Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a lithium secondary battery which has improved capacity, durability, and rate characteristic as compared with conventional lithium secondary batteries. A plate-like particle or a film for a lithium secondary battery cathode active material contains cobalt and lithium and has a layered rock salt structure. The (003) plane is oriented so as to intersect the plate surface of the particle or film.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to improve the characteristics such as cell capacity, by raising the exposure of a crystal plane (a plane other than the (003) plane: e.g., (101) plane and (104) plane), through which lithium ions are favorably intercalated and deintercalated, to an electrolyte. A plate-like particle or a film for a lithium secondary battery cathode active material has a layered rock salt structure. A plane other than the (003) plane is oriented in parallel with the plate surface (a surface orthogonal to a thickness direction) and step-like structures are two-dimensionally formed along the plate surface.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-component system (cobalt-nickel-manganese three-component system) cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery which has improved characteristic as compared with conventional lithium secondary batteries and a layered rock salt structure. A plate-like particle or a film for a lithium secondary battery cathode active material is represented by the following general formula: Lip(Cox,Niy,Mnz)O2??General formula (wherein 0.97?p?1.07, 0.1<x?0.4, 0.3<y?0.5, 0.1<z?0.5, x+y+z=1) The particle or the film contains cobalt and lithium and has a layered rock salt structure. The (003) plane is oriented so as to intersect the plate surface of the particle or film.

Abstract: By exposing the crystal plane (a plane other than the (003) plane: e.g., the (101) plane and (104) plane) through which lithium ions are favorably intercalated and deintercalated, more to an electrolyte, characteristics such as cell capacity is improved. The present invention relates a plate-like particle for a lithium secondary battery cathode active material. The particle has a layered rock salt structure. The (003) plane is oriented in a direction intersecting a particle plate surface. The porosity is 10% or less.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a lithium secondary battery which has improved capacity, durability, and rate characteristic as compared with conventional lithium secondary batteries. A plate-like particle or a film for a lithium secondary battery cathode active material is represented by the following general formula: General formula: Lip(Nix,Coy,Alz)O2 (wherein 0.9?p?1.3, 0.6<x?0.9, 0.1<y?0.3, 0?z?0.2, x+y+z=1) The particle or the film contains cobalt and lithium and has a layered rock salt structure. The (003) plane is oriented so as to intersect the plate surface of the particle or film.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a lithium secondary battery which has improved capacity, durability, and the other characteristic as compared with conventional lithium secondary batteries. [Means for Solution] A plate-like particle or a film for a lithium secondary battery cathode active material has a layered rock salt structure. The lithium ion gateway plane is oriented in parallel with a plate surface, which is a surface orthogonal to a thickness direction of the particle and thus exposed at the plate surface, a plurality of layers are stacked together in the thickness direction, and while the layers have the same crystal axis in the thickness direction, as for the plate surface direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, the layers have different crystal axes.

Abstract: A method for producing a screen print having a given print pattern formed on a printing material by sliding a squeegee over a screen of a screen printing plate that includes the screen being disposed above the printing material in the form of a printing plate frame while keeping a given clearance therebetween. As such, the ratio (LP/LF) of a length (LP) of a side of the printing pattern perpendicular to the axis of the sliding direction of the squeegee to an internal size (LF) of a side of the printing plate frame perpendicular to the axis of the sliding direction of the squeegee is 0.45 or more, and an optimum clearance between the printing material and the screen printing plate is then selected and set on the basis of the correlation between the clearance and the degree of deviation in printing position of the print pattern.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a dielectric device includes steps described below. (1) Mixing step: Powders serving as a matrix and additive powders for sintering the matrix are mixed. (2) Mixture heat-treating step: The mixture of the matrix and the additive that has been subject to the mixing step is heat-treated. (3) Deposition layer formation step: The material powders obtained through the mixture heat-treating step are injected toward a substrate so as to form a deposition layer on the substrate. (4) Deposition layer heat-treating step: The deposition layer formed on the substrate through the deposition layer formation step is heat-treated so as to form the dielectric layer on the substrate.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a dielectric device includes steps described below. (1) Mixing step: Powders serving as a matrix and additive powders for sintering the matrix are mixed. (2) Mixture heat-treating step: The mixture of the matrix and the additive that has been subject to the mixing step is heat-treated. (3) Deposition layer formation step: The material powders obtained through the mixture heat-treating step are injected toward a substrate so as to form a deposition layer on the substrate. (4) Deposition layer heat-treating step: The deposition layer formed on the substrate through the deposition layer formation step is heat-treated so as to form the dielectric layer on the substrate.

