A preform for making a component of a braking system having a fibre-reinforced ceramic composite material, obtained by forming and subsequent pyrolysis of a pre-preg is described. Also described is a component of a braking system made wholly or in part from the preform, and a method for making a preform in a fibre-reinforced ceramic composite material.

A sintered body comprises zirconia including a stabilizer element dissolved therein and a lanthanoid element dissolved therein, the lanthanoid element having an ionic radius larger than the atomic radius of zirconium. The content of monoclinic zirconia after a hydrothermal treatment at 140° C. for 24 hours is less than 25%. The sintered body includes a spinel compound including aluminum and a coloring element.

A silica-based dry refractory composition (“DRC”) comprising, by weight, about 95% to about 99.9% silica, and about 0.1 to about 5% binder, wherein the silica comprises about 40% to about 80% quartz and about 20% to about 60% fused silica, and the DRC has less than about 5% crystalline silica having a size less than 10 μm. A method of forming a refractory lining is also provided.

A method of forming low-k material is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of core-shell particles. The core of the core-shell particles has a first ceramic with a low melting point. The shell of the core-shell particles has a second ceramic with a low melting point and a low dielectric constant. The core-shell particles are sintered and molded to form a low-k material. The shell of the core-shell particles is connected to form a network structure of a microcrystal phase.

A preform for making a component of a braking system having a fibre-reinforced ceramic composite material, obtained by forming and subsequent pyrolysis of a pre-preg is described. Also described is a component of a braking system made wholly or in part from the preform, and a method for making a preform in a fibre-reinforced ceramic composite material.

A window pane for an interceptor missile includes a light transmissive base material and light transmissive additive particles dispersed within a thickness of the light transmissive base material so as to define stress nodes, the stress nodes localizing, upon applied thermal shock or thermal heating, crack propagation around each stress node and/or between two or more adjacent stress nodes and preventing a continuous crack propagation through any one of a length, a width and a thickness of the window pane.

A method of forming low-k material is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of core-shell particles. The core of the core-shell particles has a first ceramic with a low melting point. The shell of the core-shell particles has a second ceramic with a low melting point and a low dielectric constant. The core-shell particles are sintered and molded to form a low-k material. The shell of the core-shell particles is connected to form a network structure of a microcrystal phase.

Provided is an inorganic structure including a plurality of inorganic particles; and a binding part that covers a surface of each of the plurality of inorganic particles and binds each of the plurality of inorganic particles together. The binding part contains: an amorphous compound containing at least one of aluminum or titanium, oxygen, and one or more metallic elements; and a plurality of fine particles having an average particle size of 100 nm or less. The plurality of inorganic particles has an average particle size of 1 ?m or more, and the plurality of inorganic particles has a volume percentage of 30% or more.

A window pane for an interceptor missile includes a light transmissive base material and light transmissive additive particles dispersed within a thickness of the light transmissive base material so as to define stress nodes, the stress nodes localizing, upon applied thermal shock or thermal heating, crack propagation around each stress node and/or between two or more adjacent stress nodes and preventing a continuous crack propagation through any one of a length, a width and a thickness of the window pane.

Piezoelectric oriented ceramics containing a Pb(Ti, Zr)O.sub.3-based compound having a high degree of orientation not lower than 0.64, which was calculated with the Lotgering method based on an X-ray diffraction pattern in a prescribed cross-section thereof, and having a sintered density not lower than 85% of a theoretical density.