Methods and systems for producing feedstock powders, suitable for use in laser-based additive manufacturing, use laser ablation to vaporize a source material, which may be in bulk solid or solid coarse grain form. The source material is vaporized by a laser (or other focused energy source) in a vaporization chamber that is temperature controlled to provide a vertical thermal gradient. The vertical thermal gradient may be controlled to, in turn, control the nucleation, coagulation, and agglomeration of the vaporized molecules, enabling formation of microparticles that may then be used as feedstock powders in laser-based additive manufacturing. The produced feedstock powder particles may be of uniform composition, of uniform shape (e.g., substantially spherical), and of uniform phase or homogeneously-mixed phases.

An energy storage element and method of fabrication thereof are disclosed. An energy storage element includes a set of electrodes where one or more electrodes have extended conductive paths through nano-channel electric interconnections with ceramic particles in one or more dielectric layers. The electrode's electric field is extended into the dielectric material providing increased capacitance. The set of electrodes can include a pair of electrode layers respectively attached directly to opposing sides of one dielectric layer. The set of electrodes, which can also be referred to as multi-layer electrodes, can include a plurality of electrode layers interleaved between, and directly attached to, a plurality of stacked dielectric layers.

A coating is formed on a surface of a base material of a furnace, and includes a base layer and a sliding material layer that is formed on a surface of the base layer and contains an oxide ceramic and a compound having a layered crystal structure. The sliding material layer causes the collided ashes to be slipped and facilitates the drop off of the adhered ashes. The base material forms a heat transfer tube or a wall surface of the furnace. The coating is also applied to a coal gasification furnace, a pulverized coal fired boiler, a combustion apparatus, or a reaction apparatus containing a furnace.

A sintered composite ceramic includes a lithium-garnet major phase; and a lithium dendrite growth inhibitor minor phase, such that the lithium dendrite growth inhibitor minor phase comprises lithium tungstate. A method includes sintering a metal oxide component and a garnet component at a temperature in a range of 750° C. to 1500° C. to form a sintered composite ceramic.

The present invention relates to a metal-halide composite, articles comprising a metal-halide composite and method of making and using same. The metal-halide matrix materials used in such composite have the desired properties of high thermal conductivity, resistance to thermal induced microstructural changes, and ease of use. As a result, they permit the fabrication of higher performance cryogenic magnets, motors, generators, and cables. Additionally, they permit the fabrication of plate reinforced composites that are useful in lightweight armor and other articles. Additionally, an optoelectronic composite could be built depending on the choice of metal-halide matrix and reinforcement.

A piezoelectric material contains: a first component which is a rhombohedral crystal in a single composition, has a Curie temperature Tc1, and is a lead-free-system composite oxide having a perovskite-type structure; a second component which is a crystal other than the rhombohedral crystal in a single composition, has a Curie temperature Tc2<Tc1, and is a lead-free-system composite oxide having a perovskite-type structure; and a third component which is a crystal other than the rhombohedral crystal in a single composition similar to the second component, has a Curie temperature Tc3≧Tc1, and is a lead-free-system composite oxide that has a perovskite-type structure and is different from the second component. When a molar ratio of the third component to the sum of the second component and the third component is α and α×Tc3+(1−α)×Tc2 is Tc4, |Tc4−Tc2|≦50° C.

A thermistor material and a method for preparing a thermistor material are provided. The thermistor material is prepared by mixing and heating a mixture containing BaTiO.sub.3, B.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, Li.sub.2O, P.sub.2O.sub.5, Cs.sub.2O, Nd.sub.2O.sub.3, Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and TiO.sub.2.

A method of producing, from a continuous or discontinuous (e.g., chopped) carbon fiber, partially to fully converted metal carbide fibers. The method comprises reacting a carbon fiber material with at least one of a metal or metal oxide source material at a temperature greater than a melting temperature of the metal or metal oxide source material (e.g., where practical, at a temperature greater than the vaporization temperature of the metal or metal oxide source material). Additional methods, various forms of carbon fiber, metal carbide fibers, and articles including the metal carbide fibers are also disclosed.

A method for binder jetting additive manufacturing of an object, the method comprising: (i) separately feeding a powder from which said object is to be manufactured and a solution comprising an adhesive polymer dissolved in a solvent into an additive manufacturing device, wherein said adhesive polymer is an amine-containing polymer having a molecular weight of at least 200 g/mole and is present in said solution in a concentration of 1-30 wt % to result in said solution having a viscosity of 2-25 mPa.Math.s and a surface tension of 25-45 mN/m at room temperature; and (ii) dispensing selectively positioned droplets of said adhesive polymer, from a printhead of said additive manufacturing device, into a bed of said powder to bind particles of said powder with said adhesive polymer to produce a preform having a shape of the object to be manufactured.

Disclosed herein are methods for producing an ultra-dense and ultra-smooth ceramic coating. A method includes feeding a solution comprising a metal precursor into a plasma sprayer. The plasma sprayer generates a stream toward an article, forming a ceramic coating on the article upon contact.