Provided is a zirconia sintered body that suppresses discoloration due to porcelain. The zirconia sintered body comprises at least one of a coloring agent A: erbium oxide and a coloring agent B: nickel oxide, and a composite oxide of zirconium and vanadium.

A rare earth aluminate sintered compact including rare earth aluminate phosphor crystalline phases and voids, wherein an absolute maximum length of 90% or more by number of rare earth aluminate phosphor crystalline phases is in a range from 0.4 μm to 1.3 μm, and an absolute maximum length of 90% or more by number of voids is in a range from 0.1 μm to 1.2 μm.

Radiofrequency and other electronic devices can be formed from textured hexaferrite materials, such as Z-phase barium cobalt ferrite Ba.sub.3Co.sub.2Fe.sub.24O.sub.41 (Co.sub.2Z) having enhanced resonant frequency. The textured hexaferrite material can be formed by sintering fine grain hexaferrite powder at a lower temperature than conventional firing temperatures to inhibit reduction of iron. The textured hexaferrite material can be used in radiofrequency devices such as circulators or telecommunications systems.

The aim of the present invention lies in providing a dielectric composition which has a relatively high dielectric constant of 800 or greater, and which has relatively low dielectric loss of 4% or less when a DC bias of at least 8 V/ym is applied, and also in providing a dielectric element employing said dielectric composition, an electronic component, and a laminated electronic component. A dielectric composition having a main component represented by (Bi.sub.aNa.sub.bSr.sub.cBa.sub.d) (α.sub.xTi.sub.1-x) O.sub.3, characterized in that a is at least one selected from Zr and Sn; and a, b, c, d and x satisfy the following: 0.140≦a≦0.390, 0.140≦b≦0.390, 0.200≦c≦0.700, 0.020≦d≦0.240, 0.020≦x≦0.240 and 0.950<a+b+c+d≦1.050.

A strongly scattering optoceramic converter material having a density of less than 97% is provided, as well as a method for producing such an optoceramic material. By appropriately choosing in particular the composition, blending method, and sintering conditions, the production method permits to produce converter materials with tailored properties.

Embodiments of the invention provide body armor composite and methods of fabrication. The body armor composite can include at least one strike-face layer, at least one strike-face reinforcement layer, and at least one catchment layer. Some embodiments include body armor composite with a bump guard layer, and a back-face reduction layer. In some embodiments, the fabrication method includes bonding multiple layers to form an armor composite. Some embodiments include an armor production tool including a housing at least two housing portions which form a substantially air-tight chamber when closed. The tool can include a lower flexible membrane forming at least a portion of a mold, and an upper flexible membrane capable of engaging the lower flexible membrane. The tool can include a pressure port for pressurizing the chamber and to move portions of the mold towards each other, and a locking mechanism for locking the two housing portions.

A decorative item is made of a ceramic material, where ceramic material includes a carbide phase and an oxide phase, the carbide phase being present in a percentage by volume comprised between 50 and 95% and the oxide phase being present in a percentage by volume comprised between 5 and 50%. The decorative item is manufactured by a method of powder metallurgy.

A method of growing a FE material thin film using physical vapor deposition by pulsed laser deposition or RF sputtering is disclosed. The method involves creating a target to be used for the pulsed laser deposition in order to create a KBNNO thin film. The resultant KBNNO thin film is able to be used in photovoltaic cells.

A ceramic waveguide includes: a doped metal oxide ceramic core layer; and at least one cladding layer comprising the metal oxide surrounding the core layer, such that the core layer includes an erbium dopant and at least one rare earth metal dopant being: lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, or oxides thereof, or at least one non-rare earth metal dopant comprising zirconium or oxides thereof. Also included is a quantum memory including: at least one doped polycrystalline ceramic optical device with the ceramic waveguide and a method of fabricating the ceramic waveguide.

A method for preparing an infrared radiation ceramic material includes mixing and ball milling raw materials of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, MnO.sub.2 and CuO in a mass ratio to obtain a mixed powder; pressing the mixed powder; adjusting laser spot, laser power and laser sintering time of a laser; irradiating or sintering by a first laser the pressed mixed powder in a crucible for a high-temperature solid-phase reaction to obtain an AB.sub.2O.sub.4 type ferrite powder; obtaining a first mixture by mixing the AB.sub.2O.sub.4 type ferrite powder and a cordierite powder in a mass ratio; adding a sintering aid and a nucleating agent for ball milling; obtaining a second mixture by mixing the first mixture and a binder for aging; pressing the second mixture; and irradiating or sintering the pressed second mixture by a second laser to obtain the infrared radiation ceramic material.