A zirconia powder in which when a stabilizer is Y.sub.2O.sub.3, a content thereof is 1.4 mol % or more and less than 2.0 mol %; when the stabilizer is Er.sub.2O.sub.3, a content thereof is 1.4 mol % or more and 1.8 mol % or less; when the stabilizer is Yb.sub.2O.sub.3, a content thereof is 1.4 mol % or more and 1.8 mol % or less; and when the stabilizer is CaO, a content thereof is 3.5 mol % or more and 4.5 mol % or less; and in a range of 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less in a pore distribution, a peak top diameter of a pore volume distribution is 20 nm or more and 120 nm or less, a pore volume is 0.2 ml/g or more and less than 0.5 ml/g, and a pore distribution width is 30 nm or more and 170 nm or less.

A zirconia powder containing a stabilizer, and having a specific surface area of 20 m.sup.2/g or more and 60 m.sup.2/g or less and a particle diameter D.sub.50 of 0.1 μm or more and 0.7 μm or less, in which in a range of 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less in a pore distribution based on a mercury intrusion method, a peak top diameter in a pore volume distribution is 20 nm or more and 85 nm or less, a pore volume is 0.2 ml/g or more and less than 0.5 ml/g, and a pore distribution width is 40 nm or more and 105 nm or less.

The present invention provides a method of producing a honeycomb structured body having excellent mechanical strength. The present invention relates to a method of producing a honeycomb structured body including a honeycomb fired body in which multiple through-holes are arranged longitudinally in parallel with one another with a partition wall therebetween, the method including: a raw material mixing step of preparing a raw material paste containing ceria-zirconia composite oxide particles, alumina particles, an inorganic binder, and alumina fibers; a molding step of molding the raw material paste into a honeycomb molded body in which multiple through-holes are arranged longitudinally in parallel with one another with a partition wall therebetween; a drying step of drying the honeycomb molded body obtained in the molding step; and a firing step of firing the honeycomb molded body dried in the drying step into a honeycomb fired body, wherein the percentage of amorphous alumina fibers in the alumina fibers for use in the raw material mixing step is 50 to 100 wt %.

An improved ceramic material for heat insulation with selection of specific stabilizers and adapted proportions, includes zirconium oxide with 0.2 wt. % to 8.0 wt. % of the base stabilizers: yttrium oxide (Y.sub.2O.sub.3), hafnium oxide (HfO.sub.2), cerium oxide (CeO.sub.2), calcium oxide (CaO), and/or magnesium oxide (MgO), wherein at least yttrium oxide (Y.sub.2O.sub.3) is used, and optionally at least one of the additional stabilizers: 0.2 wt. % to 20 wt. % of erbium oxide (Er.sub.2O.sub.3) and/or ytterbium oxide (Yb.sub.2O.sub.3).

A solid electrolyte includes partially stabilized zirconia in which a stabilizer forms a solid solution in zirconia. The partially stabilized zirconia includes at least monoclinic phase particles and cubic phase particles as crystal particles that configure the partially stabilized zirconia, and an abundance ratio of the monoclinic phase particle is 5 to 25% by volume. The partially stabilized zirconia includes stabilizer low-concentration phase particles of which concentration of the stabilizer at a particle center is equal to or less than 1 mol %, as the crystal particles. The stabilizer low-concentration phase particles have a particle-size distribution of number frequency thereof having a peak at which an average particle size is 0.6 to 1.0 μm, and a particle size at 10% of a cumulative number is 0.5 μm or greater, and of the overall low-concentration phase particles, 50% by volume or greater belong to the peak.

An article includes a substrate, a ceramic barrier coating, and a layer of networked ceramic nanofibers. The ceramic barrier coating is disposed on the substrate and has a porous columnar microstructure. The layer of networked ceramic nanofibers is disposed on the ceramic barrier layer and seals the pores of the porous columnar microstructure.

A method for molding a ceramic material includes: mixing a ceramic powder, a resin, a curing agent and a solvent to obtain a raw material slurry for a ceramic material; injecting the raw material slurry into an elastic container; curing the resin in the raw material slurry injected into the elastic container to form a molded body having a desired shape; and demolding the molded body from the elastic container.

Disclosed herein is a ceramic particle comprising a core substrate chosen from yttria-stabilized zirconia, partially stabilized zirconia, zirconium oxide, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, and cerium oxide, and a conformal coating of a sintering aid film having a thickness of less than three nanometers and covering the core substrate, and methods for producing the ceramic particle.

A ceramic contains, in mass percent: Si.sub.3N.sub.4: 20.0 to 60.0%, ZrO.sub.2: 25.0 to 70.0%, and one or more oxides selected from MgO, Y.sub.2O.sub.3, CeO.sub.2, CaO, HfO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, MoO.sub.3, CrO, CoO, ZnO, Ga.sub.2O.sub.3, Ta.sub.2O.sub.5, NiO, and V.sub.2O.sub.5: 5.0 to 15.0%. The ceramic has a coefficient of thermal expansion as high as that of silicon and an excellent mechanical strength, allows fine machining with high precision, and prevents particles from being produced.

The present invention provides a method for producing a zirconia particle-containing powder that enables easy production of a zirconia sintered body having both high translucency and high strength. The present invention relates to a method for producing a zirconia particle-containing powder, comprising a drying step of spray drying a slurry containing zirconia particles, wherein the zirconia particles have an average primary particle diameter of 30 nm or less, and the slurry comprises a dispersion medium containing a liquid having a surface tension at 25° C. of 50 mN/m or less. Preferably, the zirconia particles comprise 2.0 to 9.0 mol % yttria. Preferably, wherein the content of the liquid in the dispersion medium is 50 mass % or more.