Provided is an R-T-B based rare earth magnet. R is one or more rare earth elements, T is one or more transition metal elements essentially including Fe or Fe and Co, and B is boron. B content with respect to a total R-T-B based rare earth magnet is 0.80 mass % or more and 0.98 mass % or less. The R-T-B based rare earth magnet includes an R.sub.1T.sub.4B.sub.4 phase.

Provided is an R-T-B based rare earth magnet. R is one or more rare earth elements, T is one or more transition metal elements essentially including Fe or Fe and Co, and B is boron. B content with respect to a total R-T-B based rare earth magnet is 0.80 mass % or more and 0.98 mass % or less. The R-T-B based rare earth magnet includes an R.sub.1T.sub.4B.sub.4 phase.

A method for producing a thermoelectric object for a thermoelectric conversion device is provided. A starting material which has elements in the ratio of a half-Heusler alloy is melted and then cooled to form at least one ingot. The ingot is homogenized at a temperature of 1000 C. to 1400 C. for a period of time t, wherein 0.5 ht<12 h or 24 h<t<100 h. The homogenized ingot is crushed and ground into a powder. The powder is cold-pressed and sintered at a maximum pressure of 1 MPa for 0.5 to 24 h at a temperature of 1000 C. to 1500 C.

Nano-thick flakes that are either flat, and specularly-reflective in visible light or that have microroughness intentionally controlled to disperse or interfere with visible light. Coatings and inks utilizing such flakes. Method for fabrication of such flakes in partial vacuum includes the repeated multiple times deposition of a release layer over a substrate surface and a flake layer over the release layer to form a multilayer structure further reduced to individual flakes. Reactive metal is passivated inline with the deposition of the flake layer for superior corrosion resistance. Chemically-functional materials are optionally added to the release material to transfer their functionality to the surface of flake layer to create unique functional properties on a flake surface before the multilayer structure is removed from the substrate.

The present invention discloses a method of manufacturing, powder making device for rare earth magnet alloy powder, and a rare earth magnet. The method comprises a process of fine grinding at least one kind of rare earth magnet alloy or at least one kind of rare earth magnet alloy coarse powder in inert jet stream with an oxygen content below 1000 ppm to obtain powder that has a grain size smaller than 50 m. Low oxygen content ultra-fine powder having a grain size smaller than 1 m is not separated from the pulverizer, and the oxygen content of the atmosphere is reduced to below 1000 ppm in the pulverizer when crushing the powder. Therefore, abnormal grain growth (AGG) rarely happens in the sintering process. A low oxygen content sintered magnet is obtained and the advantages of a simplified process and reduced manufacturing cost are realized.

A powder metal material and sintered component formed of the powder metal material is provided. The powder metal material comprises a plurality of particles including copper in an amount of 10 wt. % to 50 wt. %, based on the total weight of the particles. The particles also include at least one of iron, nickel, an cobalt. The particles further include at least one of boron, carbon, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, nitrogen, niobium, phosphorous, sulfur, aluminum, bismuth, silicon, tin, tantalum, titanium, vanadium, tungsten, hafnium, and zirconium. The particles are formed by atomizing and optionally heat treating. The particles consist of a first area and a second area, wherein the first area is copper-rich and the second area includes hard phases. The hard phases being present in an amount of at least 33 wt. %, based on the total weight of the second area.

The sintered electrical contact material described in this specification includes at least one salt dispersed within a silver matrix, and no more than 100 ppm of cadmium and cadmium compounds. The sintered electrical contact material exhibit contact resistances much lower than commercially available silver composites. The salts dispersed within the silver matrix represent a new class of additives for silver composites for high and low current applications.

A method for producing nickel nanopowder is introduced. For this, the present invention relates to a method for producing nickel nanopowder, including: (a) a step of preparing nickel oxide configured in the form of an oxide; (b) a nickel oxide nanopowder production step of pulverizing the nickel oxide so as to produce nano-sized nickel oxide nanopowder; (c) a step of drying the nickel oxide nanopowder; (d) a step of heat-treating the nickel oxide nanopowder so as to produce natural metal nickel nanopowder; and (e) a step of crushing the heat-treated nickel oxide nanopowder.

An iron powder for an exothermic composition according to the present invention has a bulk density of 0.3 to 1.5 g/cm.sup.3. Furthermore, an exothermic composition according to the present invention contains the iron powder, a carbon material, a halide salt, and water. Furthermore, an exothermic body production method according to the present invention includes: forming a coated member by coating a base material sheet with a flowable exothermic composition containing the iron powder, a carbon material, and water; and adjusting an amount of moisture in the coated member by removing water from the coated member. Furthermore, the present invention is directed to a production method for the iron powder (an iron powder for an exothermic composition) including: a reducing step of reducing iron oxide to obtain reduced iron; and a step of milling the reduced iron. In the reducing step, the iron oxide is reduced by introducing iron oxide and a solid reductant with a volatile matter content of 10% by mass or more into a heating furnace whose internal portion contains no sulfur gas or is set to an air or inert gas atmosphere, and setting the internal portion to a reducing gas atmosphere through heating under a condition that an ambient temperature of the internal portion is from 900 to 1000 C.

Disclosed herein is a method comprising disposing a container containing a metal and/or ferromagnetic solid and abrasive particles in a static magnetic field; where the container is surrounded by an induction coil; activating the induction coil with an electrical current, to heat up the metallic or ferromagnetic solid to form a fluid; generating sonic energy to produce acoustic cavitation and abrasion between the abrasive particles and the container; and producing nanoparticles that comprise elements from the container, the metal and/or the ferromagnetic solid and the abrasive particles. Disclosed herein too is a composition comprising first metal or a first ceramic; and particles comprising carbides and/or nitrides dispersed therein. Disclosed herein too is a composition comprising nanoparticles comprising chromium carbide, iron carbide, nickel carbide, -Fe and magnesium nickel.