Provided is a piezoelectric ceramic composition including a potassium sodium niobate-based perovskite type complex oxide represented by Compositional Formula ABO.sub.3, as a main component. Further, the piezoelectric ceramic composition contains Bi in an A site and Zr in a B site. Further, the piezoelectric ceramic composition includes a segregation portion positioned in a crystal grain. At least one of Zr or Bi is localized in the segregation portion.

Set forth herein are garnet material compositions, e.g., lithium-stuffed garnets and lithium-stuffed garnets doped with alumina, which are suitable for use as electrolytes and catholytes in solid state battery applications. Also set forth herein are lithium-stuffed garnet thin films having fine grains therein. Disclosed herein are novel and inventive methods of making and using lithium-stuffed garnets as catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes for all solid state lithium rechargeable batteries. Also disclosed herein are novel electrochemical devices which incorporate these garnet catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes. Also set forth herein are methods for preparing novel structures, including dense thin (<50 um) free standing membranes of an ionically conducting material for use as a catholyte, electrolyte, and, or, anolyte, in an electrochemical device, a battery component (positive or negative electrode materials), or a complete solid state electrochemical energy storage device. Also, the methods set forth herein disclose novel sintering techniques, e.g., for heating and/or field assisted (FAST) sintering, for solid state energy storage devices and the components thereof.

Embodiments of synthetic garnet materials having advantageous properties, especially for below resonance frequency applications, are disclosed herein. In particular, embodiments of the synthetic garnet materials can have high Curie temperatures and dielectric constants while maintaining low magnetization. These materials can be incorporated into isolators and circulators, such as for use in telecommunication base stations.

Set forth herein are garnet material compositions, e.g., lithium-stuffed garnets and lithium-stuffed garnets doped with alumina, which are suitable for use as electrolytes and catholytes in solid state battery applications. Also set forth herein are lithium-stuffed garnet thin films having fine grains therein. Disclosed herein are novel and inventive methods of making and using lithium-stuffed garnets as catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes for all solid state lithium rechargeable batteries. Also disclosed herein are novel electrochemical devices which incorporate these garnet catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes. Also set forth herein are methods for preparing novel structures, including dense thin (<50 um) free standing membranes of an ionically conducting material for use as a catholyte, electrolyte, and, or, anolyte, in an electrochemical device, a battery component (positive or negative electrode materials), or a complete solid state electrochemical energy storage device. Also, the methods set forth herein disclose novel sintering techniques, e.g., for heating and/or field assisted (FAST) sintering, for solid state energy storage devices and the components thereof.

Embodiments relate to a piezoelectric ceramic and methods of making the same that is suitable for use as a high-power piezoelectric ceramic, and in particular a piezoelectric ceramic that exhibits both good hard properties and good soft properties. Embodiments involve generating the piezoelectric ceramic via the combination of chemical modification/doping and/or a texturing method so that the piezoelectric material exhibits a large figure of merit, as well as other hard and soft properties. The chemical modification involves Cu and Mn doping a piezoelectric material composition having a relaxor-lead titanate based ferroelectric structure. The texturing involves templated grain growth (TGG) texturing using a BaTiO.sub.3 (BT) template.

A temperature-stable modified NiO—Ta.sub.2O.sub.5-based microwave dielectric ceramic material and a preparation method thereof are provided. Using ion doping modification to form solid solution structure is an important measure to adjust microwave dielectric properties, especially the temperature stability. Based on formation rules of the solid solution, ion replacement methods are designed including Ni.sup.2+ ions are replaced by Cu.sup.2+ ions, and (Ni.sub.1/3Ta.sub.2/3).sup.4+ composite ions are replaced by [(Al.sub.1/2Nb.sub.1/2).sub.ySn.sub.1-y].sup.4+ composite ions, which considers that cations with similar ionic radii to Ni.sup.2+ and Ta.sup.5+ ions can be introduced into the NiTa.sub.2O.sub.6 ceramic for doping under the same coordination environment (coordination number=6), and therefore a ceramic material with the NiTa.sub.2O.sub.6 solid solution structure can be obtained. The microwave dielectric ceramic material with excellent temperature stability and low loss is finally prepared by adjusting molar contents of each of doped ions, and its microwave dielectric properties are excellent.

The invention belongs to the field of electronic ceramics and its manufacturing, in particular to the modified NiTa.sub.2O.sub.6-based microwave dielectric ceramic material co-sintered at low temperature and its preparation method. Based on the low melting point characteristics of CuO and B.sub.2O.sub.3, and the radius of Cu.sup.2+ ions is similar to that of Ni.sup.2+ and Ta.sup.5+ ions, the chemical general formula of the invention is designed as xCuO-(1-x)NiO-[7.42y+(xy/14.33)]B.sub.2O.sub.3—Ta.sub.2O.sub.5, and the molar content of each component is adjusted from raw materials. The main crystalline phase of NiTa.sub.2O.sub.6 is synthesized at a lower pre-sintering temperature, and NiTa.sub.2O.sub.6-based ceramic material with low-temperature sintering characteristics and excellent microwave dielectric properties are directly synthesized at one time, which broadened the application range in LTCC field.

A dielectric composition is provided. The dielectric composition includes: a main component made of: a first complex oxide expressed by a chemical formula {K(Ba.sub.1-xSr.sub.x).sub.2Nb.sub.5O.sub.15}; and a second complex oxide expressed by a chemical formula that differs the chemical formula of the first complex oxide. The second complex oxide is a complex oxide expressed by one of chemical formulae: {(Ca.sub.1-ySr.sub.y)(Zr.sub.1-zTi.sub.z)O.sub.3}; {Ba(Ti.sub.1-uZr.sub.u)O.sub.3}; {(Ca.sub.1-vSr.sub.v)TiSiO.sub.5}; and {(Ba.sub.1-wRe.sub.2w/3)Nb.sub.2O.sub.6}, x satisfies 0.35≦x≦0.75, and a satisfies 0.25≦a≦0.75 when a molar ratio between the first and second complex oxides is defined by a:b in an order and a+b=1.00.

Disclosed is a (K,Na)NbO.sub.3 (abbreviated by “KNN”)-based single crystal ceramic. The KNN-based single crystal ceramic according to the present disclosure is formulated by (K.sub.0.5−x/2Na.sub.0.5−x/2−y□.sub.y/2M.sub.x+y/2)Nb.sub.1−x/3+yO.sub.3, wherein M indicates a metal having a different valence from Na, and □ indicates a metal vacancy. The above formulated KNN-based single crystal ceramic allows compensating for the volatilization of Na in a growing grain due to the addition of M.sup.2+ ions, and substituting M.sup.2+ ions for Na.sup.+ ions to form metal vacancies, thereby making possible the single crystal growth.

A polycrystalline ceramic solid and a method for producing a polycrystalline ceramic solid are disclosed. In an embodiment a polycrystalline ceramic solid includes a main phase with a composition of the general formula: (1-y)Pb.sub.a(Mg.sub.bNb.sub.c)O.sub.3-e+yPb.sub.aTi.sub.dO.sub.3 with 0.055≤y≤0.065, 0.95≤a≤1.02, 0.29≤b≤0.36, 0.63≤c≤0.69, 0.9≤d≤1.1, and 0≤e≤0.1, and optionally one or more secondary phases, wherein, in each section through the solid, a proportion of the secondary phases relative to any given cross-sectional area through the solid is less than or equal to 0.5 percent, or wherein the solid is free of the secondary phases.