In one aspect, sintered ceramic bodies are described herein which, in some embodiments, demonstrate improved resistance to wear and enhanced cutting lifetimes. For example, a sintered ceramic body comprises tungsten carbide (WC) in an amount of 40-95 weight percent, alumina in an amount of 5-30 weight percent and ditungsten carbide (W.sub.2C) in an amount of at least 1 weight percent.

There are provided a cubic boron nitride sintered body having a surface also excellent in adhesiveness to a ceramic coating film, while having excellent wear resistance and defect resistance, and a manufacturing method thereof, and a tool. The cubic boron nitride sintered body of the present invention includes 60.0 to 90.0% by volume of cubic boron nitride, the remainder being a binder phase, wherein the binder phase contains: at least any of a nitride, a boride, and an oxide of Al; at least any of a carbide, a nitride, a carbonitride, and a boride of Ti; and a compound represented by the following formula (1):

W.sub.2Ni.sub.xCo.sub.(1-x)B.sub.2(0.40≤x<1)  (1)

A superabrasive compact and a method of making the superabrasive compact are disclosed. A superabrasive compact may include a diamond table and a substrate. The diamond table may be attached to the substrate. The substrate may have a metric of being defined as a ratio of carbon content over tungsten carbide content, wherein the metric ranges from about 6.13% to about 7.5%.

Superabrasive compacts and methods of making superabrasive compacts are disclosed. A superabrasive compact includes a polycrystalline diamond table and a substrate attached to the polycrystalline diamond table. The substrate includes a hard metal carbide and a binder having a compound with a composition of A.sub.xB.sub.yC.sub.z, where A and B are transition metals, where C is carbon, and where 0≦x≦7, 0≦y≦7, x+y=7, and 0≦z≦3.

A method of forming a polycrystalline diamond comprises derivatizing a nanodiamond to form functional groups, and combining the derivatized nanodiamond with a microdiamond having an average particle size greater than that of the derivatized nanodiamond, and a metal solvent-catalyst. A polycrystalline diamond compact is prepared by adhering the polycrystalline diamond to a support, and an article such as a cutting tool may be prepared from the polycrystalline diamond compact.

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 sintered body of the present invention is a sintered body including a first material and cubic boron nitride. The first material is partially-stabilized ZrO.sub.2 including 5 to 90 volume % of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 dispersed in crystal grain boundaries or crystal grains of partially-stabilized ZrO.sub.2.

There are provided a cubic boron nitride sintered body having a surface also excellent in adhesiveness to a ceramic coating film, while having excellent wear resistance and defect resistance, and a manufacturing method thereof, and a tool. The cubic boron nitride sintered body of the present invention includes 60.0 to 90.0% by volume of cubic boron nitride, the remainder being a binder phase, wherein the binder phase contains: at least any of a nitride, a boride, and an oxide of Al; at least any of a carbide, a nitride, a carbonitride, and a boride of Ti; and a compound represented by the following formula (1):
W.sub.2Ni.sub.xCo.sub.(1-x)B.sub.2(0.40≤x<1)  (1).

A composite composed of one or a plurality of principal strengthening compounds and at least one principal cemented refractory metal that is prepared by combining a suitable binary to senary borides and/or carbides with a unitary to binary principal refractory metal is disclosed. As compared with the conventional sintered cemented carbides, the composite of the disclosure not only possess high hardness and high toughness but also has various ratios of principal components since it is not prepared with equal mole during the process.

Disclosed is an MgO target for sputtering, which can accelerate a film formation rate even when MgO is used as a target for sputtering in the formation of an MgO film. The MgO target for sputtering, which includes MgO and an electroconductive material as main components, and in which the electroconductive material is capable of imparting orientation to a MgO film when the MgO film containing the electroconductive material is formed by a DC sputtering.