Abstract: The invention relates to ceramic materials usable as tritium producing material in a thermonuclear fusion reactor. These materials are constituted by lithium zirconate substituted by copper in the form of solid solutions of the type Li.sub.2 ZrO.sub.3.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for the preparation of lithium aluminosilicate or gamma lithium aluminate ceramics having a controlled microstructure and stoichiometry.According to this process, mixing takes place accompanied by stirring in a short chain anhydrous alcohol of an unpolymerized liquid aluminium alkoxide and optionally a silicon alkoxide with a hydrated or unhydrated lithium hydroxide, followed by the addition of water in order to hydrolyze the mixture and obtain, after drying, beta LiAlO.sub.2 powder.This powder can be directly compacted and then sintered at temperatures of 800.degree. to 1150.degree. C. without prior calcination giving a gamma lithium aluminate ceramic with a controlled stoichiometry and microstructure (grains of 0.1 to 10 .mu.m).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of manufacturing permeable mineral membranes.The method of the invention is characterized in that a thin layer of gel of peptised hydroxide of at least aluminum is deposited on a permeable perous substrate and the resulting membrane is dried and fired at a temperature between 500.degree. and 1100.degree. C.The resulting membranes can be used for isotopic separation of gases or for filtration and ultrafiltration.