The present invention provides a metal-ceramic base material and the like which allow a ceramic base material and a desired metal material to be easily joined. A metal-ceramic base material (30) to be joined to a metal material (40), includes: a ceramic base material (20); and a metal film (25) provided on the ceramic base material (20), the metal film (25) being formed by thermal spray of a mixed powder material containing aluminum, alumina, and nickel, at least part of the nickel being exposed on a surface of the metal film (25).

A joined body 20 includes a porous ceramic 22 made of porous ceramic, a metal member 24 made of a metal, and a joint 30 formed of an oxide ceramic that penetrates into pores 23 of the porous ceramic 22 and joins the porous ceramic 22 to the metal member 24. The penetration depth of the oxide ceramic into the pores of the porous ceramic is preferably 10 m or more, and more preferably 15 to 50 m. The joined body 20 may be produced through a joining step of forming a joint by placing a metal raw material between a porous ceramic and a metal member and firing the metal raw material in the air at a temperature in the range of 400 C. to 900 C., where an oxide ceramic produced by oxidation of the metal raw material penetrates into the pores of the porous ceramic in the joint.

In a step (a), a guard ring is disposed on a ceramic substrate (a second member) such that one of openings of a through hole of the guard ring is covered with a joint surface of the ceramic substrate. In a step (b), a brazing material made of a metal, a powder made of a material having a smaller thermal expansion coefficient than the brazing material, and a feeding terminal are inserted into the through hole. In a step (c), the brazing material is fused to impregnate the powder with the brazing material to thereby form a joint layer including the brazing material and the powder. In this manner, the joint surface and the joint surface are joined to each other through the joint layer.

A cutting element comprises a supporting substrate, and a cutting table attached to an end of the supporting substrate. The cutting table comprises inter-bonded diamond particles, and a thermally stable material within interstitial spaces between the inter-bonded diamond particles. The thermally stable material comprises a carbide precipitate having the general chemical formula, A.sub.3XZ.sub.n-1, where A comprises one or more of Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, and U; X comprises one or more of Al, Ga, Sn, Be, Bi, Te, Sb, Se, As, Ge, Si, B, and P; Z comprises C; and n is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 0.75. A method of forming a cutting element, an earth-boring tool, a supporting substrate, and a method of forming a supporting substrate are also described.

A cutting element comprises a supporting substrate, and a cutting table attached to an end of the supporting substrate. The cutting table comprises inter-bonded diamond particles, and a thermally stable material within interstitial spaces between the inter-bonded diamond particles. The thermally stable material comprises a carbide precipitate having the general chemical formula, A.sub.3XZ.sub.n-1, where A comprises one or more of Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ac, Th, Pa, and U; X comprises one or more of Al, Ga, Sn, Be, Bi, Te, Sb, Se, As, Ge, Si, B, and P; Z comprises C; and n is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 0.75. A method of forming a cutting element, an earth-boring tool, a supporting substrate, and a method of forming a supporting substrate are also described.

A positive temperature coefficient ceramic thermistor element includes a sintered thermosensitive ceramic piece that uses lead barium titanate as a base, as well as metal ohmic electrodes which are positioned on two side surfaces of the thermosensitive ceramic piece. The thermistor element has a microporous channel barrier layer, and includes a glass sealing layer which wraps the outer surface of the thermosensitive ceramic piece, or an organic matter sealant which fills and blocks micro-pores in the surfaces of the metal ohmic electrodes combined on the two side surfaces of the thermosensitive ceramic piece and, at the same time, blocks gaps in the surfaces of areas, that do not have the metal ohmic electrodes, of a peripheral edge of the thermosensitive ceramic piece.

A ceramic-copper composite having a flat plate shape, including: a ceramic layer; a copper layer; and a brazing material layer present between the ceramic layer and the copper layer, in which a specified Expression (1) is satisfied in a cut surface of the copper layer obtained when the ceramic-copper composite is cut at a plane perpendicular to a main surface of the ceramic-copper composite, where S(102)% is an area ratio occupied by copper crystals having a crystal orientation of which an inclination from a crystal orientation of (102) plane is within 10?, S(101)% is an area ratio occupied by copper crystals having a crystal orientation of which an inclination from a crystal orientation of (101) plane is within 10?, S(111)% is an area ratio occupied by copper crystals having a crystal orientation of which an inclination from a crystal orientation of (111) plane is within 10?, and S(112)% is an area ratio occupied by copper crystals having a crystal orientation of which an inclination from a crystal orientation of (112) plane is within 10?.

A refractory article can include a socket including a cavity that is configured to receive a post, a particulate material, and a binder. The binder is configured to bond the post to the socket. The refractory article can include a sleeve coupled to the socket and configured to bond the post to the socket. In an embodiment, the sleeve can bond to the binder. In another embodiment, a collar can be placed between the sleeve and the binder. The collar can be configured to bond the post to the socket. A method of forming a refractory article can include disposing a particulate material within a cavity of a socket and placing a binder material overlying the particulate material.

Cutting elements include a diamond-bonded body attached with a substrate. The substrate has a coercivity of greater than about 200 Oe, and has a magnetic saturation of from about 73 to 90. The diamond-bonded body has a compressive stress at the surface of greater than about 0.9 GPa after heat treatment, and greater than about 1.2 GPa prior to heat treatment.

A joined body includes a first member, a second member having a high coefficient of thermal expansion as compared to that of the first member, and a joint portion which at least partially includes a mixed layer containing metal of a transition metal and an oxide of the transition metal and which joins the first member and the second member. In this joint portion, a first layer containing a first oxide of a transition metal, a second layer containing a second oxide of a transition metal having a low valence as compared to that of the first oxide, and the mixed layer containing metal of a transition metal and an oxide thereof preferably are formed so as to form a multilayer structure.