Abstract: An outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical cell is coated with a heat insulation material. A heat-resistant material is stacked radially outside the heat insulation material. An electrical insulation material is stacked radially outside the heat-resistant material. The order in which the heat insulation material, the heat-resistant material and the electrical insulation material are stacked one on top of another may be changed. A coating material other than the heat insulation material, the heat-resistant material and the electrical insulation material may be provided.

Abstract: A sodium-sulfur battery according to the present invention is provided with a reservoir space 100 that retains and solidifies a high-temperature molten material having flowed out of a cell 4, in order to prevent the high-temperature molten material from leaking out of a casing 1, even when an accident occurs to generate the high-temperature molten material inside the casing. The reservoir space 100 can be formed along a perimeter of the casing 1, or alternatively, can be formed inside the casing 1. The reservoir space 100 includes, for example, a composite member 15 of a rigid member 11, a heat-insulating material 12, and a heat-resisting material 13.

Abstract: An outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical cell is coated with a heat insulation material. A heat-resistant material is stacked radially outside the heat insulation material. An electrical insulation material is stacked radially outside the heat-resistant material. The order in which the heat insulation material, the heat-resistant material and the electrical insulation material are stacked one on top of another may be changed. A coating material other than the heat insulation material, the heat-resistant material and the electrical insulation material may be provided.

Abstract: A sodium-sulfur battery according to the present invention is provided with a reservoir space 100 that retains and solidifies a high-temperature molten material having flowed out of a cell 4, in order to prevent the high-temperature molten material from leaking out of a casing 1, even when an accident occurs to generate the high-temperature molten material inside the casing. The reservoir space 100 can be formed along a perimeter of the casing 1, or alternatively, can be formed inside the casing 1. The reservoir space 100 includes, for example, a composite member 15 of a rigid member 11, a heat-insulating material 12, and a heat-resisting material 13.

Abstract: An NaS battery module includes a container, a plurality of cells for an NaS battery and sand. The side walls of the container partition the inside and outside of the container in a direction in which the arrangement plane of the cells extends. An upper wall and a lower wall of the container partition the inside and outside of the container in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the arrangement plane of the cells extends. The lower wall and the side walls are high heat insulating walls whereas the upper wall is a solid low heat insulating wall having a heat insulating property lower than that of the high heat insulating wall. The cells and the sand are housed inside of the container. A variable louver is disposed outside of the upper wall so as to cover the outer surface of the upper wall.

Abstract: In a state where liquids are contained in a plurality of liquid container portions which are formed in a first layer and a second layer of a cartridge and which have predetermined volumes determined depending on liquids to be contained, and where the reaction vessel is connected to any one of communicating ports, when pressure is applied to act upon one of the liquid container portions which is communicated with the communicating port connected to the reaction vessel, the atmosphere is supplied to the one liquid container portion through a atmosphere flowing passage communicating with the outside, and the liquid contained in the one liquid container portion is supplied to the reaction vessel. The cartridge is rotated to connect another communicating port to the reaction vessel such that plural liquids are eventually supplied to the reaction vessel.

Abstract: Rotating a cartridge body 54 allows distribution ports and a combined distribution port provided in the cartridge body 54 and a channel inlet 53c provided in an upper surface of a ring array 53 to sequentially face a fluid port 30a of a reaction tank 30 independent of the cartridge body 54. Additionally, rotating the cartridge body 54 allows a plurality of DNA probes 53a to sequentially face a collimating lens 62a serving as a light detector independent of the cartridge body 54.

Abstract: A method is provided for manufacturing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film device including a ceramic substrate and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive operation portion including a lower electrode, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer, and upper electrode stacked on the substrate. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer is formed to extend beyond at least one of electrodes to form projected portions at its ends.

Abstract: There is disclosed a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film device which has a flexural displacement and durability equal to or more than those of a related-art piezoelectric/electrostrictive film device and which has a remarkably high resonance frequency and which is superior in high-speed response. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive film device comprises: a substrate formed of ceramic; and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive operation portion including a lower electrode, piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer, and upper electrode which are successively stacked on the substrate and including a projecting end of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer with which an upper surface of the lower electrode and a lower surface of the upper electrode are coated, and a projecting portion of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer is a coupling member constituted of a hybrid material in which inorganic particles are scattered in a matrix of a polymer compound, and is coupled to the substrate.

Abstract: A working-fluid moving device is a laminate of ceramic sheets, which constitute a channel. One of the ceramic sheets is formed to serve as a diaphragm. A piezoelectric/electrostrictive film is formed on the diaphragm. The channel houses first and second working fluids. The first working fluid is inferior to the second working fluid in wettability to the inner wall surface of the channel. When voltage is applied to the piezoelectric/electrostrictive film, the diaphragm is deformed, and the cross-sectional area of the channel at the central portion is reduced. The first working fluid which is present in the form of a single fluid mass at the central portion of the channel receives a repulsive force from the wall surface of the channel due to inferior wettability. As a result, the first working fluid is split into two fluid masses, which then move in the channel.

Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film type device which has flexural displacement and durability equal to or more than those of a conventional piezoelectric/electrostrictive film type device and has a relatively high resonance frequency and is superior in high-speed response. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive film type device includes a substrate formed of a ceramic and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive operation portion 78 in which at least one piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer and at least one pair of electrodes electrically connected to the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer are stacked on the substrate. In the device, an outer surface of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer is subjected to surface modification to obtain a highly water repellent surface for inhibiting infiltration of moisture into micro-pores opened in the outer surface or into a gap between the substrate and the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer.

Abstract: There is disclosed a manufacturing method of a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film type device including a ceramic substrate, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive operation portion containing a lower electrode, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer, and upper electrode stacked on the substrate, and the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer being formed beyond at least one of electrodes to form projected portions at its ends, the method comprising the steps of forming the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer beyond at least one of electrodes to project ends of the layer; applying a coating liquid in an amount sufficient to make the coating liquid permeate through a gap between at least a projected portion of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer and the substrate, and coat a predetermined portion of said at least one of electrodes; and drying thus applied coating liquid to form a coupling member to couple a projected portion of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer.

Abstract: There is disclosed a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film type device which has a flexural displacement and durability equal to or more than those of a prior art piezoelectric/electrostrictive film type device and which has a remarkably high resonance frequency and which is superior in high-speed response. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive film type device comprises: a substrate formed of ceramic; and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive operation portion including a lower electrode, piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer, and upper electrode which are successively stacked on the substrate and including a projecting end of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer with which an upper surface of the lower electrode and a lower surface of the upper electrode are coated, and a projecting portion of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer is a connecting material constituted of a hybrid material in which inorganic particles are scattered in a matrix of a polymer compound, and is connected to the substrate.

Abstract: In a process for producing a planar body of an oxide single crystal with a &mgr; pulling-down method, a shoulder portion having a larger width is grown without any polycrystal regions, cracks or crystal deteriorations in a central portion of the planar body. A raw material of the oxide single crystal is melted in a crucible. A seed crystal is contacted to a melt of the raw material near an opening of a nozzle 13 of the crucible. Then, the melt 18 is drawn from the opening by pulling down the seed crystal to form a planar body 14A. A temperature distribution of the nozzle 13 in a direction perpendicular to the drawing direction B is controlled by supplying heat to the nozzle 13 and/or by removing heat from the nozzle 13.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a filter utilizing a porous ceramic membrane as a separation film is provided, comprising the steps of substituting the air inside fine-pores of the porous substrate with a liquid, isolating the porous substrate face to be provided with a separation film, the other face of the porous substrate face not provided with the separation film, continuously feeding a film deposition slurry containing ceramic framework particles to allow the slurry to contact the face of the porous substrate to be provided with the separation film, applying a differential filtration pressure between the faces of the porous substrate, and depositing the slurry on the surface of the porous substrate. An organic polymer for endowing the deposition film with filtration resistance is added to the slurry.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a filter utilizing a ceramic porous membrane is provided, comprising the step of depositing a film deposition slurry containing ceramic framework particles on the surface of a porous substrate. The slurry contains an organic polymer for expanding gaps among the ceramic framework particles, and the micro-pore size of the porous membrane is controlled by adjusting the weight ratio between the framework particles and the organic polymer in the slurry, thereby enabling a porous membrane having a desired micro-pore size to be formed irrespective of the particle size of the framework particles.

Abstract: In a process for producing a raw material powder including lithium potassium niobate for growing a single crystal of lithium potassium niobate, raw starting materials comprising lithium carbonate powder, potassium carbonate powder and niobium pentoxide powder are mixed in a solvent. The lithium carbonate powder and potassium carbonate powder are entirely dissolved into the solvent, and lithium carbonate and potassium carbonate are then deposited around the niobium pentoxide powder by spray-drying the mixture to obtain granulated powder, and then the granulated powder is thermally treated to produce the raw material powder.

Abstract: In a process for producing a planar body of an oxide single crystal with a &mgr; pulling-down method, a shoulder portion having a larger width is grown without any polycrystal regions, cracks or crystal deteriorations in a central portion of the planar body. A raw material of the oxide single crystal is melted in a crucible. A seed crystal is contacted to a melt of the raw material near an opening of a nozzle 13 of the crucible. Then, the melt 18 is drawn from the opening by pulling down the seed crystal to form a planar body 14A. A temperature distribution of the nozzle 13 in a direction perpendicular to the drawing direction B is controlled by supplying heat to the nozzle 13 and/or by removing heat from the nozzle 13.

Abstract: In a process for producing a raw material powder comprising lithium potassium niobate for growing a single crystal of lithium potassium niobate, starting raw materials comprising lithium carbonate powder, potassium carbonate powder and niobium pentoxide powder are mixed in a solvent, lithium carbonate powder and potassium carbonate powder are entirely dissolved into the solvent, lithium carbonate and potassium carbonate are deposited around niobium pentoxide powder by spray-drying the mixture to obtain granulated powder, and then the granulated powder is thermally treated to produce the raw material powder.

Abstract: A ceramic heater composed of a ceramic substrate and a resistant heating element embedded within the ceramic substrate along a predetermined planar pattern is obtained by holding a convolution of a spiral-coiled high melting metallic filament in the above predetermined planar pattern and heat-treating the convolution at a temperature not higher than a primary recrystallization commencement temperature of the high melting metal under a non-oxidative atmosphere to provide the resistant heating element, embedding the resulting resistant heating element within a ceramic shaped body, and then, sintering the ceramic shaped body.