Abstract: Provided is a nanofiber sheet that has a high mechanical strength, is excellent in durability, and has a high specific surface area. The nanofiber sheet includes: a plurality of nanofibers; and a bulk portion produced by bonding of the nanofibers, in which 7×10?3 portion/?m2 or more of the bulk portion satisfying the following formula is contained: 0.5?X2?Y?5 ?m2??(1) where X represents a diameter (?m) of each of the nanofibers and Y represents an area (?m2) of an inscribed circle of the bulk portion when viewed from a surface.

Abstract: Provided is a sliding member that exhibits a sufficient friction-reducing effect even at room temperature while having suppressing effects on liquid dripping, liquid leakage, and contamination by scattering like grease, and in particular, can satisfactorily reduce a frictional force even at a static friction stage. The sliding member includes, in at least part of a sliding surface thereof, a porous portion and a gel-like composition in the porous portion, in which: the gel-like composition includes a thixotropic gel containing an organic polymer and a lubricating medium; and the organic polymer is contained at from 1 wt % to 50 wt % with respect to the gel-like composition.

Abstract: To provide, between separated first sliding surfaces (DLC), a material of which frictional coefficient is higher than that of DLC at a temperature of 25° C. and a humidity of 45% as a second sliding surface.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a magnetic body 1 has soft magnetic alloy grains 11 that contain Fe, M (M is a metal element that oxidizes more easily than Fe), and S, as well as oxide films 12 produced by partial oxidization of the soft magnetic alloy grains 11, wherein the magnetic body 1 has its adjacent soft magnetic alloy grains 11 bonded together at least partially through the oxide films 12, and contains Fe by 92.5 to 96 percent by weight and S by 0.003 to 0.02 percent by weight. The magnetic body can have high levels of both magnetic permeability and volume resistivity, to meet the demand for smaller, higher-performance electronic components.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus for imaging a subject image from a lens on an imaging element through an optical filter has a porous body having pores which three dimensionally communicate with each other at least at a side opposite to the imaging element of the optical filter.

Abstract: Provided is a glossy member, including: a polymer substrate; and a polymer fiber assembly disposed on the polymer substrate, in which: the polymer fiber assembly has polymer fibers oriented in a given direction; an absolute value of a difference between an average solubility parameter of a constituent material for the polymer substrate and an average solubility parameter of a polymer material of the polymer fibers is less than 5 (J/cm3)1/2; the polymer fibers have an orientation degree of 90% or more; the polymer fibers have fiber diameters of 0.05 ?m or more and 5 ?m or less; and in at least part of a repeating unit structure in the polymer material, a dipole moment is 0 D or more and 3.50 D or less, and an absolute value of a SOMO is 9 eV or more and 12 eV or less.

Abstract: There are provided an optical member having a low reflectance and a good dustproof property and an image pickup apparatus. A plurality of projections are formed on a surface of a low-refractive-index layer disposed on a base and having a refractive index lower than that of the base so that a distance between peaks of the projections is 50 nm or more and 600 nm or less. An occupied area percentage at a depth of 15 nm in a direction toward the base from a peak farthest from the base among the peaks of the projections is 40% or less. An average of minor axis lengths of the projections at a depth of 5 nm or more and 15 nm or less in the direction is 15 nm or more.

Abstract: Provided are a bismuth-based piezoelectric material whose insulation property is improved while its performance as a piezoelectric body is not impaired and a piezoelectric device using the piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material includes a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the following general formula (1): Bix(Fe1-yCoy)O3??(1) where 0.95?x?1.25 and 0?y?0.30, and a root mean square roughness Rq (nm) of a surface of the piezoelectric material satisfies a relationship of 0<Rq?25y+2 (0?y?0.30).

Abstract: There is provided an optical member having a low reflectance and a good dustproof property. An optical member includes a base and a low-refractive-index layer disposed on the base and containing particles having a refractive index lower than that of the base. A plurality of projections are formed on a surface of the low-refractive-index layer. The width of the projections is 5 nm or more and 80 nm or less and the distance between the projections is 80 nm or more and 250 nm or less.

Abstract: A polymer nanofiber sheet including polymer nanofibers having a polymer, the polymer nanofibers being accumulated and three dimensionally entangled. The polymer nanofiber sheet has a low molecular weight organic compound containing at least one 4- or higher-membered ring structure with an ether linkage. The difference between the average solubility parameter of the polymer and the average solubility parameter of the low molecular weight organic compound is less than 8 (J/cm3)1/2.

Abstract: Provided is a porous laminate having satisfactory resistance to a mechanical load such as a bending stress while maintaining the characteristics of a porous structure. A porous laminate includes: a layer A formed on a support, the layer A including a porous film containing polymer nanofibers; and a layer B formed on the layer A, the layer B including a porous film containing polymer nanofibers, in which: an existence ratio of the polymer nanofibers contained in the layer A) is larger than an existence ratio of the polymer nanofibers contained in the layer B; and a difference between the existence ratio of the polymer nanofibers contained in the layer A and the existence ratio of the polymer nanofibers contained in the layer B is more than 40%.

