Abstract: A porous ceramic material is disclosed having a principal cordierite phase, the porous ceramic material exhibiting a normalized strength greater than 20 MPa. The cordierite phase has a reticular microstructure. A method for forming a porous ceramic body having a predominant phase of cordierite is provided which includes forming a body from a plasticized mixture of inorganic ceramic-forming ingredients that include a magnesia source, a silica source, and an alumina source, the alumina source including alumina-containing elongated particles, wherein at least 90 wt % of the alumina-containing elongated particles have a length of 50 to 150 ?m, and then firing the body.

Abstract: Described herein are methods for diminishing or preventing in electrochemical operating systems the deposition of a metal oxide on an electrode surface. The metal oxide is formed by electrochemically assisted reduction of volatile metal oxides formed from a metallic component exposed to oxidative environments. In one example, described herein are methods for diminishing or preventing poisoning of a cathode by applying a negative protection potential to the metallic component. In another example, described herein are methods for diminishing or preventing the deposition of a metal oxide on a cathode surface by removing oxygen from the metallic component itself and thereby decreasing the amount of released volatile oxide from the metallic component by use of an auxiliary oxygen pump cell.

Abstract: A process for making a composite material and the composite materials having thermoelectric properties

Abstract: A method for fabricating thermoelectric device is provided. The method comprises placing a first electrode in a die, forming a first interlayer on an upper surface of the first electrode; positioning a separating plate on an upper surface of the first interlayer to divide an inner space of the die into a plurality of cells, and depositing a first thermoelectric material on the first interlayer within a first fraction of the cells, and depositing a second thermoelectric material on the first interlayer within a second fraction of the cells, sintering the die contents, and removing the separating plate after sintering to obtain a ? shaped thermoelectric device.

Abstract: A multiphase thermoelectric material includes a titania-based semiconducting phase and a half-metal conducting phase. The multiphase thermoelectric material is advantageously a nanocomposite material wherein the constituent phases are uniformly distributed and have crystallite sizes ranging from about 10 nm to 800 nm. The titania-based semiconducting phase can be a mixture of sub-stoichiometric phases of titanium oxide that has been partially reduced by the half-metal conducting phase. Methods of forming a multiphase thermoelectric material are also disclosed.

Abstract: Described herein are methods for diminishing or preventing in electrochemical operating systems the deposition of a metal oxide on an electrode surface. The metal oxide is formed by electrochemically assisted reduction of volatile metal oxides formed from a metallic component exposed to oxidative environments. In one example, described herein are methods for diminishing or preventing poisoning of a cathode by applying a negative protection potential to the metallic component. In another example, described herein are methods for diminishing or preventing the deposition of a metal oxide on a cathode surface by removing oxygen from the metallic component itself and thereby decreasing the amount of released volatile oxide from the metallic component by use of an auxiliary oxygen pump cell.

Abstract: A method of forming a sol-gel derived catalyst thin film on an electrolyte substrate includes forming a cathode precursor sol and/or composite cathode slurry, depositing the cathode precursor sol or slurry on the electrolyte and drying the deposited film to form a green film, and heating the green film to form a sol-gel derived catalyst thin film. An electrochemical cell such as a solid oxide fuel cell can include the sol-gel derived catalyst thin film.

Abstract: An aluminum titanate-based ceramic is provided having an anisotropic microstructure which includes the reaction products of a plurality of ceramic-forming precursors. The batch contains at least one precursor in fibrous form. The inorganic ceramic has low thermal expansion. Porous ceramic bodies and the method of manufacture are also provided.

Abstract: A porous ceramic substrate includes a first phase of microcracked cordierite ceramic material and a second phase of non-cordierite metal oxide particles dispersed in the cordierite ceramic, wherein at least a portion of the interface between the first and second phases is wetted by glass and the particles of the second phase have a size in the range of from about 0.1 to about 10 ?m.

Abstract: Disclosed is a segmented modular solid oxide fuel cell device having a plurality of independently controllable electrical power producing segments disposed within a common thermal environment. Also disclosed are methods for selectively operating one or more segments of the disclosed segmented modular solid oxide fuel cell device. Also disclosed are methods for performing a maintenance process on one or more segments of a segmented modular fuel cell device during fuel cell operation.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell that is capable of increased power density is disclosed. A ceramic electrolyte comprising at least one surface, wherein at least a portion of at least one surface is substantially free of segregated impurities is also disclosed. A solid oxide fuel cell comprising an anode and a cathode, each comprising an active surface, and an electrolyte having a surface, wherein at least a portion of each of the cathode active surface, the anode active surface, and the electrolyte surface are substantially free of segregated impurities is also disclosed. Methods for removing at least a portion of a segregated impurity from a solid oxide fuel cell either prior to or during assembly, or after a period of fuel cell operation are also disclosed.

Abstract: A process for making cordierite ceramic articles exhibiting improved properties involves steps of preparing a solution in which a sintering promoting agent is dissolved in a solvent prior to being combined with an alumina source, a silica source, a magnesia source, and an organic binder. The sintering promoting agent induces rapid growth of cordierite at lower temperatures and/or during shorter firing times, while preserving valued CTE and MOR properties. Improved MOR (MOR/E?mod*CTE) provide products exhibiting higher thermal shock resistance, and improved pore size distribution with cut off of smaller pore sizes providing products with lower back pressure at high filtration efficiency.