Abstract: Equipment for the preparation of electric conducting composite samples by infiltration in a mold characterized in that it essentially comprises: a pressurization/infiltration chamber having at least one opening to connect it by means of appropriate tubes with a vacuum line and a pressure line and devices for sealing both under vacuum and under pressure; a sample-holder, inside said chamber, made of a material with a high thermal conductivity with one or more seats in each of which a mold is housed consisting of: a chemically inert and thermally stable tube made of a non-porous material; a plug, situated at one end of the tube, of a material which is different from the tube; a chemically inert and thermally stable spacer of non-porous material, situated inside the tube in contact with the plug; a device for creating a vacuum in the chamber; a device for pressurizing the chamber; a device for the thermal treatment of the sample-holder.

Abstract: Zirconia ceramic fibers, for catalytic applications, partially stabilized with yttria by means of a particular sol-gel process, are functionalized with a coating, containing zirconia and, optionally, alumina and/or oxides of Cu, Ni, Co, V, Mo, W, Ce, La, Nd and/or noble metals selected from Rh, Pt, Pd, Ru, Au, mainly obtained with a "dip coating" technique.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for obtaining pure or mixed oxide zirconia spheres, microspheres or washcoats consisting of:preparing a zirconium solution in water at a concentration, formally expressed as ZrO.sub.2, equal or lower than 400 g/l, starting from a basic zirconium carbonate additioned of conc. nitric acid up to a molar ratio ?NO.sub.3.sup.- !/?Zr.sup.4+ ! between 0.8 and 1.1, and eventually preparing one or more solutions of the other oxides when necessary;preparing a sol of zirconium, eventually mixed to other metals, by a thickening agent and, in the case of spheres and microspheres, of a surface active agent too;dripping the sol into an alkaline gelation bath for obtaining gel spheres or microspheres, or sucking the sol into the honeycomb channels in order to obtain the washcoats, with subsequent gelation with gaseous ammonia;ageing the so obtained gel;rinsing with water down to pH=9-10, only in the case of gel spheres or microspheres;drying and calcining.