The present invention relates to the field of foam formation and stabilization, particularly foamed construction materials, such as cement. Disclosed are additives suitable to obtain mineral foams when added to the corresponding starting materials. The invention provides a ready-to-use product in the form of a solid particulate composition comprising hydrophobized particles (1) and catalytically active particles (2) as defined in claim 1. The invention further provides for manufacturing methods of such ready-to-use product.

To provide a sintered body with improved impact resistance due to impact absorption through plastic deformation before brittle fracture for an impact exceeding the fracture resistance of the sintered body, and/or a method for producing the sintered body.

A sintered body including: zirconia containing a stabilizer; and a region in which an impact mark is formed when an impact force is applied.

A method for manufacturing a sintered body, the method including heating a mixture that contains a plurality of particles of a metal oxide having a spinel-type structure, and a metal acetylacetonate under pressure at a temperature of from a melting point or higher of the metal acetylacetonate to 600° C. or lower, to form a sintered body that contains the metal oxide having the spinel-type structure.

An oxide ion conductor has a X.sub.3Z.sub.2(TO.sub.4).sub.3 structure, where X is a divalent metal element, Z is a trivalent metal element, and T is a tetravalent metal element, and has a composition expressed by (X.sub.1-xA.sub.x).sub.3(Z.sub.1-yB.sub.y).sub.2(T.sub.1-zC.sub.z).sub.3O.sub.12+δ where the element X is Ca, Fe, Gd, Ba, Sr, Mn, and/or Mg, the element Z is Al, Cr, Fe, Mn, V, Ga, Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, and/or Ir, the element T is Si and/or Ge, an element A is La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and/or Sr, an element B is Zn, Mn, Co, Ru, and/or Rh, and an element C is Si, Al, Ga, and/or Sn, 0≤x≤0.2, 0≤y≤0.2, and 0≤z≤0.2 are satisfied, and δ is a value securing electrical neutrality.

A piezoelectric material including a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the following general formula (1); Bi; and Mn, wherein the content of Bi is 0.1-0.5 mol % with respect to 1 mol of the metal oxide, the content of Mn is 0.3-1.5 mol % with respect to 1 mol of the metal oxide, and the piezoelectric material satisfies (L.sub.4−L.sub.5)/L.sub.5≧0.05 and (L.sub.8−L.sub.9)/L.sub.9≧0.05 when the lengths of twelve Bi—O bonds with Bi that is located at a 12-fold site with respect to O in a perovskite-type unit cell as a starting point are taken to be L.sub.1 to L.sub.12 in length order:

(Ba.sub.1-xM1.sub.x)(Ti.sub.1-yM2.sub.y)O.sub.3  (1)

wherein 0≦x≦0.2, 0≦y≦0.1, and M1 and M2 are mutually different metal elements which have a total valence of +6 and are selected from other elements than Ba, Ti, Bi and Mn.

A ceramic and a preparation method therefor are provided. The ceramic includes a zirconia matrix, and an additive dispersed inside and on an outer surface of the zirconia matrix. The additive is an oxide including elements A and B, where A is selected from at least one of Ca, Sr, Ba, Y, and La, and B is selected from at least one of Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni.

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 a rhombohedral crystal in a single composition, has a Curie temperature Tc2 higher than Tc1, and is a lead-free-system composite oxide having a perovskite-type structure; and a third component which is a rhombohedral crystal in a single composition, has a Curie temperature Tc3 equal to or higher than Tc2, and is a lead-free-system composite oxide that has a perovskite-type structure and is different from the first component. When a molar ratio of the third component to the sum of the first component and the third component is α and α×Tc3+(1−α)×Tc1 is Tc4, |Tc4−Tc2| is 50° C. or lower.

A multilayer coil component including a magnetic part formed of a ferrite material, a non-magnetic part formed of a non-magnetic ferrite material, and a coiled conductive part embedded in the magnetic part and the non-magnetic part. The non-magnetic part has an Fe content of 36.0 to 48.5 mol % in terms of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, a Zn content of 46.0 to 57.5 mol % in terms of ZnO, a V content of 0.5 to 5.0 mol % in terms of V.sub.2O.sub.5, a Mn content of 0 to 7.5 mol % in terms of Mn.sub.2O.sub.3, and a Cu content of 0 to 5.0 mol % in terms of CuO with respect to the sum of the Fe content in terms of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, the Zn content in terms of ZnO, the V content in terms of V.sub.2O.sub.5, and if present, the Cu content in terms of CuO, and the Mn content in terms of Mn.sub.2O.sub.3.

A semiconductor ceramic composition represented by formula (1),

(Ba.sub.vBi.sub.xA.sub.yRE.sub.w).sub.m(Ti.sub.uTM.sub.z)O.sub.3  (1),

wherein, A represents at least one element selected from Na and K, RE represents at least one element selected from Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy and Er;

0.750y≦x≦1.50y  (2),

0.007≦y≦0.125  (3),

0≦(w+z)≦0.010  (4),

v+x+y+w=1  (5),

u+z=1  (6),

0.950≦m≦1.050  (7),

0.001 to 0.055 mol of Ca is contained, and 0.0005 to 0.005 mol of at least one selected from Mg, Al, Fe, Co, Cu and Zn is contained.

A semiconductor ceramic composition which is a BaTiO.sub.3 based semiconductor ceramic composition, wherein, part of Ba is replaced by at least A (at least one alkali metal element selected from Na and K), Bi and RE (at least one element selected from rare earth elements including Y), and part of Ti is replaced by at least TM (at least one element selected from the group including of V, Nb and Ta), the relationships of 0.7≦{(the content of Bi)/(the content of A)}≦1.43, 0.017≦{(the content of Bi)+(the content of A)}≦0.25, and 0<{(the content of RE)+(the content of TM)}≦0.01 are satisfied when the total content of Ti and TM is set as 1 mol, the grain sizes have a maximum peak in a grain size distribution in a range of 1.1 μm to 4.0 μm or less, and the distribution frequency of the peak is 20% or more.