A molded article having a small difference in thermal conductivities between a central section and a section located at an outer peripheral surface side; and a method for producing the same; wherein, a plate-shaped molded article includes an aluminum-silicon carbide composited section in which a metal including aluminum was impregnated into a silicon carbide porous body, wherein a difference in the densities, by Archimedes' principle, of a central section of the aluminum-silicon carbide composited section and of at least a portion of an outer side section located further toward the outside peripheral surface side than the central section is 3% or less.

It is provided a backing layer material resistant to temperature of up to about 600? C. comprising stainless steel powder, cement, water, and optionally at least one adjuvant, a ultrasonic transducer comprising said backing layer material conferring stability to the a ultrasonic transducer to temperature of up to about 600? C.

One object is to provide a deposition technique for forming an oxide semiconductor film. By forming an oxide semiconductor film using a sputtering target including a sintered body of a metal oxide whose concentration of hydrogen contained is low, for example, lower than 1?10.sup.16 atoms/cm.sup.3, the oxide semiconductor film contains a small amount of impurities such as a compound containing hydrogen typified by H.sub.2O or a hydrogen atom. In addition, this oxide semiconductor film is used as an active layer of a transistor.

A composite production method includes impregnating a plate-shaped porous inorganic structure and a fibrous inorganic material with a metal while the fibrous inorganic material is arranged to be adjacent to the porous inorganic structure. In the composite structure, first and second phases are adjacent to each other by using a porous inorganic structure having a porous silicon carbide ceramic sintered body and the fibrous inorganic material, the first phase being a phase in which the porous silicon carbide ceramic sintered body is impregnated with the metal, the second phase being a phase in which the fibrous inorganic material is impregnated with the metal, a percentage of the porous silicon carbide ceramic sintered body in the first phase is 50 to 80 volume percent, and a percentage of the fibrous inorganic material in the second phase is 3 to 20 volume percent. A composite is produced by the method.

The arrangement includes a fire-resistant cable connection, a cable connection method using such a fire-resistant connection, and a line of fire-resistant cables comprising such a fire-resistant connection.

A voltage-nonlinear resistor element 10 includes a voltage-nonlinear resistor (referred simply as resistor) 20 and a pair of electrodes 14 and 16 between which the resistor 20 is interposed. The resistor 20 has a multilayer structure including a first layer 21 composed primarily of zinc oxide, a second layer 22 composed primarily of zinc oxide, and a third layer 23 composed primarily of a metal oxide other than zinc oxide. The second layer 22 is adjacent to the first layer 21 and has a smaller thickness and a higher volume resistivity than the first layer 21. The third layer 23 is adjacent to the second layer 22.

[Problem to be Solved]

Provided are an aluminum-silicon-carbide composite having high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, and low specific gravity and a method for producing the composite.

[Solution]

Provided is an aluminum-silicon-carbide composite formed by impregnating a porous silicon carbide molded body with an aluminum alloy. The ratio of silicon carbide in the composite is 60 vol % or more, and the composite contains 60-75 mass % of silicon carbide having a particle diameter of 80 m or more and 800 m or less, 20-30 mass % of silicon carbide having a particle diameter of 8 m or more and less than 80 m, and 5-10 mass % of silicon carbide having a particle diameter of less than 8

Disclosed is a method for producing a porous monolithic material from at least one powder, preferably mineral, the method including at least one step of low-temperature compression of a mixture based on powder and at least one solvent, preferably water. The materials produced by the method have improved mechanical properties compared to the prior art materials. The materials for medical application, such as hydroxyapatite, also have improved biocompatibility compared to the prior art materials. Also disclosed are materials produced by the method.

A process for post-treatment of electroceramic composite material is disclosed. The process comprises introducing electroceramic composite material and flow-able organometallic compound to a pressure chamber, and degassing (1) the electroceramic composite material by creating a vacuum or underpressure in the pressure chamber, while the electroceramic composite material is immersed (2) in said organometallic compound. Then the pressure is elevated to an atmospheric pressure, wherein said flowable organometallic compound is absorbed (3) into at least part of the pores of the composite material. The electroceramic composite material containing said organometallic compound absorbed into said pores, is then treated (4) with water, water vapour and/or other chemical, thereby producing metal oxide impregnated electroceramic material containing solid metal oxide absorbed into said pores. Instead of flowable organometallic compound, a suspension of metal or metal oxide nanoparticles may be used for the post-treatment.

A ceramic electronic device includes a dielectric layer and an internal electrode layer that are alternately stacked, wherein the dielectric layer contains yttria-stabilized zirconia, and wherein an arca ratio of grains of the yttria-stabilized zirconia is 1% or more and 15% or less in a cross section of the dielectric layer.