The disclosed technology relates to a ceramic composition and an article formed therefrom. A ceramic article for radio frequency applications is formed of a ceramic composite material comprising a matrix phase comprising aluminum oxide having a corundum crystal structure and a precipitate phase comprising ZnAl.sub.2O.sub.4 and Zn.sub.2TiO.sub.4 and having a spinel crystal structure.

A particle mixture having: ZrO.sub.2+HfO.sub.2+Y.sub.2O.sub.3+CeO.sub.2; 0%≤Al.sub.2O.sub.3≤1.5%; other oxides than ZrO.sub.2, HfO.sub.2, Y.sub.2O.sub.3, CeO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3: between 0.5% and 12%. The contents of Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and CeO.sub.2, on the basis of the sum of ZrO.sub.2, HfO.sub.2, Y.sub.2O.sub.3 and CeO.sub.2, being such that 1.8%≤Y.sub.2O.sub.3≤3% and 0.1%≤CeO.sub.2≤0.9%. The mixture includes between 0.5% and 10% of particles of an oxide pigment. The content of other oxides and which are not included in the oxide pigment being less than 2%. The particles of the oxide pigment including, for more than 95%, of a material chosen from: oxide(s) of perovskite structure or equivalent of precursor(s) of these oxides, oxides of spinal structure or an equivalent amount of precursor(s) of these oxides, and oxides of hematite structure E.sub.2O.sub.3, oxides of rutile structure FO.sub.2, with “E” and “F” being chosen.

[Object] Provided are a Zn—Sn—O-based oxide sintered body which is used as a sputtering target or a tablet for vapor deposition and which is resistant to crack formation and the like during film formation, and a method for producing the same. [Solving means] The oxide sintered body is characterized in that tin is contained with an atomic ratio of Sn/(Zn+Sn) being 0.01 to 0.6, an average crystal particle diameter of the sintered body is 4.5 μm or less, and a degree of orientation represented by I.sub.(222)/[I.sub.(222)+I.sub.(400)] is 0.52 or more, where I.sub.(222) and I.sub.(400) represent integrated intensities of the (222) plane and the (400) plane of a Zn.sub.2SnO.sub.4 phase measured by X-ray diffraction using the CuKα radiation. The oxide sintered body has an improved mechanical strength, so that the oxide sintered body is resistant to breakage during processing of the sintered body and also is resistant to breakage and crack formation during film formation of transparent conductive films when used as a sputtering target or a tablet for vapor deposition.

The invention relates to a material for storing and releasing oxygen, consisting of a reactive ceramic made of copper, manganese and iron oxides, wherein, subject to the oxygen partial pressure of a surrounding atmosphere and/or an ambient temperature, the reactive ceramic has a transition region that can be passed through any number of times, said transition region being between a discharge threshold state of a three-phase crednerite/cuprite/hausmannite mixed ceramic and a charge threshold state of a two-phase spinel/tenorite mixed ceramic. A passing through of the transition region from the discharge threshold state towards the charging threshold state is associated with oxygen uptake and a passing through of the transition region from the charge threshold state towards the discharge threshold state is associated with oxygen release.

One aspect of the heat insulator of the present invention includes a porous sintered body having a porosity of 70 vol % or more and less than 91 vol %, and pores having a pore size of 0.8 μm or more and less than 10 μm occupy 10 vol % or more and 70 vol % or less of the total pore volume, while pores having a pore size of 0.01 μm or more and less than 0.8 μm occupy 5 vol % or more and 30 vol % or less of the total pore volume. The porous sintered body is formed from an MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4 (spinel) raw material and fibers formed of an inorganic material, the heat conductivity of the heat insulator at 1000° C. or more and 1500° C. or less is 0.40 W/(m.Math.K) or less, and the weight ratio of Si relative to Mg in the porous sintered body is 0.15 or less.

An NTC component comprising a first electrode (1) and a second electrode (2) is specified. The NTC component further comprises an NTC element (3) disposed between the first electrode (1) and the second electrode (2), wherein the NTC element (3) comprises a ceramic having the general composition AB.sub.2O.sub.4, and where A and B each comprise one or more of the materials Mn, Ni, Co and Cu, and B additionally comprises one or more of the materials Fe, Y, Pr, Al, In, Ga and Sb.

Provided is a precursor with which it is possible to form a solid electrolyte and negative electrode active material while preventing loss of mass during firing at 1,000° C. or lower. A precursor for forming a composite product of lithium titanate and lithium lanthanum titanate by firing, wherein a precursor of a lithium titanate composite product is used that is characterized in comprising a solid material that includes a composite salt of Li and Ti and an La source compound. Such a precursor of a lithium titanate composite product is obtained by a production method that is characterized in including a step for forming a solid material by heating a mixture that includes at least a Ti source, a Li source, and solvent by solvothermal treatment.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate to ceramic materials with high thermal shock resistance and high erosion resistance. In one embodiment, a ceramic material is formed from a composition comprising Al.sub.2O.sub.3, MgO, SiO.sub.2.

An optical converter for producing colored or white light from blue excitation light is provided. The converter has good scattering properties to be able to produce nearly white light from the scattered blue light components and the scattered, converted yellow light components. The optical converter includes material including one or more of a YAG ceramic, a LuAG ceramic, and a magnesium-aluminum ceramic exhibiting strong scattering.

Particles for a monolithic refractory are made of a spinet porous sintered body which is represented by a chemical formula of MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4, wherein pores having a pore size of 0.01 μm or more and less than 0.8 μm occupy 10 vol % or more and 50 vol % or less with respect to a total volume of pores having a pore size of 10 μm or less in the particles, and the particles for a monolithic refractory have grain size distribution in which particles having a particle size of less than 45 μm occupy 60 vol % or less, particles having a particle size of 45 μm or more and less than 100 μm occupy 20 vol % or more and 60 vol % or less, and particles having a particle size of 100 μm or more and 1000 μm or less occupy 10 vol % or more and 50 vol % or less.