A honeycomb structure body has main cells having a tubular shape and main cell walls. Each main cell is surrounded by the main cell walls. A virtual base structure body has base cell walls and base cells. The honeycomb structure body has an improved structure obtained by modifying a structure of the virtual base structure body. Each base intersecting point, at which base cell walls intersect, is determined by a polar coordinate (r, θ) using a radius vector r and a deflection angle θ. Each main intersecting point is formed on a polar coordinate (r′, θ) using the deflection angle θ and a main radius vector r′ which is obtained by multiplying the radius vector r and a constant magnification without changing the deflection angle θ. A cell density varying section varies its cell density and is formed in at least a part of the honeycomb structure body.

Provided is a powder inorganic oxide containing Al, Ce and Zr as constituent elements, that affords a molded product with a density of 1.0 to 1.3 g/ml by placing 4.0 g of the inorganic oxide in a cylindrical container having diameter 20 mm and performing uniaxial molding under conditions of room temperature and pressure of 29.4 MPa for 30 sec., and achieves an average shrinkage percentage of not more than 14.0% as calculated by the following formula: average shrinkage percentage (%)=100×{(1−(c)/(a))+(1−(d)/(b))}/2 wherein each symbol is as defined in the DESCRIPTION.

A catalyst converter includes: a substrate (1) having a cell structure formed of a center area (1A) having the highest cell density, a peripheral area (1C) having the lowest cell density, and an intermediate area (1B) having the cell density between that of the center area and that of the peripheral area; a first catalyst layer formed in the center area (1A); a second catalyst layer formed in the intermediate area (1B); and a third catalyst layer formed in the peripheral area (1C). A length in a longitudinal direction of the second catalyst layer is longer than that of the first catalyst layer. A length in the longitudinal direction of the third catalyst layer is longer than that of the second catalyst layer. A ratio of the length in the longitudinal direction of the first catalyst layer to the length of the substrate is 65% or more.

An electrically heated support according to the present invention includes: a pillar shaped honeycomb structure, the honeycomb structure including an outer peripheral wall and a partition wall, the partition wall defining a plurality of cells, each of the cells penetrating from one end face to other end face to form a flow path; and a pair of electrode terminals provided on a surface of the outer peripheral wall. In a cross section of the honeycomb structure, the honeycomb structure includes: a plurality of first slits arranged, the first slits being configured to define an energizing path; and a least one second slit located in the energizing path, the second slit extending in a different direction from that of the first slits. A length of the energizing path from one electrode terminal to the other electrode terminal is longer than a diameter of the honeycomb structure.

A plugged honeycomb structure in which in a cross section of a honeycomb structure body which is perpendicular to an extending direction of cells, inflow cells are disposed to surround an outflow cell, and the number of the inflow cells is larger than the number of the outflow cells, and the cross section has a plurality of intersecting portions of partition walls each defining the inflow cells which are adjacent to each other, and in 60% or more of a total number of the intersecting portions, a relation between a diameter (D.sub.1) of a circle inscribed in the intersecting portion and a diameter (D.sub.0) of a circle inscribed in the partition wall defining the inflow cell and the outflow cell which are adjacent to each other satisfies D.sub.1/(√2×D.sub.0)=1.20 to 1.80

A honeycomb structure includes a honeycomb structure body that includes a porous partition wall which defines a plurality of cells serving as through channels of fluid and extending from an inflow end face as one end face to an outflow end face as the other end face, and a circumferential wall arranged on a circumferential surface of the honeycomb structure body. The circumferential wall has a thickness of 0.5 to 4.0 mm, a gap path is formed along a surface of the circumferential wall inside the circumferential wall, the gap path has a width of 0.4 to 4.0 mm, and has a height of 50 to 99% of the thickness of the circumferential wall, and a total length of the gap path is 1000% or more of a length in the cell extending direction of the honeycomb structure body.

A honeycomb structure is formed of a porous ceramic material and has pores in the structural body, wherein cerium dioxide is present in a state that it is incorporated in the structural body in the ceramic material, and at least a part of cerium dioxide particles is exposed on pore surfaces of the pores. The ceramic material includes cordierite or silicon carbide as a major component, the ratio of the cerium dioxide to the ceramic material is in the range of from 1.0% by mass to 10.0% by mass, and at least a part of catalyst particulates of a platinum group element such as platinum or palladium is loaded by the cerium dioxide particles.

The honeycomb structure includes a honeycomb structure body having porous partition walls, and a plugging portion disposed in one of open ends of each cell, a thickness of the partition walls is 0.30 mm or more and 0.51 mm or less, a cell density is 30 cells/cm.sup.2 or more and 93 cells/cm.sup.2 or less, a filtration area (cm.sup.2) of inflow cells included per cm.sup.3 of the honeycomb structure body is defined as an inflow side filtration area G (cm.sup.2/cm.sup.3), a value obtained by dividing a pore volume Vp (cm.sup.3) formed in the partition walls by a total volume Va (L) including the cells is defined as a pore volume ratio A (cm.sup.3/L), and in this case, a product of the inflow side filtration area G (cm.sup.2/cm.sup.3) and the pore volume ratio A (cm.sup.3/L) is 1800 cm.sup.2/L or more and 3200 cm.sup.2/L or less.

Provided is an exhaust gas purification catalyst having high catalytic activity enabling combustion of PM (particulate matter) at low temperatures and excellent thermal resistance, an exhaust gas purification device and filter having high combustion efficiency of PM and excellent durability, and a method for producing the catalyst. The exhaust gas purification catalyst of the present invention is composite oxide particles containing at least one alkali metal, Si, and Zr.

A heat recovery device, including a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure comprising an outer peripheral side wall having one or more planar outer peripheral side surfaces; one or more thermoelectric conversion modules arranged to face the one or more planar outer peripheral side surfaces; a tubular member that circumferentially covers the outer peripheral side surfaces of the honeycomb structure and the one or more thermoelectric conversion modules; and a casing that circumferentially covers the tubular member; wherein the partition walls are mainly configured of ceramics; and wherein the casing has an inflow port and an outflow port for a second fluid having a temperature lower than that of the first fluid, and a flow path for the second fluid is formed circumferentially around the tubular member between an inner surface of the casing and an outer surface of the tubular member.