Embodiments are directed to radiopaque implantable structures (e.g., stents) formed of cobalt-based alloys that comprise cobalt, chromium, tungsten, and nickel, and methods for their manufacture. Tungsten is present above its solubility limit (about 15%) at ambient temperature, but is still only present as a super-saturated, primarily single-phase material exhibiting an FCC microcrystalline structure.

Embodiments are directed to radiopaque implantable structures (e.g., stents) formed of cobalt-based alloys that comprise cobalt, chromium, tungsten, and nickel, and methods for their manufacture. Tungsten is present above its solubility limit (about 15%) at ambient temperature, but is still only present as a super-saturated, primarily single-phase material exhibiting an FCC microcrystalline structure.

The present invention provides an R-T-B based permanent magnet capable of improving a coercive force HcJ while maintaining a residual magnetic flux density Br. The R-T-B based permanent magnet includes Ga. R is one or more selected from rare earth elements, T is Fe or a combination of Fe and Co, and B is boron. The R-T-B based permanent magnet has main phase grains including a crystal grain having an R.sub.2T.sub.14B crystal structure and grain boundaries formed between adjacent two or more main phase grains, and 0.030[Ga]/[R]0.100 is satisfied in which [Ga] represents an atomic concentration of Ga and [R] represents an atomic concentration of R in the main phase grains.

The present invention provides an R-T-B based permanent magnet capable of improving a coercive force HcJ while maintaining a residual magnetic flux density Br. The R-T-B based permanent magnet includes Ga. R is one or more selected from rare earth elements, T is Fe or a combination of Fe and Co, and B is boron. The R-T-B based permanent magnet has main phase grains including a crystal grain having an R.sub.2T.sub.14B crystal structure and grain boundaries formed between adjacent two or more main phase grains, and 0.030[Ga]/[R]0.100 is satisfied in which [Ga] represents an atomic concentration of Ga and [R] represents an atomic concentration of R in the main phase grains.

A thermoelectric conversion material having a high dimensionless figure of merit ZT includes: a large number of polycrystalline grains which include a skutterudite-type crystal structure containing Yb, Co, and Sb; and an intergranular layer which is between the neighboring polycrystalline grains and includes crystals in which an atomic ratio of O to Yb is more than 0.4 and less than 1.5. A method for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion material includes: a weighing step; a mixing step; a ribbon preparation step by rapidly cooling and solidifying a melt of the raw materials by using a rapid liquid cooling solidifying method; a first heat treatment step including heat treating in an inert atmosphere with an adjusted oxygen concentration; a second heat treatment step including heat treating in a reducing atmosphere; and manufacturing the thermoelectric conversion material by a pressure sintering step in an inert atmosphere.

A thermoelectric conversion material having a high dimensionless figure of merit ZT includes: a large number of polycrystalline grains which include a skutterudite-type crystal structure containing Yb, Co, and Sb; and an intergranular layer which is between the neighboring polycrystalline grains and includes crystals in which an atomic ratio of O to Yb is more than 0.4 and less than 1.5. A method for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion material includes: a weighing step; a mixing step; a ribbon preparation step by rapidly cooling and solidifying a melt of the raw materials by using a rapid liquid cooling solidifying method; a first heat treatment step including heat treating in an inert atmosphere with an adjusted oxygen concentration; a second heat treatment step including heat treating in a reducing atmosphere; and manufacturing the thermoelectric conversion material by a pressure sintering step in an inert atmosphere.

A magnetic material of the embodiments is a magnetic material including: a plurality of flaky magnetic metal particles, each flaky magnetic metal particle having a flat surface and amagneticmetalphase 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 m and having an average value of the ratio of the average length in the flat surface to the thickness of from 5 to 10,000; and an 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), in which the magnetic material includes the intercalated phase at a volume ratio of from 4% to 17% and includes voids at a volume ratio of 30% or less, and an average angle of orientation between the flat surface and a plane of the magnetic material is 10 or less.

A magnetic material of the embodiments is a magnetic material including: a plurality of flaky magnetic metal particles, each flaky magnetic metal particle having a flat surface and amagneticmetalphase 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 m and having an average value of the ratio of the average length in the flat surface to the thickness of from 5 to 10,000; and an 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), in which the magnetic material includes the intercalated phase at a volume ratio of from 4% to 17% and includes voids at a volume ratio of 30% or less, and an average angle of orientation between the flat surface and a plane of the magnetic material is 10 or less.

A soft magnetic alloy powder includes a first pulverized powder which has a particle diameter of 20 m or more, a value of major diameter/minor diameter of 1.2 or more and 1.8 or less, and a flat plate shape, and a second pulverized powder which has a particle diameter of less than 3 m, a value of major diameter/minor diameter of 1.1 or more and 1.6 or less, and a flat plate shape. A production method of a soft magnetic alloy powder, includes first processing of processing a soft magnetic alloy ribbon into a coarse powder, and second processing of pulverizing the coarse powder with a pulverizer.

A negative electrode active material is provided that is utilized in a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, and that can improve the capacity per volume and charge-discharge cycle characteristics. The negative electrode active material according to the present embodiment contains an alloy having a chemical composition consisting of, in at %, Sn: 13.0 to 24.5% and Si: 3.0 to 15.0%, with the balance being Cu and impurities. The alloy particles contain a phase with a peak of the most intense diffraction line appearing in a range of 42.0 to 44.0 degrees of a diffraction angle 2, the most intense diffraction line being a diffraction line having the largest integrated diffraction intensity in an X-ray diffraction profile. A half-width of the most intense diffraction line of the alloy particles is in a range of 0.15 to 2.5 degrees.