A method for sealing gaps in a component including generating vapor from a liquid; directing the vapor to an exposed surface of the component, wherein the component includes a plurality of layers of an extrudate and gaps between the plurality of layers and wherein the extrudate includes an outer portion; softening the outer portion of the extrudate at the exposed surface; and filling the gaps with softened outer portion of the extrudate. An apparatus includes a heating chamber including at least one first heating element; a vapor chamber coupled to the heating chamber; a pressure regulator operatively coupled to the vapor chamber; and a nozzle coupled to the vapor chamber by a duct.

A method for sealing gaps in a component including generating vapor from a liquid; directing the vapor to an exposed surface of the component, wherein the component includes a plurality of layers of an extrudate and gaps between the plurality of layers and wherein the extrudate includes an outer portion; softening the outer portion of the extrudate at the exposed surface; and filling the gaps with softened outer portion of the extrudate. An apparatus includes a heating chamber including at least one first heating element; a vapor chamber coupled to the heating chamber; a pressure regulator operatively coupled to the vapor chamber; and a nozzle coupled to the vapor chamber by a duct.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a structure which comprises metal plate microparticles and a lipophilic clay-based intercalation compound and which exhibits excellent stability. The problem is solved by a structure as described above wherein: the metal plate microparticles are platy microparticles alone or a mixture thereof with polyhedral microparticles (including spherical microparticles); the platy microparticles have a thickness of 1 to 50 nm, a length of principal plate of 10 to 5000 nm and an aspect ratio thereof of 3 or more; and the weight ratio of the lipophilic clay-based intercalation compound to the metal plate microparticles is 0.01 to 50.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrically conductive paste having excellent bonding strength when bonded to an electronic substrate and the like, a laminated body, and a method for bonding a Cu substrate or Cu electrode to an electrical conductor. An electrically conductive paste comprising: a flake-like silver powder A having a particle size in the range of 1 μm or more and 15 μm or less and having a median diameter D50 of 2 μm or more and 5 μm or less; a silver powder B having a particle size in the range of 25 μm or more and 100 μm or less and having a median diameter D50 of 30 μm or more and 40 μm or less; a silver powder C having a particle size in the range of 10 nm or more and 190 nm or less and having a median diameter D50 of 50 nm or more and 150 nm or less; and a solvent, wherein the content of the silver powder C is more than 5.0 parts by mass and less than 90.0 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass in total of the flake-like silver powder A, the silver powder B, and the silver powder C.

Provided is a process for providing a flake powder characterized by a particle size of −40 mesh to +200 mesh; a Scott density of at least 1.458 g/cm.sup.3; and a flow of at least 1 g/s. The process includes introducing a milled flake powder in a solvent to a first dryer; removing the solvent at a temperature below a melting point of the solvent under a reduced atmosphere to obtain a partially dry flake powder; and introducing the partially dry flake powder to a second dryer to form flake powder wherein particles of partially dry flake powder are heated and simultaneously subjected to an uncorrelated motion relative to adjacent particles.

This disclosure is directed to sintered bodies comprising grains and a grain boundary composition, wherein: (a) the grains comprise a composition substantially represented by a formula G.sub.2M.sub.14B, where G is Nd, Dy, Pr, Tb, or a combination thereof, and M is Co, Fe, Ni, or a combination thereof, wherein the grains are optionally doped with one or more rare earth elements; and (b) the grain boundary composition is an alloy composition substantially represented by the formula: Nd.sub.8.5-12.5Dy.sub.35-45Co.sub.32-41Cu.sub.3-6.5Fe.sub.1.5-5, wherein the subscript values are atom percent relative to the total composition of the alloy composition. Corresponding populations of particles are also disclosed.

A pressed powder material of embodiments is a pressed powder material including a plurality of flaky magnetic metal particles and an intercalated phase, each of the flaky magnetic metal particles having a flat surface and a magnetic metal phase containing at least one first element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co, and Ni, the flaky magnetic metal particles having an average thickness of from 10 nm to 100 μm and an average value of the ratio of the average length in the flat surface with respect to the thickness of from 5 to 10,000, the intercalated phase existing between the flaky magnetic metal particles and containing at least one second element selected from the group consisting of oxygen (O), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and fluorine (F), wherein in the pressed powder material, the flat surface is oriented in parallel to a plane of the pressed powder material and has the difference in coercivity on the basis of direction within the plane, the intercalated phase includes an oxide and a resin, the softening temperature of the oxide is higher than the softening temperature of the resin, and the oxide is fixed to at least a portion of the flaky magnetic metal particles.

A pressed powder material of embodiments is a pressed powder material including a plurality of flaky magnetic metal particles and an intercalated phase, each of the flaky magnetic metal particles having a flat surface and a magnetic metal phase containing at least one first element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co, and Ni, the flaky magnetic metal particles having an average thickness of from 10 nm to 100 μm and an average value of the ratio of the average length in the flat surface with respect to the thickness of from 5 to 10,000, the intercalated phase existing between the flaky magnetic metal particles and containing at least one second element selected from the group consisting of oxygen (O), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and fluorine (F), wherein in the pressed powder material, the flat surface is oriented in parallel to a plane of the pressed powder material and has the difference in coercivity on the basis of direction within the plane, the intercalated phase includes an oxide and a resin, the softening temperature of the oxide is higher than the softening temperature of the resin, and the oxide is fixed to at least a portion of the flaky magnetic metal particles.

A metal sintering preparation containing (A) 50 to 90% by weight of at least one metal that is present in the form of particles having a coating that contains at least one organic compound, and (B) 6 to 50% by weight organic solvent. The mathematical product of tamped density and specific surface of the metal particles of component (A) is in the range of 40,000 to 80,000 cm.sup.−1.

A metal sintering preparation containing (A) 50 to 90% by weight of at least one metal that is present in the form of particles having a coating that contains at least one organic compound, and (B) 6 to 50% by weight organic solvent. The mathematical product of tamped density and specific surface of the metal particles of component (A) is in the range of 40,000 to 80,000 cm.sup.−1.