Abstract: Provided is a method of producing porous glass having pores with a uniform pore diameter entirely, particularly in the case of phase-separated glass, including selectively removing a denatured layer formed on the surface of glass easily. The method of producing glass includes: forming phase-separated glass containing silicon oxide, boron oxide, and an alkali metal oxide; bringing an alkaline solution held by a porous supporting member into contact with the denatured layer formed on the surface of the phase-separated glass to remove the denatured layer; and immersing the phase-separated glass with the denatured layer removed therefrom in an acid solution to form pores in the phase-separated glass.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a porous glass layer easily, wherein a ripple is suppressed. A method for manufacturing an optical member provided with a porous glass layer on a base member includes the steps of forming an intermediate layer containing at least one of silicon, potassium, and aluminum on the base member, forming a phase-separable glass layer on the intermediate layer, forming a phase-separated glass layer on the base member by heating the intermediate layer and the phase-separable glass layer at a temperature higher than or equal to the glass transition temperature of the phase-separable glass layer, and forming a porous glass layer on the base member by subjecting the phase-separated glass layer to an etching treatment.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a porous glass includes: forming a phase-separated glass by heating at a temperature in a range of 300 to 500 degrees Celsius for 3 to 50 hours for phase separation of a glass body in which the concentration of SiO2 is 50 to 70 percent by weight, the concentration of B2O3 is 15 to 40 percent by weight, the concentration of Li2O is 1.0 to 8.0 percent by weight, the concentration of Na2O is 2.0 to 8.0 percent by weight, the concentration of K2O is 0.3 to 5.0 percent by weight, the total concentration of Li2O, Na2O, and K2O is 3.5 to 15 percent by weight, and the ratio of the concentration of K2O to the total concentration of Li2O, Na2O, and K2O is 0.10 to 0.30; and forming a porous glass by etching the phase-separated glass.

Abstract: A polymer nanofiber structural body of the present invention is a polymer nanofiber structural body in which polymer nanofibers are integrated, including a first layer and a second layer different from each other in polymer nanofiber existence ratio, in which: both the first layer and the second layer are laminated through a buffer region; the buffer region includes a region in direct contact with both the first layer and the second layer; and a polymer nanofiber existence ratio of the region continuously changes from a polymer nanofiber existence ratio of the first layer to a polymer nanofiber existence ratio of the second layer in a direction from the first layer to the second layer.

Abstract: A method of producing a polymer nanofiber structural body of the present invention includes: forming, on a base material, a first layer in which polymer nanofibers are irregularly integrated by an electrospinning method; cutting the first layer together with the base material; and irradiating an argon beam from a base material side in parallel with a fracture surface to direct the length directions of the polymer nanofibers of the first layer on the base material side toward the thickness direction of the first layer to form a second layer different from the first layer in pore structure, thereby providing a polymer nanofiber structural body having a plurality of pore structures and free of any clear interface.

Abstract: Based on an electrospinning method, a layer A formed of a polymer continuous phase is formed by: setting a potential difference between an ejection portion configured to eject a polymer solution and a collecting portion configured to collect the polymer nanofibers to a voltage value at which the polymer nanofibers can be spun; and setting the potential of the collecting portion to a low value with respect to a ground potential. Next, a layer B formed of polymer nanofibers and a polymer continuous phase is formed by increasing the potential of the collecting portion without stopping the application of voltages to the ejection portion and the collecting portion. Further, a layer C formed of polymer nanofibers is formed by increasing the potential of the collecting portion without stopping the application of the voltages to the ejection portion and the collecting portion.

Abstract: Provided is a lead-free dielectric ceramics having a low leakage current value, and a bismuth iron oxide powder as a raw material thereof. The bismuth iron oxide powder includes at least: (A) grains including a bismuth iron oxide having a perovskite-type crystal structure; (B) grains including a bismuth iron oxide having a crystal structure classified to a space group Pbam; and (C) grains including a bismuth iron oxide or a bismuth oxide having a crystal structure that is classified to a space group I23. The dielectric ceramics are made of bismuth iron oxide in which the bismuth iron oxide crystals having the crystal structure classified to the space group Pbam are distributed at a grain boundary of crystal grains of the bismuth iron oxide crystals having the perovskite-type crystal structure.

Abstract: An optical member including a porous glass layer on a base member is provided, wherein the reflectance is reduced and a ripple is suppressed. The optical member is provided with a base member and a glass layer holding a transparent material in the inside of a porous structure disposed on the base member, wherein in the thickness direction of the glass layer, the porosity in the base member side with respect to the center line of the glass layer in the thickness direction is smaller than the porosity in the side opposite to the base member with respect to the center line of the glass layer in the thickness direction.

Abstract: To provide an optical member in which crystallization is suppressed and which has a porous glass layer on a base material. An optical member has a base material 1 and a porous glass layer 2 which is formed on the base material 1 and has a three-dimensional through pore, in which the existence ratio of crystals of 0.2 micrometer or more in the porous glass layer 2 is 1.0% or lower.