Abstract: A niobium powder is provided for producing a niobium capacitor enhanced in the thermal stability of oxide films on niobium, with less leak current and less deterioration of leak current after application of thermal loads. The niobium powder contains form 0.005 to 0.10 mass % of hydrogen and from 0.002 to 5 mass % of sulfur and, further preferably, one or both of magnesium and aluminum in an amount from 0.002 to 1 mass % in total. The specific surface area of the powder is 1 to 10 m2/g and the average particle diameter of the secondary particles is 10 to 200 &mgr;m.

Abstract: An ultrafine metal powder slurry with high dispersibility includes an organic solvent; a surfactant having a hydrophilic group and a lipophilic group; and an ultrafine metal powder in an amount more than 60% by mass and less than 95% by mass. In the slurry, the hydrophilic group of the surfactant is at least one selected from a sulfonato group, sulfo group, sulfonyldioxy group, polyoxyethylene group with carboxyl group, and polyoxyethylene group with phosphate group, and the lipophilic group is an alkyl containing 12 or more carbon atoms or an alkylphenyl. The ultrafine metal powder slurry includes no aggregated particles, exhibits good dispersibility and is useful as a metal material for conductive pastes. The slurry can save a part of process steps in conventional conductive paste production processes, can shorten a process time and can save in labor.

Abstract: Potassium titanate powder with no risk of carcinogenic property, comprising particles with a length of less than 2 &mgr;m, a length/breadth ratio of less than 5 and, further, comprising 90% or more of particles with the ratio less than 2 and 97% or more of particles with the ratio of less than 3, based on the ratio of the number of particles.

Abstract: A cathode material for use in a lithium secondary battery of excellent thermal stability contributing to the improvement of safety of the battery and having large discharging capacity, as well as a method of manufacturing the cathode material for use in the lithium secondary battery, based on the improved method for measuring the thermal stability of the cathode material, the cathode material comprising a compound represented by the chemical formula: LixNiyCozMmO2 in which the material is powdery and the BET specific surface area is 0.8 m2/g or less, M in the chemical formula represents one or more of element selected from Ba, Sr and B, and x, y, z and m are, respectively, 0.9≦x≦1.1, 0.5≦y≦0.95, 0.05≦z≦0.5 and 0.0005≦m≦0.02.

Abstract: A niobium powder for forming an anode of a solid electrolytic capacitor which improves the defects in the prior art that an average particle diameter is too small, niobium is consumed as an oxide film in anodic oxidation step and the effective electrode surface area decreases. In the improved powder, for primary particles, the average particle diameter is 0.10-2 &mgr;m, the geometric standard deviation of particle size distribution exceeds 1.4 and the degree of sphericity is 2 or less. Anodes for solid electrolytic capacitors which are suitable for the use of super-high capacity can be manufactured by using the improved powder.

Abstract: Provided is an ultrafine nickel powder suitable for a laminated ceramic capacitor electrode material. According to the ultrafine nickel powder, cracks and/or delamination are not liable to generate in the process for producing a ceramic capacitor, and its internal electrode can be made into a thinner layer, and the electric risistivity of the capacitor can be made low. The ultrafine nickel powder has an average particle size of 0.1-1.0 &mgr;m, having the sulfur content of 0.02-1.0% by weight, and particles thereof being spherical, thereby exhibiting excellent properties. They can be produced by vapor phase hydrogen-reducing process using nickel chloride vapor.

Abstract: A magnetic ferrite paste is applied onto an Si substrate, and then sintered to form thereon a magnetic ferrite film having a mean composition that comprises from 40 to 50 mol % of Fe2O3, from 15 to 35 mol % of ZnO, from 0 to 20 mol % of CuO, and from 0 to 10 mol % of Bi2O3 with NiO and inevitable impurities as the balance. The magnetic ferrite film thus formed on an Si substrate is for magnetic devices, and it forms a region not containing CuO or having a CuO content of at most 5 mol % around its interface directly adjacent to the surface of the Si substrate. The adhesiveness of the magnetic ferrite film to the underlying Si substrate is high, and the reliability of the magnetic device having the magnetic film is therefore high.

