Abstract: A lead-free piezo-electric porcelain composition which contains a main phase having voids and which is formed of a first crystal phase composed of an alkali niobate/tantalate-based perovskite oxide having piezo-electric characteristics; and a sub-phase containing a second crystal phase composed of an A2B6O13-based compound (where the element A is a monovalent element and the element B is one or more divalent to hexavalent elements). The sub-phase fills voids present in the main phase.

Abstract: A thermistor element includes a thermistor main body having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a first covering layer having reduction resistance and covering the periphery of the thermistor main body. At least a portion (exposed outer surface) of the outer surface of the first covering layer is exposed to the outside. When the shortest distance in a straight line in the first covering layer extending from a starting point on the thermistor main body to the exposed outer surface is defined as an exposed layer thickness at the starting point, the first covering layer is formed such that an exposed layer thickness measured by using any vertex of the rectangular parallelepiped thermistor main body as a starting point is equal to or greater than the smallest one of exposed layer thicknesses measured by using points on three sides and three flat surfaces which form the vertex.

Abstract: A conductive sintered oxide which includes: a conductive crystal phase having a perovskite structure represented by (RE1-cSrc)MdO3, in which RE is a group of elements consisting of Yb and/or Lu and at least one element selected from Group IIIA elements excluding Yb, Lu and La, and M is a group of elements consisting of Al and at least one element selected from Groups IVA, VA, VIA, VIIA and VIII, a first insulating crystal phase represented by RE2O3, and a second insulating crystal phase represented by SrAl2O4. The conductive crystal phase has a coefficient c satisfying 0.18<c<0.50 and has a coefficient d satisfying 0.67?d?0.93. A content of a third insulating crystal phase represented by RE4Al2O9, the content of which may be zero, is smaller than the content of each of the first and second insulating crystal phases.

Abstract: A sintered electroconductive oxide forming a thermistor element has a first crystal phase having a composition represented by RE14Al2O9 and a second crystal phase having a perovskite structure represented by (RE21-aSLa)MO3. The factor a of the second crystal phase is: 0.18<a<0.50, wherein RE1 represents at least one of Yb and Lu and at least one species selected from among group 3A elements excluding Yb, Lu, and La; RE2 represents at least one species selected from among group 3A elements excluding La and which contains at least one species selected from the group RE1; M represents Al and at least one species selected from group 4A to 7A, and 8 elements; and SL represents Sr, Ca, and Mg, with at least Sr being included at a predominant proportion by mole.

Abstract: A conductive sintered oxide which includes: a conductive crystal phase having a perovskite structure represented by (RE1-cSrc)MdO3, in which RE is a group of elements consisting of Yb and/or Lu and at least one element selected from Group IIIA elements excluding Yb, Lu and La, and M is a group of elements consisting of Al and at least one element selected from Groups IVA, VA, VIA, VIIA and VIII, a first insulating crystal phase represented by RE2O3, and a second insulating crystal phase represented by SrAl2O4. The conductive crystal phase has a coefficient c satisfying 0.18<c<0.50 and has a coefficient d satisfying 0.67?d?0.93. A content of a third insulating crystal phase represented by RE4Al2O9, the content of which may be zero, is smaller than the content of each of the first and second insulating crystal phases.

Abstract: A conductive sintered oxide including: a first crystal phase represented by RE14Al2O9 and a second crystal phase having a perovskite structure represented by (RE21-cSLc)(AlxM1y)O3. RE1 is a first element group consisting of Yb and/or Lu and at least one element selected from Group IIIA elements excluding Yb, Lu and La. RE2 is a second element group consisting of at least one element selected from Group IIIA elements excluding La and including at least one of the elements constituting the first element group RE1. SL is an element group consisting of at least one of Sr, Ca and Mg and which includes Sr as a main element, and M1 is an element group consisting of at least one element selected from Groups IVA, VA, VIA, VIIA and VIII excluding Cr. The coefficient c is in the range of 0.18<c<0.50, and the coefficients x and y are in the range of 0.95?x+y?1.1.

Abstract: A sintered electroconductive oxide (1) forming a thermistor element (2) has a first crystal phase having a composition represented by RE14Al2O9 and a second crystal phase having a perovskite structure represented by (RE21-aSLa)MO3, and that the factor a of the second crystal phase satisfies the following condition: 0.18<a<0.50, wherein RE1 represents a first element group consisting of at least one of Yb and Lu and at least one species selected from among group 3A elements excluding Yb, Lu, and La; RE2 represents a second element group which contains at least one species selected from among group 3A elements excluding La and which contains at least one species selected from the first element group RE1; M represents an element group consisting of Al and at least one species selected from group 4A to 7A, and 8 elements; and SL represents an element group consisting of Sr, Ca, and Mg, with at least Sr being included at a predominant proportion by mole.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sintered electroconductive oxide containing a perovskite phase of perovskite-type crystal structure represented by the composition formula: M1aM2bM3cAldCreOf where M1 is at least one of elements of group 3A other than La; M2 is at least one of elements of group 2A; M3 is at least one of elements of groups 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A and 8 other than Cr; and a, b, c, d, e and f satisfy the following conditional expressions: 0.600?a?1.000; 0?b?0.400; 0.150?c<0.600; 0.400?d?0.800; 0<e?0.050; 0<e/(c+e)?0.18; and 2.80?f?3.30. With the use of this conductive oxide sintered body, it becomes possible to carry out proper temperature measurements over the temperature range from a low temperature of ?40° C. to a high temperature of 900° C. or higher.

