Abstract: In the method for manufacturing slabs of ceramic material which envisages preparation of an initial mix comprising ceramic sands with a grain size of less than 2 mm, preferably less than 1.2 mm, a binder and the so-called filler namely mineral powders chosen from feldspars, nephelines, sienites, mixed with clays and/or kaolinites, which powders after firing form a continuous ceramic matrix, deposition of the initial mix on a temporary support for the compaction step by means of vacuum vibrocompression, drying and firing, a binder consisting of an aqueous dispersion of colloidal silica called silicasol is used.

Abstract: Highly crystalline metal oxide-carbon composites, as precursors to thermally stable mesoporous metal oxides, are coated with a layer of amorphous carbon. Using a ‘one-pot’ method, highly crystalline metal oxide-carbon composites are converted to thermally stable mesoporous metal oxides, having highly crystalline mesopore walls, without causing the concomitant collapse of the mesostructure. The ‘one-pot’ method uses block copolymers with an sp or sp 2 hybridized carbon containing hydrophobic block as structure directing agents which converts to a sturdy, amorphous carbon material under appropriate heating conditions, providing an in-situ rigid support which maintains the pores of the oxides intact while crystallizing at temperatures as high as 1000 deg C. A highly crystalline metal oxide-carbon composite can be heated to produce a thermally stable mesoporous metal oxide consisting of a single polymorph.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure includes extrusion-molding honeycomb molded bodies. The honeycomb molded bodies are fired to form honeycomb fired bodies. A molding frame optionally having a vent portion with air permeability is provided. The honeycomb fired bodies are fixed in the molding frame. A member having an other vent portion with air permeability is optionally disposed on an inner face side of the molding frame. A gap between the honeycomb fired bodies and a gap between the molding frame and the honeycomb fired bodies are filled with a sealing material paste. The sealing material paste includes inorganic particles and/or inorganic fibers. The sealing material paste is dried to solidify the sealing material paste and to form an adhesive layer and a coat layer. The sealing material paste is in contact with at least a part of the vent portion during the drying.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming a glass sheet with reduced thermal coupling between upper and lower regions of the apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus allows for temperature changes near the lower regions of the enclosure without a large temperature impact on the upper regions of the enclosure, thereby providing for greater flexibility in setting a temperature profile for a forming body located within the enclosure.

Abstract: A method of making glass is provided. The method comprises preparing a dispersion of a nano-material. A slurry of a glass matrix material is prepared. The nano-dispersion is mixed with the matrix slurry to form a nano-dispersion/slurry mixture. The nano-dispersion/slurry mixture is dried. The nano-dispersion/slurry mixture is pressed into a final manufacture comprising a molecular structure including the nano-material bonded within and uniformly distributed throughout the molecular structure. The manufacture comprises an increased fracture toughness compared with a conventional manufacture produced without bonding the nano-material within the molecular structure. The nano-material has a size on the order of tens of nanometers. The matrix material has a size on the order of several micrometers. Five percent of the nano-dispersion/slurry mixture comprises the nano-material dispersion. Sintering is performed on the final form using a sintering process following the pressing step.

Abstract: The invention is to provide a process of producing the powder of aluminum titanate-based ceramics in which the formation of fine particulate component and coarse particulate component is inhibited, and having a very sharp grain size distribution, efficiently and at good yield. The invention is a process for producing a powder of aluminum titanate-based ceramics, comprising a step of keeping a precursor mixture containing a titanium source powder, an aluminum source powder and a silicon source powder at a temperature range of from 1100° C. to 1350° C. for 3 hours or more, followed by a step of heating the precursor mixture up to 1400° C.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a composite heat-dissipation substrate and a method of manufacturing the same. The composite heat-dissipation substrate includes a first ceramic layer having insulating properties, a second porous ceramic layer and a metal layer, wherein the first ceramic layer and the second ceramic layer are continuously connected to each other so as not to form an interface therebetween, and the metal layer is infiltrated into plural pores of the second ceramic layer to be coupled to the ceramic layers, whereby interfacial coupling force between the ceramic layers and the metal layer is very high, thereby providing significantly improved heat dissipation characteristics.

Abstract: A method for annealing a glass disk is disclosed. The glass disk is placed on a base, whereby the bottom surface of the glass disk makes a contact with the base, and the top surface of the glass disk is exposed to air. The glass disk is heated with thermal energy supplied to the glass disk, the thermal energy comprising first thermal energy supplied from the air through the top surface and second thermal energy supplied from the base through the bottom surface.

Abstract: One aspect relates to a method for the manufacture of an electrical bushing for use in a housing of an active implantable medical device. The electrical bushing includes an electrically insulating base body and an electrical conducting element. The conducting element is set-up to establish, through the base body, an electrically conducting connection between an internal space of the housing and an external space. The conducting element is hermetically sealed with respect to the base body. The conducting element includes at least one cermet. One aspect provides the method including forming a base body green compact having a through-opening that extends through the base body green compact from a ceramic slurry, generating at least one conducting element green compact from a cermet slurry, producing a bushing blank by combining the conducting element green compact and the base body green compact, and separating the bushing blank into two electrical bushings.

