Thermal barrier coatings consist of a tantala-zirconia mixture that is stabilized with two or more stabilizers. An exemplary thermal barrier coating consists of, by mole percent: about 8% to about 30% YO.sub.1.5; about 8% to about 30% YbO.sub.1.5 or GdO.sub.1.5 or combination thereof; about 8% to about 30% TaO.sub.2.5; about 0% to about 10% HfO.sub.2; and a balance of ZrO.sub.2.

Thermal barrier coatings consist of a tantala-zirconia mixture that is stabilized with two or more stabilizers. An exemplary thermal barrier coating consists of, by mole percent: about 8% to about 30% YO.sub.1.5; about 8% to about 30% YbO.sub.1.5 or GdO.sub.1.5 or combination thereof; about 8% to about 30% TaO.sub.2.5; about 0% to about 10% HfO.sub.2; and a balance of ZrO.sub.2.

A reflective paint's liquid mixture includes 42.4-71.3 weight percent of a liquid solvent, 14.4-28.3 weight percent of a binder fully dissolved in the liquid solvent, and 13.8-29.3 weight percent of light scattering particles that are insoluble in the liquid solvent and are of a size ranging from 100 nanometers to 200 nanometers. The binder is selected from potassium bromide, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium bromide, cesium chloride, and rubidium chloride. The light scattering particles are selected from hafnium oxide and yttrium oxide. The reflective paint is particularly useful as a surface coating for a variety of structures that must support cryogenic temperatures. It can be used in any application to act as a broadband reflector of the Sun's radiation in the wavelength band from approximately 0.21 microns to 9 microns and beyond.

A solid garnet composition includes a bulk composition having a lithium garnet; and a surface composition having a protonated garnet on at least a portion of the exterior surface of the lithium garnet, such that the protonated garnet is uniformly disposed over the at least a portion of the exterior surface of the lithium garnet. A method of making a solid garnet composition includes pre-treating an air sensitive lithium-containing garnet with water to form a uniform protonated garnet surface composition; and contacting the uniform protonated garnet surface composition with an acid to form a porous uniform protonated garnet surface composition.

A solid garnet composition includes a bulk composition having a lithium garnet; and a surface composition having a protonated garnet on at least a portion of the exterior surface of the lithium garnet, such that the protonated garnet is uniformly disposed over the at least a portion of the exterior surface of the lithium garnet. A method of making a solid garnet composition includes pre-treating an air sensitive lithium-containing garnet with water to form a uniform protonated garnet surface composition; and contacting the uniform protonated garnet surface composition with an acid to form a porous uniform protonated garnet surface composition.

A system and method to dry plug cement in a ceramic honeycomb body during the manufacture of plugged ceramic honeycomb bodies. The system includes a heating element (520) configured to immediately heat without contact a face (502) of a ceramic honeycomb body (500) plugged with a wet plug cement (510) to rapidly dry and stiffen the plug cement (510) on the face (502) of the ceramic honeycomb body (500). The method includes immediately applying heat without contact to a face (502) of a ceramic honeycomb body (500) having wet plug cement (510) disposed in channels (508) of the ceramic honeycomb body at the face, and rapidly drying and stiffening the plug cement on the face of the ceramic honeycomb body.

A system and method to dry plug cement in a ceramic honeycomb body during the manufacture of plugged ceramic honeycomb bodies. The system includes a heating element (520) configured to immediately heat without contact a face (502) of a ceramic honeycomb body (500) plugged with a wet plug cement (510) to rapidly dry and stiffen the plug cement (510) on the face (502) of the ceramic honeycomb body (500). The method includes immediately applying heat without contact to a face (502) of a ceramic honeycomb body (500) having wet plug cement (510) disposed in channels (508) of the ceramic honeycomb body at the face, and rapidly drying and stiffening the plug cement on the face of the ceramic honeycomb body.

A paramagnetic garnet-type transparent ceramic characterized by being a sintered body of a terbium-containing composite oxide represented by formula (1) in which the linear transmittance at a wavelength of 1,064 nm at an optical path length of 15 mm is 83% or higher.
(Tb.sub.1-x-ySc.sub.xCe.sub.y).sub.3(Al.sub.1-zSc.sub.z).sub.5O.sub.12  (1)
(In the formula, 0<x<0.08, 0≤y≤0.01, 0.004<z<0.16.)

A paramagnetic garnet-type transparent ceramic characterized by being a sintered body of a terbium-containing composite oxide represented by formula (1) in which the linear transmittance at a wavelength of 1,064 nm at an optical path length of 15 mm is 83% or higher.
(Tb.sub.1-x-ySc.sub.xCe.sub.y).sub.3(Al.sub.1-zSc.sub.z).sub.5O.sub.12  (1)
(In the formula, 0<x<0.08, 0≤y≤0.01, 0.004<z<0.16.)

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a transparent ceramic material. The method comprises providing a compact comprising a metal oxide and, during sintering, exposing the compact to a vapor comprising one of or both fluorine ions and lithium ions to form a transparent ceramic material comprising at least 90% of a theoretical transparency.