Abstract: Solutions permit or facilitate faster and/or easier processing involving loading or unloading of a work module into a process station. For example, the work module may be a processing tube or the like and the process station may be a heating station such as a tube furnace or the like. In one embodiment, the loading is from a single side of a process station. In one embodiment, the work module includes inlets and outlets for fluid flow, with both inlets and outlets being closer toward one side of the work module than the other side.

Abstract: A thermal method of making a hydrogen permeable composition is disclosed. A mixture of metal oxide powder and ceramic oxide powder and optionally a pore former is formed and pressed to form an article. The article is dried at elevated temperatures and then sintered in a reducing atmosphere to provide a dense hydrogen permeable portion near the surface of the sintered mixture. The dense hydrogen permeable portion has a higher initial concentration of metal than the remainder of the sintered mixture and is present in the range of from about 20 to about 80 percent by volume of the dense hydrogen permeable portion.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for manufacturing an artificial ultra-lightweight aggregate having a specific gravity of 0.8-0.9 using raw sewage sludge. According to the invention, raw sewage sludge and water-free waste are mixed into a blend having a water content that allows the optimal extrusion, whereby excellent ultra-lightweight aggregate which has low water absorption rate and, low slump loss can be produced. In addition, the collective treatment of waste and the mass production of recycled products are possible without addition of a drying process for raw sewage sludge, and thus excellent ultra-lightweight aggregate can be supplied at low cost.

Abstract: Method of making an electrochemical device for the recovery of oxygen from an oxygen-containing feed gas comprising (a) preparing a green electrochemical device by assembling a green electrolyte layer, a green anode layer in contact with the green electrolyte layer, a green cathode layer in contact with the green electrolyte layer, a green anode-side gas collection interconnect layer in contact with the green anode layer, and a green cathode-side feed gas distribution interconnect layer in contact with the green cathode layer; and (b) sintering-the green electrochemical device by heating to yield a sintered electrochemical device comprising a plurality of sintered layers including a sintered anode-side gas collection interconnect layer in contact with the anode layer and adapted to collect oxygen permeate gas, wherein each sintered layer is bonded to an adjacent sintered layer during sintering.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a method for producing a quartz glass crucible for use in pulling silicon single crystal, said crucible having at least a double-layer structure comprising a pore-free transparent inner layer and an opaque base body or outer layer having pores, characterized in that at least the base body is formed with a silica powder maintained in a gas having a mixing ratio of 0.0005 to 0.0065 kg/kg (dry gas), and a quartz glass crucible produced by said production method. The obtained crucible has an average OH group concentration of 50 ppm or lower and is capable of suppressing the vibration occurring on the surface of silicon melt during pulling the silicon single crystal. Further the obtained crucible suffers less deformation of the crucible on pulling the silicon single crystal.

Abstract: A dope is discharged from a casting die toward a belt to form a film-like material above the belt. Thereby a range near the film-like materials is decompressed by first and second decompression chambers. A pipe connecting each decompression chamber to a pressure controller has an inner diameter from 70 mm to 700 mm, and a length of the pipe is at most 30 m. Further the pipe is provided with a first expansion silencer of expansion silencer and a second expansion silencer of resonance silencer, and a sectional dimension ratio of the first expansion silencer to the pipe is from 5 to 500. Thus a pressure fluctuation in the second decompression chamber and the pipe is reduced and the film-like material becomes uniform. Thus the obtained film has no thickness unevenness, and used for producing a polarizing filter excellent in optical properties and a liquid crystal display.

Abstract: A clip to hold the film has a clip body, a flapper, a press slider and a rail mount. A pair of the press sliders is located in both sides of the flapper. A coil spring presses the press slider upward. A pair of entrance side film release members, provided in the tenter entrance, presses the press slider downward to press the lateral edge portions of the film by the press sliders. At the film hold position, the flapper rotates from a release position to a hold position to hold the film, and the flapper is kept at the hold position by a torsion spring. The flapper holds the film 26 after the press slider holds the lateral edge portions of the film, so the flapper can hold the film even when the lateral edge portions of the film are curled.

Abstract: A ceramic powder having a perovskite structure is manufactured by synthesizing a ceramic powder by a dry synthesis process and then heat-treating the synthesized ceramic powder in a solution. The dry synthesis method includes a solid phase synthesis method, an oxalate method, a citric acid method and a gas phase synthesis method.

Abstract: A method of producing a ceramic multilayer substrate involves producing a green composite laminate 11 containing first and second shrink-suppressing layers formed on the main surfaces of a green multilayer mother substrate 12 having a plurality of ceramic green layers 17 containing ceramic powder, the shrink-suppressing layers containing a sintering-difficult powder substantially incapable of being sintered under the sintering conditions for the ceramic powder; forming first grooves 16 extending from the first shrink-suppressing layer 13 side into a part of the multilayer mother substrate 12; firing the composite laminate 11; removing the first and second shrink-suppressing layers 13 and 14 and taking out the sintered multilayer mother substrate 11; and dividing the multilayer mother substrate 12 along the grooves 16, and obtaining a plurality of the ceramic multilayer substrates. Thereby, shrinkage in the plan direction at firing can be suppressed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the production of semiconductor granules comprising a step in which semiconductor powders are sintered and/or melted. The powders are nanometric and/or micrometric sized.

