A honeycomb structure including a honeycomb portion having porous partition walls extending from an inflow end face to an outflow end face, an outermost peripheral wall, and a pair of electrode layers on a side surface of the honeycomb portion. Each electrode layer extends in a direction of the cells. One electrode layer is disposed on a side opposite to the other electrode layer across a center of the honeycomb portion in a cross section orthogonal to the extending direction of the cells. The honeycomb structure portion includes first cells opened on the inflow side and plugged on the outflow side, and second cells opened on the outflow side and plugged on the inflow side. A middle of each length of the pair of electrode layers is closer to the outflow side than a middle position of a length of the honeycomb portion in the extending direction of the cells.

A honeycomb structure including a honeycomb portion having porous partition walls extending from an inflow end face to an outflow end face, an outermost peripheral wall, and a pair of electrode layers on a side surface of the honeycomb portion. Each electrode layer extends in a direction of the cells. One electrode layer is disposed on a side opposite to the other electrode layer across a center of the honeycomb portion in a cross section orthogonal to the extending direction of the cells. The honeycomb structure portion includes first cells opened on the inflow side and plugged on the outflow side, and second cells opened on the outflow side and plugged on the inflow side. A middle of each length of the pair of electrode layers is closer to the outflow side than a middle position of a length of the honeycomb portion in the extending direction of the cells.

A porous material including a composite oxide body containing calcium oxide, iron oxide, and silica, and a plurality of inter-connecting microchannel structures is provided. A preparing method of porous material is further provided. With the inter-connecting microchannel structures of the porous material and the advantages of high porosity and large specific surface area, the porous material has a bright prospect in the fields of catalysts, filters, adsorption materials, and fuel carriers.

A honeycomb structure includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body having a porous partition wall disposed to surround a plurality of cells, wherein a major component of the partition wall is cordierite, a porosity of the partition wall is 45 to 55%, an average pore diameter of the partition wall is 8 to 19 μm, a cumulative pore volume of the partition wall is such that a pore volume ratio of the pores having a pore diameter larger than a thickness of the partition wall relative to an overall pore volume of the partition wall is 3.0% or less, and a pore volume ratio of the pores having a pore diameter of 10 μm or less relative to the overall pore volume of the partition wall is 30% or more, and a pore diameter distribution of the partition wall is a unimodal distribution, or a multimodal distribution.

A honeycomb structure includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body having a porous partition wall disposed to surround a plurality of cells, wherein a major component of the partition wall is cordierite, a porosity of the partition wall is 45 to 55%, an average pore diameter of the partition wall is 8 to 19 μm, a cumulative pore volume of the partition wall is such that a pore volume ratio of the pores having a pore diameter larger than a thickness of the partition wall relative to an overall pore volume of the partition wall is 3.0% or less, and a pore volume ratio of the pores having a pore diameter of 10 μm or less relative to the overall pore volume of the partition wall is 30% or more, and a pore diameter distribution of the partition wall is a unimodal distribution, or a multimodal distribution.

A method for manufacturing a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure filter including preparing a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure having a plurality of first cells and a plurality of second cells that are alternately arranged adjacent to each other with a porous partition wall interposed therebetween; adhering ceramic particles containing 50% by mass or more in total of one or two selected from SiC and SiN to a surface of the first cells; and performing a heat-oxidation treatment on the pillar-shaped honeycomb structure in which the ceramic particles are adhered to the surface of the first cells to form a porous film comprised of the ceramic particles having an oxide film thereon so as to satisfy: (1) 0.05≤T≤0.5; (2) 0.05≤T/D50; and (3) 4≤{(W.sub.1−W.sub.0)/W.sub.0×100}/D50.

A monolithic separation membrane structure according to the present invention includes a porous support body and a separation membrane. The porous support body has a plurality of filtration cells opening at both end surfaces, a plurality of water collecting cells closed on the both end surfaces, a plurality of discharge flow paths running through the plurality of water collecting cells and opening on an outer peripheral surface, and a monolithic base body including the outer peripheral surface. The separation membrane is formed on inside surfaces of the plurality of filtration cells. The plurality of filtration cells includes a first filtration cell and a second filtration cell which are adjacent to each other. The plurality of water collecting cells include water collecting cell which is adjacent to the first filtration cell and are separated from the second filtration cells. A thickness of a first partition wall of the base body between the first filtration cell and the water collecting cell is thicker than a thickness of a second partition wall of the base body between the first filtration cell and the second filtration cell.

A filter device includes one or more filter membranes, and a filter housing enclosing the one or more filter membranes. Each of the filter membranes includes a base membrane made of a ceramic material, and a plurality of through holes. The base membrane is coated with a coating material.

Methods of manufacturing a ceramic honeycomb body having a honeycomb structure with a matrix of intersecting walls, and a skin disposed on an outer peripheral portion of the matrix where the skin has a first average porosity and the interior portion of the matrix has a second average porosity that is greater than the first average porosity. The methods include coating at least the skin with a fluid formulation containing a sintering aid and subsequently firing the honeycomb structure. In certain embodiments, a glass layer is formed in the skin or in regions of the walls directly adjacent to the skin. In certain embodiments, the coating is applied to a green honeycomb structure, and in other embodiments the coating is applied to a ceramic honeycomb structure. Other honeycomb bodies and methods are described.

A ceramic honeycomb body, suitable for use in exhaust gas processing, includes a honeycomb structure having a plurality of through-channels, a first portion of the plurality of through-channels have a first hydraulic diameter dh1, a second portion of the plurality of through-channels have a second hydraulic diameter that is smaller than the first hydraulic diameter dh1, the first hydraulic diameter dh1 is equal to or greater than 1.1 mm, and the first and second portions of through-channels, taken together, have a geometric surface area GSA greater than 2.9 mm.sup.−1. Diesel oxidation catalysts and methods of soot removal are also provided, as are other aspects.