in the supercritical state.

The present invention discloses a 3D rigid mesoporous honeycomb boron carbon nitride (HBCN) nanomaterial as a host for plating/depositing metal. Said nanomaterial plated/deposited with metal is used as metal anode in alkali metal ion battery.

Exemplary processing methods may include providing a powder to a processing region of a processing chamber. The methods may include providing one or more deposition precursors to the processing region. The methods may include generating plasma effluents of the one or more deposition precursors. The methods may include depositing a layer of material on the powder in the processing region. The layer of material may include a corrosion-resistant material. A temperature within the processing chamber is maintained at less than or about 700? C.

Provided is a powder for shaping through irradiation with an energy beam, the powder including: a sublimable substance; and a sublimation suppression material, wherein the sublimation suppression material is an inorganic compound, and wherein particles of the sublimation suppression material adhere to part of surfaces of particles of the sublimable substance.

A method of manufacturing a polycrystalline abrasive construction comprises providing a plurality of particles of a superhard material, the particles coated with a first matrix precursor material, providing a plurality of second matrix precursor particles having an average size less than 2 micron, the second matrix precursor particles including a liquid phase sintering agent, mixing together the plurality of particles of superhard material with particles of the second matrix precursor material and consolidating and sintering the particles of superhard material and the particles of matrix precursor material. A polycrystalline abrasive construction comprises a particles of a superhard material dispersed in a matrix material comprising a material derived from a liquid phase sintering aid and chemical barrier particles having an average particle size of less than 100 nm dispersed in the matrix. Greater than 50% of the chemical barrier particles are located substantially at boundaries between superhard particles and the matrix.