Abstract: Provided is an ultrafine nickel powder suitable for a laminated ceramic capacitor electrode material. According to the ultrafine nickel powder, cracks and/or delamination are not liable to generate in the process for producing a ceramic capacitor, and its internal electrode can be made into a thinner layer, and the electric risistivity of the capacitor can be made low. The ultrafine nickel powder has an average particle size of 0.1-1.0 &mgr;&mgr;m, having the sulfur content of 0.02-1.0 % by weight, and particles thereof being spherical, thereby exhibiting excellent properties. They can be produced by vapor phase hydrogen-reducing process using nickel chloride vapor.

Abstract: Potassium titanate fine particles wherein the length is shorter than 5 &mgr;m, the content of the particles having the ratio of the length to the breadth is less than 3 is from 70 to 100% by number ratio, the diffraction intensity in the X-ray diffraction is low and the particles are low crystallinity, and the specific surface area thereof is from 20 to 50 m2/g.

Abstract: A nickel ultrafine powder which is characterized by having an average particle diameter of 0.2 to 0.6 &mgr;m and containing coarse particles whose particle diameter is larger than 2.5 times the average particle diameter in an amount less than 0.1% in terms of number-size distribution. It is produced from nickel chloride vapor by reduction with hydrogen in the gas phase. It gives thin internal electrodes (which contributes to high capacity) with only a few short circuits across them.

Abstract: This invention provides a surface mounting type planar magnetic device comprised of upper ferrite magnetic film, lower ferrite magnetic film and a planar coil interposed therebetween. For applying surface mount technology, an opening is formed in the upper ferrite magnetic film above a coil terminal portion and then, an external electrode conductive with the coil terminal portion through the opening is formed on the upper ferrite magnetic film. Further, this surface mounting type planar magnetic device is of a thin structure and can be mounted on the surface of a printed board. Its power loss is small, its inductance is large, its frequency characteristic is excellent, the disparity of the characteristic is small and its reliability is excellent.

Abstract: The potassium titanate of the present invention comprises particles of a diameter of 3 &mgr;m or less and a length of 5 &mgr;m or more with a ratio of the length to the diameter of 3:1 or more, at a content in number of 3% or less, with no hazardous particles contained therein from the respect of health and hygiene. The potassium titanate can be produced by heating a Ti source and a K source as the raw materials to a final TiO2:K2O ratio of 5.5:1 to 6.5:1 at a temperature elevation rate of 20° C./min in the temperature region above 800° C.

Abstract: The potassium titanate of the present invention comprises particles of a diameter of 3 .mu.m or less and a length of 5 .mu.m or more with a ratio of the length to the diameter of 3:1 or more, at a content in number of 3% or less, with no hazardous particles contained therein from the respect of health and hygiene. The potassium titanate can be produced by heating a Ti source and a K source as the raw materials to a final TiO.sub.2 :K.sub.2 O ratio of 5.5:1 to 6.5:1 at a temperature elevation rate of 20.degree. C./min in the temperature region above 800.degree. C.

Abstract: A method for producing high-purity iron oxide which comprises pulverizing iron ore into powder having an average particle diameter of 20-150 .mu.m, removing fine particles from the powder, and subjecting the powder to wet magnetic separation in a magnetic field of 1000-15000 gauss for the removal of impurities. The iron oxide powder may undergo the secondary steps of pulverization and classification, which are performed by the combination of a wet grinding means and a wet cyclone, and drying and calcination.

Abstract: The present invention provides a manufacturing method of a conductive or superconductive thin film of mixed oxide as an easier way to apply the mixed oxide type superconductive materials to electronic devices, etc. The manufacturing method of the present invention comprises using a mixed oxide composition showing conductivity or superconductivity as a target material and sputtering it onto a substrate to form a thin film. Examples of the mixed oxide compositions showing conductivity or superconductivity and to be used as the target material in the present invention are mixed oxides consisting of lanthanoid, alkali earth metal and copper as main components, particularly, a mixed oxide consisting essentially of La-Sr-Cu-O, La-Ba-Cu-O, La-Ca-Cu-O etc. or mixtures thereof, materials containing a small quantity of other metal oxide(s), or mixed oxides mainly consisting of Yb-Ba-Cu-O, Er-Ba-Cu-O, Ho-Ba-Cu-O, Tm-Ba-Cu-O or mixtures thereof.

Abstract: A method of stabilizing a steel making slag composed mainly of dicalcium silicate is disclosed, which comprises adding a boron-containing mineral obtained by adjusting an amount of crystal water to 4-12% by weight, whereby the powdering of the slag is prevented in the cooling.