Abstract: A process for producing a ceramic molding having a three-dimensional network structure with a plurality of spherical cells and a plurality of through holes present in dividing walls between the spherical cells, includes: a step of obtaining an aggregate of coated particles in which a plurality of ceramic particles are attached to the surface of spherical synthetic resin particles; a step of arranging the aggregate of coated particles in closest packed form within a mold; a step of filling gaps in the aggregate of coated particles with a ceramic so as to give a shaped product; a step of releasing the shaped product from the mold; a step of thermally decomposing the spherical synthetic resin particles of the shaped product so as to form the spherical cells and form the plurality of through holes in dividing wall-forming sections that are present between adjacent spherical cells; and a step of sintering the ceramic particles and the ceramic so as to form the dividing walls.

Abstract: An exhaust gas purifying filter is made of a ceramic material in a honeycomb structure having introduction passages for introducing exhaust gas that includes particulate matter emitted from an internal combustion engine, porous walls that collect the particulate matter and exhaust passages for exhausting the exhaust gas after the particulate matter has been removed therefrom, with the porous walls supporting a catalyst for oxidizing and removing the particulate matter. The porosity of the porous wall is in a range from 55 to 80%, the mean pore size is in-a range from 30 to 50 ?m, and the total volume X of the pores included in the exhaust gas purifying filter and the volume Y of the pores that are not smaller than 100 ?m satisfy the relation of inequality Y/X?0.05.

Abstract: Starting from an optical component of quartz glass for transmitting ultraviolet radiation of a wavelength between 190 nm and 250 nm, with a glass structure essentially without oxygen defects, a hydrogen content ranging from 0.1×1016 molecules/cm3 to 5.0×1016 molecules/cm3, and with a content of SiH groups of less than 5×1016 molecules/cm3, to provide such a component which is particularly well suited for use with linearly polarized UV laser radiation, the present invention suggests that the component should have a content of hydroxyl groups ranging from 10 to 250 wt ppm and a fictive temperature above 1000° C.

Abstract: A method of forming a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) article (30) or a composite article (60) that minimizes the risk of delaminations while simultaneously maintaining a desired degree of porosity in the material. A pressure P applied against a surface of the article during a sintering process is controlled to be high enough to resist a separation force between the plies (66) of the CMC material (62) caused by anisotropic shrinkage of the material and/or to resist a separation force caused by differential shrinkage between the CMC material and an adjoined monolithic ceramic material (64). The pressure is also controlled to be low enough to avoid undue consolidation of the materials and to provide a desired degree of porosity in the sintered article. The pressure may be applied by delta-alpha tooling, and it may be varied verses the time of the sintering heating and/or across the article surface.

Abstract: In the manufacture of slabs and panels of ceramic material according to the vacuum vibrocompaction method described in Italian patent 1,311,858, the initial mix is formed using ceramic having the form of sands having a grain size of less than 2.5 mm, preferably less than 1 mm, and ceramic powders, together with a binding additive in the form of an aqueous solution consisting of sodium silicate in a concentration greater than 24° Baumé, fibers of high-melting transparent inorganic material, preferably high-melting glass, also being added to the mix. The slabs obtained have an improved mechanical strength, a reduced porosity and improved aesthetic properties, in addition to being free from cracks and microscopic fissures.

Abstract: There is disclosed a pre-sintering process for reducing non-uniformities in the density of a sintered material comprising (a) providing a mixture of (i) a first sinterable material containing a contaminant the presence of which during sintering of the first sinterable material results in a higher vapor pressure than would occur during sintering of pure first sinterable material and (ii) a second material having a higher affinity for the contaminant than does the first sinterable material; and (b) heating the mixture at a temperature and for a time sufficient to allow the second material to at least partly mitigate the propensity of the contaminant to raise the vapor pressure during the sintering of the first sinterable material. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for a sintered body having a metallic member buried therein is provided, and includes forming an alumina sintered body, forming a metallic member by printing a printing paste including a refractory metal on the alumina sintered body, forming a green alumina compact on the metallic member, and sintering the alumina compact, the metallic member, and the alumina sintered body or the alumina presintered body.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing porous ceramic, the method including molding a mixture containing a water absorbent polymer particle, a ceramic raw material, and water, the water absorbent polymer particle having a water absorption amount in a range of 5 to 30 ml/g at a pressure of 980 Pa, and heating and baking the resulting molded product. The water absorbent polymer particle is preferably composed of a polymer having a 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid unit or an acrylamide unit as a constituting monomer unit.

Abstract: A method of making a solid electrolyte-YSZ product, where the method includes the step of providing a powdered mixture of zirconia, yttria and a metal oxide, where yttria-stabilized zirconia is not added to the mixture. The method also includes sintering the powdered mixture at about 1500° C. or less, for about 5 hours or less, to form a two-phase composite that includes cubic YSZ and the metal oxide. Also, a method of making a fuel cell electrode that includes the step of forming a green body that includes zirconia, yttria and a metal oxide, where yttria-stabilized zirconia is not added to the green body. The method also includes shaping the green body into a form of the electrode, and sintering the green body at about 1500° C. or less to form a two-phased sintered body that includes cubic yttria-stabilized zirconia and the metal oxide. The method may further include reducing the sintered body to form the electrode.

Abstract: An insulating target material for obtaining a conductive complex oxide film represented by a general formula ABO3, the insulating target material including an oxide of an element A, an oxide of an element B, and at least one of an Si compound and a Ge compound.