Abstract: A microdevice has an electron emitter including a memory for accumulating electric charges corresponding to an input voltage, for emitting electrons corresponding to the electric charges accumulated in said memory; and an amplifier connected to a power supply and including a collector electrode for capturing the electrons emitted from the electron emitter. The atmosphere between at least the electron emitter and the collector electrode is a vacuum. When the electrons emitted from the electron emitter are captured by the collector electrode of the amplifier, a collector current flows between the collector electrode and the electron emitter to amplify the input voltage.

Abstract: A ceramic sheet 20 is produced by a method in which inorganic particles including, as a main component, an oxide represented by general formula ABO3 and containing a volatile component are mixed such that the A/B ratio is 1.05 or more, the inorganic particles are formed into a self-supported planar shaped body with a thickness of 30 ?m or less, and the shaped body is fired, without an inactive layer or with an inactive layer which does not substantially react with the shaped body and is disposed adjacent to the shaped body, at a temperature-rising rate of 30° C./min or more in a temperature range which is equal to or higher than a temperature at which the volatile component is volatilized.

Abstract: A crystallographically-oriented ceramic including first regions, in which crystal nuclei remain and which contain a specific element in a predetermined concentration range and extend at least partially in a layered shape along a crystal plane, and second regions, which contain the specific element in a different concentration range from the first regions and extend at least partially in a layered shape along the crystal plane. The regions are alternately repeated, and a compositional distribution exists in a direction orthogonal to the crystal plane. In the first region, the concentration of Na is higher, the concentration of K is lower, the concentration of Nb is lower, and the concentration of Ta is higher than the second region, and in the second region, the concentration of Na is lower, the concentration of K is higher, the concentration of Nb is higher, and the concentration of Ta is lower than the first region.

Abstract: A sheet body 11 includes an electrolyte layer 11a, a fuel electrode layer 11b formed on the upper surface of the electrolyte layer 11a, and an air electrode layer 11c formed on the lower surface of the electrolyte layer 11a, wherein these layers are stacked and fired in such a manner that the electrolyte layer 11a is sandwiched between the fuel electrode layer 11b and the air electrode layer 11c. The fuel electrode layer is a porous layer including a first layer 11b1 (the side close to the electrolyte layer) made of fine particles of Ni and YSZ, and a second layer 11b2 (the side apart from the electrolyte layer) made of fine particles of Ni, YSZ, and zircon (ZrSiO4). The zircon particles are uniformly distributed in the second layer in the plane direction and in the stacking direction.

Abstract: A method for controlling the shrinkage of ceramic formed bodies is provided, including performing a preliminary test to determine an average shrinkage of ceramic formed bodies made from test lots of a ceramic powder, and determining a linear correlation between the average shrinkage and measured amounts of the ground test lots removed from a ball mill during a specific milling time interval. A batch of the ceramic powder is then ground, an amount of the ground ceramic powder removed from the ball mill during the specific time interval is measured, and the linear correlation is used to estimate the shrinkage of a ceramic body made therefrom. The difference between a target shrinkage and the estimated shrinkage is determined, and one or more of the processing conditions used to form the ceramic body are changed to offset the difference.

