Abstract: Zirconia-containing ceramic compositions useful for thermal barrier coatings having improved mechanical properties, especially improved fracture toughness. These compositions comprise: (1) at least about 93 mole % zirconia; (2) a stabilizing amount up to about 5 mole % of a stabilizer metal oxide selected from the group consisting of yttria, calcia, ceria, scandia, magnesia, india, gadolinia, neodymia, samaria, dysprosia, erbia, ytterbia, europia, praseodymia, and mixtures thereof, and a fracture toughness improving amount up to about 2 mole % lanthana. These ceramic compositions can be used to prepare thermal barrier coatings to provide a thermally protected article having a substrate and optionally a bond coat layer adjacent to and overlaying the substrate. The thermal barrier coating can be prepared by depositing the ceramic composition on the bond coat layer or the substrate in the absence of a bond coat layer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a product, comprising a body which is delimited by a surface, of a lithium aluminosilicate-based glass-ceramic, as well as to its method of preparation. Characteristically, said glass-ceramic has, on at least one part of said surface, a surface layer the degree of crystallization of which is greater than that of said glass-ceramic within said body.

Abstract: A glass pane is provided with a multilayer system having metallic reflection and a high thermal resistance. The multilayer system comprises a dielectric base layer, a metal layer having a high reflection, made of chromium or a metal alloy containing at least 45 wt % chromium, and a nitride top layer. The dielectric base layer is composed of at least one oxide partial layer made of SnO2, ZnO and/or TiO2, close to the surface of the glass, and a nitride partial layer, close to the metal layer.

Abstract: A thermal barrier coating for a gas turbine component includes a bond coating layer, at least a first segmented columnar ceramic layer on the bond coating layer, and a particulate structure-stabilizing material disposed within a plurality of segmentation gaps within the columnar ceramic layer(s). The thermal barrier coating may further comprise, a second segmented columnar ceramic layer of yttria stabilized hafnia on the first segmented columnar ceramic layer, and an outer, continuous, non-segmented sealant layer covering the yttria stabilized hafnia layer to prevent ingress of extraneous materials into the segmentation gaps. Methods for depositing a thermal barrier coating on a substrate are also disclosed.

Abstract: An environmental barrier coating material comprising one or more constituents selected from a group consisting of hafnia; hafnia stabilized by one or more rare-earth oxides and/or silica; zirconia-containing hafnia; and zirconia-containing hafnia stabilized by one or more rare-earth oxides and/or silica, which when formed as a coating structure for covering a substrate which has a low thermal expansion coefficient, has hafnon (HfSiO4) serving as a first layer directly formed on the substrate, and hafnia with which the first layer is coated as a second layer.

Abstract: The cook top has a transparent, colorless glass ceramic or glass panel providing a cooking surface, which is made from pre-stressed special glass, and an IR-permeable undercoat on the underside of the panel, which is a heat-resistant inorganic enamel paint. In order to provide a heat-resistant cook top, through which the internal parts of the cooking unit cannot be observed, without reducing the strength of the cook top, the inorganic enamel paint includes 70 to 99, preferably 80 to 95, percent by weight of inorganic pigment and from 1 to 30, preferably 5 to 20, percent by weight of glass flux. The glass flux preferably is a borosilicate glass with a thermal expansion coefficient less than or equal to 4*10?6 K?1. The coating may be applied by screen printing techniques.

Abstract: An artificial barrel cactus consisting of a plurality of sickles; and a plurality of welds laterally interconnecting and radially arranging the sickles about a vertical axis.

Abstract: The invention relates to a solid body of plastic, glass, ceramic or metal which has at least partially a microstructured surface with rows oriented in a preferential direction of cross-sectionally trapezoidal or wedge-shaped ridges, wherein the ridges have minima and maxima in height (H) which lie in the range from 0 mm to 2 mm, and the minima and maxima follow one another periodically with amplitudes in the range from 0.005 to 20 mm, and the spacing of the rows of neighboring ridges in relation to one another is 0.002 mm to 5 mm, it being possible for the valleys between the rows to be planar, curved or tapered, and the cross-sectionally trapezoidal or wedge-shaped ridges have a wedge angle (?) in the range from 15 to 75°.

Abstract: A method for etching a deep trench in a substrate. A multi-layer hard mask structure is formed overlying the substrate, which includes a first hard mask layer and at least one second hard mask layer disposed thereon. The first hard mask layer is composed of a first boro-silicate glass (BSG) layer and an overlying first undoped silicon glass (USG) layer and the second is composed of a second BSG layer and an overlying second USG layer. A polysilicon layer is formed overlying the multi-layer hard mask structure and then etched to form an opening therein. The multi-layer hard mask structure and the underlying substrate under the opening are successively etched to simultaneously form the deep trench in the substrate and remove the polysilicon layer. The multi-layer hard mask structure is removed.

Abstract: An IT-cut quartz crystal unit has a discoidal or a rectangular quartz crystal blank which is cut from a crystal of quartz along a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis of the crystal of the quartz which is rotated over approximately 34° about the X-axis, and further rotated from this rotated position over approximately 19° about the Z-axis. Excitation electrodes are formed on both main surface of the crystal blank, respectively. The crystal blank is held at positions in at least one set of opposing peripheral regions selected from an angular range of 18°±18° from the Z?-axis on the surface of the crystal blank, viewed from the center on the surface of the crystal blank; an angular range of 198°±18° from the Z?-axis; an angular range of 108°±18° from the Z?-axis; and an angular range of 288°±18° from the Z?-axis.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical-fiber preform having barrier layers to hydroxyl radicals, the optical-fiber preform comprising: a quartz tube in the form of a cylinder shape serving as a substrate for forming the optical-fiber preform; a first barrier layer for preventing hydroxyl radicals from permeating the optical-fiber preform and deposited onto the inner surface of the quartz tube; a second barrier layer having a permeation coefficient higher than the first barrier layer and deposited onto the first barrier layer; a third barrier layer having a permeation coefficient lower than the second barrier layer and deposited onto the second barrier layer; and, a core layer being located at the center of the optical-fiber preform.