Abstract: A thermistor element includes a thermistor body and a reduction-resistant coating covering the thermistor body. The thermistor body contains a perovskite phase of perovskite-type crystal structure represented by the composition formula: ABO3 where A is at least one A-site element and B is at least one B-site element. The reduction-resistant coating is formed of a complex oxide containing one or more of the at least one A-site element and one or more of the at least one B-site element.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sintered electroconductive oxide containing a perovskite phase of perovskite-type crystal structure represented by the composition formula: M1aM2bM3cAldCreOf where M1 is at least one of elements of group 3A other than La; M2 is at least one of elements of group 2A; M3 is at least one of elements of groups 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A and 8 other than Cr; and a, b, c, d, e and f satisfy the following conditional expressions: 0.600?a?1.000; 0?b?0.400; 0.150?c<0.600; 0.400?d?0.800; 0<e?0.050; 0<e/(c+e)?0.18; and 2.80?f?3.30. With the use of this conductive oxide sintered body, it becomes possible to carry out proper temperature measurements over the temperature range from a low temperature of ?40° C. to a high temperature of 900° C. or higher.

Abstract: A thermistor element includes a thermistor body and a reduction-resistant coating covering the thermistor body. The thermistor body contains a perovskite phase of perovskite-type crystal structure represented by the composition formula: ABO3 where A is at least one A-site element and B is at least one B-site element. The reduction-resistant coating is formed of a complex oxide containing one or more of the at least one A-site element and one or more of the at least one B-site element.

Abstract: Objects of the present invention are to provide a piezoelectric ceramic composition which contains substantially no lead, which exhibits excellent piezoelectric characteristics, and which has high heat durability; and to provide a piezoelectric element including the composition. The piezoelectric ceramic composition contains M1 (a divalent metallic element, or a metallic element combination formally equivalent to a divalent metallic element); M2 (a tetravalent metallic element, or a metallic element combination formally equivalent to a tetravalent metallic element); and M3 (a metallic element of a sintering aid component), wherein, when these metallic elements constitute the formula [(½)aK2O-(½)bNa2O-cM1O-(½)dNb2O5-eM2O2], a, b, c, d, and e in the formula satisfy the following relations: 0<a<0.5, 0<b<0.5, 0<c<0.11, 0.4<d<0.56, 0<e<0.12, 0.4<a+b+c?0.

Abstract: A dielectric material containing at least one of Ca and Sr, Ti, Al, at least one of Nb and Ta, and O, wherein these elements fulfill the following four requirements when represented by a compositional formula, aM1O-bTiO2-(½)cAl2O3-(½)dM22O5 wherein M1 represents the at least one of Ca and Sr; M2 represents the at least one of Nb and Ta; and a, b, c and d represent each a molar ratio, provided that a+b+c+d=1: 0.436<a?0.500; 0.124<b?0.325; 0.054<c?0.150; and 0.170<d<0.346.

Abstract: A dielectric material containing at least one of Ca and Sr, Ti, Al, at least one of Nb and Ta, and O, wherein these elements fulfill the following four requirements when represented by a compositional formula, aMlO-bTiO2-(½)cAl2O3-(½)dM22O5 wherein M1 represents the at least one of Ca and Sr; M2 represents the at least one of Nb and Ta; and a, b, c and d represent each a molar ratio, provided that a+b+c+d=1: 0.436<a?0.500; 0.124<b?0.325; 0.054<c?0.150; and 0.170<d<0.346.

Abstract: A wave transmission-reception element for use in an ultrasound probe includes a base member and a plurality of unit vibration elements embedded in the base member. Each of the unit vibration elements includes a piezoelectric ceramic piece having a front face and a back face and polarized in a direction extending between the front and back faces, a front electrode formed on the front face, and a back electrode formed on the back face. Thus, the unit vibration elements are uniformly held in place without involvement of an increase in the thickness of the wave transmission-reception element, so that the wave transmission-reception element can be miniaturized, and the angle of beam spread can be increased. The invention includes a method for manufacturing the wave transmission-reception element as well as an ultrasound probe incorporating the wave transmission-reception element.

Abstract: A nitrogen oxide absorbing material, comprising a hollandite-type complex oxide having main metal elements comprising minimally of aluminum and tin, or zinc and tin, and a method of using that nitrogen oxide absorbing material comprising the steps of contacting the nitrogen oxide absorbing material with a gas containing nitrogen oxides. The method of reducing the adsorbed nitrogen oxides on the nitrogen oxide absorbing material includes the steps of releasing the nitrogen oxides from the nitrogen oxide absorbing material, and of reducing the released nitrogen oxides with a three way catalyst or other nitrogen oxide reducing catalysts.

Abstract: A catalytic material for removing nitrogen oxides comprises a complex oxide as main phase. The complex oxide has a spinel structure and contains metallic elements of Al, Ga, and Zn. The mole fraction x (%) of Zn on oxide basis is greater than 0 and less than 50. Nitrogen-oxides-containing gas and a reductant such as methane or propylene are brought into contact with the catalytic material so as to remove, through reduction, nitrogen oxides from the nitrogen-oxides-containing gas. The catalytic material can be used to remove nitrogen oxides contained in exhaust gas from an automobile or the like. The catalytic material can remove nitrogen oxides even in exhaust gas of a high oxygen concentration and requires no toxic reductant such as ammonia.

Abstract: A nitrogen oxide absorbing material, comprising a hollandite-type complex oxide having main metal elements comprising minimally of aluminum and tin, or zinc and tin, and a method of using that nitrogen oxide absorbing material comprising the steps of contacting the nitrogen oxide absorbing material with a gas containing nitrogen oxides. The method of reducing the adsorbed nitrogen oxides on the nitrogen oxide absorbing material includes the steps of releasing the nitrogen oxides from the nitrogen oxide absorbing material, and of reducing the released nitrogen oxides with a three way catalyst or other nitrogen oxide reducing catalysts.