A reinforced magnesium composite, and a method of producing thereof, wherein the reinforced magnesium composite comprises elemental magnesium particles, elemental nickel particles, and one or more ceramic particles with elemental nickel particles being dispersed within elemental magnesium particles without having intermetallic compounds therebetween. Various embodiments of the method of producing the reinforced magnesium composite are also provided.

Provided is an FePt based magnetic material sintered compact, comprising BN and SiO.sub.2 as non-magnetic materials, wherein Si and O are present in a region where B or N is present at a cut surface of the sintered compact. A high density sputtering target is provided which enables production of a magnetic thin film for heat-assisted magnetic recording media, and also reduces the amount of particles generated during sputtering.

An aluminum alloy includes, in weight percent, 0.50-1.30% Si, 0.2-0.60% Fe, 0.15% max Cu, 0.5-0.90% Mn, 0.6-1.0% Mg, and 0.20% max Cr, the balance being aluminum and unavoidable impurities. The alloy may include excess Mg over the amount that can be occupied by MgSi precipitates. The alloy may be utilized as a matrix material for a composite that includes a filler material dispersed in the matrix material. One such composite may include boron carbide as a filler material, and the resultant composite may be used for neutron shielding applications.

The present invention provides a powder for forming a black light-shielding film having a specific surface area of 20 to 90 m.sup.2/g, which is measured by the BET method, comprising zirconium nitride as a main component, and containing magnesium and/or aluminum. If containing the magnesium, the content of the magnesium is 0.01 to 1.0% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the powder for forming a black light-shielding film, and if containing the aluminum, the content of the aluminum is 0.01 to 1.0% by mass relative to 100% by mass of the powder for forming the black light-shielding film.

Provided is an FePt based magnetic material sintered compact, comprising BN and SiO.sub.2 as non-magnetic materials, wherein Si and O are present in a region where B or N is present at a cut surface of the sintered compact. An object of the present invention is to provide a high density sputtering target which enables production of a magnetic thin film for heat-assisted magnetic recording media, and also reduces the amount of particles generated during sputtering.

There is provided a BN-containing ferromagnetic material sputtering target which is capable of suppressing generation of particles during sputtering. A sputtering target containing from 1 to 40 at. % of B and from 1 to 30 at. % of N and comprising a structure including at least one ferromagnetic metal-containing metal phase and at least one nonmagnetic material phase, wherein an X-ray diffraction profile obtained by analyzing the structure with an X-ray diffraction method exhibits a diffraction peak derived from cubic boron nitride.

A reinforcing metal blank may be used to form metal matrix composite (MMC) drill bits. For example, an MMC drill bit may include a shank attached to a reinforcing metal blank that extends into a bit body comprising a metal matrix composite, wherein the reinforcing metal blank comprises reinforcing structures that are positioned along at least a portion of an inner surface and/or at least a portion of an outer surface of the reinforcing metal blank and extend into the metal matrix composite; and a plurality of cutting elements coupled to an exterior portion of the bit body.

A multicomponent alloy coating is provided. The multicomponent alloy coating includes a hard layer and a plurality of nickel-based particles dispersed in the hard layer. The composition of the multicomponent alloy coating is represented by the following formula (I):

Al.sub.dCo.sub.eCr.sub.gFe.sub.hNi.sub.iSi.sub.jC.sub.kO.sub.m formula (I),

wherein 1<d<2, 0.5<e<0.8, 2<g<3.2, 0.05<h<0.3, 2<i<3, j=1, k0, m0, and iron is present in the amount of less than 3 wt % of the composition of the multicomponent alloy coating.

A metal-ceramic composite material and a method for forming the same are provided. The metal-ceramic composite material includes a metal body, a plurality of metal oxide nanoparticles and a plurality of ceramic particles. The metal body includes a metal material having a first surface energy. The metal oxide nanoparticles and the ceramic particles are dispersed in the metal body. The ceramic particles have a second surface energy that is higher than the first surface energy.

Embodiments of a method for producing powder mixtures having uniform dispersion of ceramic particles within larger superalloy particles are provided, as are embodiments of superalloy powder mixtures. In one embodiment, the method includes producing an initial powder mixture comprising ceramic particles mixed with superalloy mother particles having an average diameter larger than the average diameter of the ceramic particles. The initial powder mixture is formed into a consumable solid body. At least a portion of the consumable solid body is gradually melted, while the consumable solid body is rotated at a rate of speed sufficient to cast-off a uniformly dispersed powder mixture in which the ceramic particles are embedded within the superalloy mother particles.