Abstract: A method of producing a dielectric layer made of a polycrystalline dielectric material having anisotropy in the coefficient of thermal expansion is provided, including the steps of providing a raw material powder, and heat treating the raw material powder at least to a temperature sufficient to cause a phase change from a first crystal orientation at room temperature to a different crystal orientation to provide an aggregate of oriented raw material particles having the same chemical composition as the raw material powder but having the different crystal orientation. The method also includes a step of forming a compact from the aggregate of oriented raw material particles, including a step of applying a shearing force to the aggregate and firing the compact to form the dielectric layer.

Abstract: A plate-like polycrystalline particle is produced by forming inorganic particles into a freestanding shaped body, firing the shaped body, and crushing and classifying the fired shaped body. The inorganic particles contain as the main component an oxide that has a general formula of ABO3 and that satisfies a×Pb(M1/3,Nb2/3)O3+b×PbTiO3+c×PbZrO3+z×MO (wherein a+b+c=1, and M denotes at least one element selected from Mg, Ni, and Zn), wherein z is in the range of 0.002?z?0.42. The oxide contains a predetermined excessive amount of MO (M denotes at least one element selected from Mg, Ni, and Zn) such that the plate-like polycrystalline particle contains an excessive amount of MO. The plate-like polycrystalline particle contains a plurality of crystal grains that have a wavy structure composed of wavy grain boundaries. The plate-like polycrystalline particle is easily crushed at the grain boundaries and has a high degree of orientation.

Abstract: An actuator includes a first electrode disposed on the top surface of a ceramic substrate (for example, zirconium oxide), a piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance disposed on the first electrode, and a second electrode disposed on the piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance, wherein the input of an electric power alters the volume of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance contains a plurality of crystal grains that have a wavy structure composed of wavy grain boundaries including concave portions and convex portions. The crystal grains contain ABO3 as the main component. The A site is Pb, and the B site contains such an amount of M that M becomes excessive after the piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance is formed (wherein M is at least one element selected from Mg, Ni, and Zn). The crystal grains of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance are oriented in the electric field direction, independently of the orientation of the substrate.

Abstract: The dielectric device includes a substrate, a lower electrode, a dielectric layer, and an upper electrode. The lower electrode is bonded onto the substrate. The dielectric layer is bonded onto the lower electrode. The dielectric layer is obtained through thermal treatment of a film layer formed by spraying of a powdery dielectric material and a fine-particulate metal. In the thus-formed film layer, the metal is dispersed in the matrix of the dielectric material. Thermal treatment of the film layer causes migration of the metal in the film layer. This metal migration causes a lower-electrode-adjacent portion and upper-surface-adjacent portion of the dielectric layer to have different metal contents.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell has a stack structure in which sheet bodies and separators for separating air and fuel gas are stacked in alternating layers. Each of the sheet bodies includes an electrolyte layer, a fuel electrode layer formed on the upper surface of the electrolyte layer, and an air electrode layer formed on the lower surface of the electrolyte layer, wherein these layers are stacked and fired in such a manner that the electrolyte layer is sandwiched between the fuel electrode layer and the air electrode layer. The thickness of the electrolyte layer is 0.3 ?m or more and 5 ?m or less, and the electrolyte layer is composed of a single particle of YSZ in the thickness direction. Thus, the electrolyte layer is extremely thin, and further, the grain boundary in the thickness direction is small. Accordingly, the IR loss (electric resistance) of the electrolyte layer can remarkably be reduced.

Abstract: An actuator includes a fired ceramic substrate having a space opened downward, a first electrode formed on the upper surface of the fired ceramic substrate above the space, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive body formed on the first electrode so that the volume changes with input and output of electric power, and a second electrode formed on the piezoelectric/electrostrictive body. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive body is composed of Pb(Zr1-xTix)O3 or (Li, Na, K) (Nb, Ta)O3 as a main component and contains crystals oriented along the direction of an electric field. In the actuator, the degree of orientation of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive body can be increased regardless of the orientation of the substrate on which the piezoelectric/electrostrictive body is formed.