Methods for making printed articles from carbon powder are described. Three-dimensional binder jet printing is used to make a printed article from the carbon powder. Methods are also provided for the production of near net shaped carbonized printed articles and graphitized printed articles.

In a process for manufacturing a catalytic converter component, a ceramic unit is used that has been prepared by extruding green ceramic product through a die to form an extrusion having a honeycomb substrate structure in which tubular passages extend along the extrusion, the passages bounded by walls dividing adjacent passages from one another. The unit is obtained by cutting off a length of the extrusion and curing and firing it. The process further comprises flowing insulation material from one end of the unit into selected ones of the elongate passages, vaporizing a moisture content of the insulation material to form pores and curing the insulation material by using microwave irradiation to solidify the pores. The passages are selected so that the cured insulation material forms an internal thermal insulating barrier between a core zone of the unit and a radially outer zone of the unit.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an osseointegrative implant and related tools, components and fabrication techniques for surgical bone fixation and dental restoration purposes. In one embodiment an all-ceramic single-stage threaded or press-fit implant is provided having finely detailed surface features formed by ceramic injection molding and/or spark plasma sintering of a powder compact or green body comprising finely powdered zirconia. In another embodiment a two-stage threaded implant is provided having an exterior shell or body formed substantially entirely of ceramic and/or CNT-reinforced ceramic composite material. The implant may include one or more frictionally anisotropic bone-engaging surfaces. In another embodiment a densely sintered ceramic implant is provided wherein, prior to sintering, the porous debound green body is exposed to ions and/or particles of silver, gold, titanium, zirconia, YSZ, α-tricalcium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, carbon, carbon nanotubes, and/or other particles which remain lodged in the implant surface after sintering. Optionally, at least the supragingival portions of an all-ceramic implant are configured to have high translucence in the visible light range. Optionally, at least the bone-engaging portions of an all-ceramic implant are coated with a fused layer of titanium oxide.

A method is provided for making ceramic bodies having improved properties, such as optical and/or strength properties in which the ceramic bodies are densified by new sintering processes. The sintering profiles may have shorter run times than conventional sintering processes. Ceramic bodies made by these methods are suitable for use in dental applications, for example, as crowns.

The present invention relates to geopolymer compositions, sintered geopolymer articles from the geopolymer compositions and processes for manufacturing sintered geopolymer articles from the geopolymer compositions. The invention provides a process of producing a sintered geopolymer article containing a sintered geopolymer composition, wherein the sintered geopolymer composition comprises a sintered geopolymeric matrix, said process comprising the steps of: (1) forming a geopolymer composition comprising at least one aluminosilicate precursor, an alkali activating agent and water, wherein in the geopolymer article, the aluminosilicate precursor particles are at least partially coated by the alkali activating agent; and (2) firing the geopolymer article to sinter the geopolymer composition, wherein the alkali activating agent is capable of at least partially activating and dissolving the aluminosilicate precursor particles during at least a portion of the firing step, and wherein the firing of the geopolymer article includes a geopolymer composition sintering stage.

The present invention relates to geopolymer compositions, sintered geopolymer articles from the geopolymer compositions and processes for manufacturing sintered geopolymer articles from the geopolymer compositions. The invention provides a process of producing a sintered geopolymer article containing a sintered geopolymer composition, wherein the sintered geopolymer composition comprises a sintered geopolymeric matrix, said process comprising the steps of: (1) forming a geopolymer composition comprising at least one aluminosilicate precursor, an alkali activating agent and water, wherein in the geopolymer article, the aluminosilicate precursor particles are at least partially coated by the alkali activating agent; and (2) firing the geopolymer article to sinter the geopolymer composition, wherein the alkali activating agent is capable of at least partially activating and dissolving the aluminosilicate precursor particles during at least a portion of the firing step, and wherein the firing of the geopolymer article includes a geopolymer composition sintering stage.

The purpose of the present invention is to achieve an in-situ observation of structural change in a shear field of slurry, i.e. an evaluation of a rheology property of slurry containing raw materials of a ceramic as a fluid sample, together with an in-situ observation of internal structure of the fluid sample in an evaluation process, and a clarification of internal structural change. An observation of an internal structure of a fluid sample 1 in an evaluation process of a rheology property by a rheometer 10 is achieved by generating an optical coherence tomographic image by performing an optical coherence tomography by irradiating a light in infrared region from outside of the rheometer 10 to the fluid sample 1, by inclining an optical axis of light in infrared region irradiating the fluid sample 1 for a predetermined angle within an angular range of 1 to 10 degrees with respect to a normal direction of an observation surface 1A of the fluid sample 1 by the optical coherence tomography imaging device 20, together with an evaluation of a rheology property of the fluid sample 1 containing components different in a refractive index by the rheometer 10.

A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional fired body includes (a) a step of producing a shaping mold using an organic material, the shaping mold having a shaping space which has the same shape as a shaped body having a hollow portion that opens to an outer surface thereof, in which a core corresponding to the hollow portion is integrated with the shaping mold; (b) a step of producing the shaped body in the shaping mold by pouring a ceramic slurry into the shaping space and solidifying the ceramic slurry; (c) a step of drying and then degreasing the shaped body, in which the shaping mold is eliminated in any one of the following stages: before drying, during drying, after drying and before degreasing, during degreasing, and after degreasing of the shaped body; and (d) a step of firing the shaped body to obtain a three-dimensional fired body.

A manufacturing process of a cement product includes: (a) reacting at least one anhydrous or hydrated cement component with liquid or supercritical CO.sub.2 to form a cement composition; and (b) curing the cement composition to form a cement product.

A method for the additive production of a ceramic main part has the following steps: providing a slip of ceramic base material particles suspended in a liquid phase; producing a slip layer; orienting the radiation of a laser light source onto a section of the slip layer; evaporating liquid phase out of the slip layer in the section of the slip layer onto which the radiation of the laser light source is oriented or was oriented; forming a section of the ceramic main part in the slip layer in a sinter-free manner; optionally repeating the steps of producing a slip layer, orienting the radiation, evaporating the liquid phase, and forming a section of the main part in a sinter-free manner until the ceramic main part is provided; and separating the ceramic main part from the slip.