Abstract: Method for treatment of workpieces of porous carbon material with liquid silicon with the formation of silicon carbide, comprising the following steps: preheating of porous carbon workpieces under an inert gas to a selected operating temperature TB1, delivery of liquid silicon to the porous carbon workpieces at an operating pressure pB2 and an operating temperature TB2 and impregnation of the porous carbon workpieces with liquid silicon, reaction of the liquid silicon in the workpiece at a temperature TB3 with formation of silicon carbide from carbon and silicon, gassing of the workpieces with inert gas, and cooling from the operating temperature TB3 to a conditioning temperature Tk, cooling of workpieces to room temperature, in step c the delivery of silicon and transport of the workpieces taking place over preferably cylindrical rolls which are porous at least in the exterior region and which are pivoted, and their speed of rotation determining the residence time for the delivery of silicon in step c, and t

Abstract: The present invention relates to a luminescent ceramic converter comprising a sintered, monolithic ceramic material that converts a light of a first wavelength to a light of a second wavelength, the ceramic material having substantially spherically shaped pores. The present invention also relates to methods for the manufacture of the luminescent ceramic converter that comprises the ceramic material having substantially spherically shaped pores.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention is to provide an economical production technology for obtaining a dense boron carbide ceramic product without impairment to excellent mechanical properties, which boron carbide ceramics are inherently equipped with, by conducting heating under normal pressure without application of pressure and without needing addition of a large amount of a sintering additive to a raw material or needing any special additive or treatment. The present invention provides a production process in which, upon heating a boron carbide green body under normal pressure without application of pressure after pressing a boron carbide powder material to obtain the boron carbide green body, the boron carbide green body is heated with one of a powder, green body or sintered body, which contains at least one of aluminum and silicon, being disposed in a furnace.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of producing Ni/YSZ porous anode bodies for solid oxide fuel cells. According to the methods, a small amount of a nickel compound or salt is used as a pore former. Upon heating in air, the nickel compound or salt is decomposed into nickel oxide and releases gases, resulting in volume shrinkage. Therefore, Ni/YSZ porous bodies having a uniform pore size and reduction products thereof can be produced in an economical manner.

Abstract: A method of shaping a green body provides a shaped green body comprised of a plurality of sinterable particles and an organic binder. Such a method includes: (1) molding a mixture of sinterable particles and organic binder into the shape of an initial green body or intermediate, wherein the sinterable particles include at least one of metal particles or ceramic particles; and (2) shaping the green body intermediate with at least one of a stream of energy or a stream of matter, wherein the shaping yields a green body having a desired shape. The shaped green body can be sintered in order to provide a hardened body having substantially the shape of the shaped green body.

Abstract: This invention provides a polycrystalline yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) which is transparent in the visible and near infrared region. The invention also provides a method of manufacturing a transparent sintered YAG, which has nearly no porosity.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparation of a part comprising silicon carbide with an average nanometric grain size and a relative density of more than 97%, said process comprising: a preform formation step by cold compaction of a nanometric silicon carbide powder or the formation of agglomerates of such a powder by granulation of the powder; a spark plasma sintering step of said preform or said agglomerates, without the addition of sintering, at at least one predetermined temperature and pressure so as to obtain the required relative density and average grain size, namely a relative density of more than 97% and a nanometric average grain size.

Abstract: A freeze-forging method for producing sintered three-dimensional ceramic bodies, particularly magnesium aluminate spinel domes. The method comprises forming a ceramic mix of a ready-to-sinter ceramic powder and a nonaqueous liquefied sublimable vehicle having a solidification temperature from room temperature to below 200° C.; reducing the temperature of the ceramic mix to below the vehicle's solidification temperature to freeze the mix; crushing the frozen mix into powdered form; molding the frozen powder into net shape by cold forging in a mold to form a net-shaped green body preform of the desired three-dimensional shape; and densifying the green body into a sintered three-dimensional ceramic body.

Abstract: A reactive-ceramming process for making YPO4 ceramics involving the reaction between a YP-glass and a Y-source material. The invention can be used to synthesize, inter alia, phase-pure YPO4 ceramic material 5 at a relatively low temperature in a relatively short period of time and at a low cost. Invention can be used to make large piece of YPO4 blocks suitable for, e.g., an isopipe in a fusion down-draw process for making large-size glass sheets.

Abstract: The present invention includes a method of preparing a ceramic precursor article, the ceramic precursor made thereby, a method of making a ceramic article and an article made by that method. It also includes a method of replicating a ceramic shape. Also included is a method of making a ceramic precursor, and the finished ceramic article therefrom, involving a compression step, and a compression-capable printer apparatus.

Abstract: Rapid sintering techniques for densifying zirconium dioxide based ceramic materials employing electromagnetic induction heating or inductive coupled plasma, reducing processing time from hours to minutes. In one embodiment a water-cooled coil is connected to a radio frequency power supply. The coil surrounds a susceptor body which in turn surrounds the ceramic to be sintered. The susceptor heats up in response to a magnetic field emanating from the coil as the coil receives electric power. The heat in turn is radiated from the susceptor and heats the ceramic. In another embodiment, the coil is connected to a radio frequency power supply of sufficiently high frequency and power to establish a plasma in the gas which surrounds the ceramic. The plasma then heats the ceramic. The method is especially useful for sintering ceramic dental appliances, in minutes which can lead to in situ fabrication of such appliances while a dental patient waits.