Toto Ltd.

Atsushi Teramoto

Saori Ukigai

Hironori Hatono

Yasutaka Ushijima

Shogo Shimada

Satoshi Shimizu

Nobuhiko Kanekuni

Yuya Suzuki

Mayui Noborisaka

Kazuhiro Ishikawa

Yuichi Takamatsu

Yuji Naka

Hana Ishii

A part includes a base material, a colored layer, an intermediate layer, and a water-repellent-surface layer. The colored layer contains 35 at % to 99 at % of C, 0 at % to less than 40 at % of Cr, 0 at % to less than 15 at % of N, and more than 0 at % to less than 15 at % of O. The intermediate layer contains at least one metal atom selected from Cr, Zr, and Si; and an oxygen atom. The intermediate layer exhibits a sputtering time of 0.5 minutes or more to 9 minutes or less.

Sanitary equipment part

Disclosed is a faucet valve including: a first valve body including a first slide surface, and formed from an alumina-based sintered body; and a second valve body including a second slide surface, and formed from an alumina-based sintered body, the first and second slide surfaces at least partially being in contact with each other with water in between. At least part of the second slide body is formed from a first amorphous carbon layer. The hardness of the first amorphous carbon layer is equal to or less than that of the alumina-based sintered body forming the first valve body. In the first amorphous carbon layer, a ratio (ID/IG) of a D peak to a G peak, measured by Raman spectroscopy, is greater than 0.5 but less than 1.9.

Faucet valve

Provided is a wet area member for use in an indoor wet environment, comprising: a base member; and an amorphous carbon layer formed on a surface of the base member and mainly containing carbon atoms, wherein the amorphous carbon layer further contains hydrogen atoms, and the amorphous carbon layer contains the hydrogen atoms in a predetermined amount or more and has a density lower than a predetermined value so as to be capable of inhibiting sticking of water scale for a long period. This makes it possible to obtain a wet area member which exhibits a high stain release property and a high stain release durability.

Wet area member

There is provided a semiconductive ceramic sintered compact that has a conductivity high enough to attain static electricity removal and antistatic purposes and, at the same time, has excellent mechanical properties or stability over time. The semiconductive ceramic sintered compact includes at least a main phase and first and second phases contained in the main phase observed as a result of observation of any face of the sintered compact, the main phase being a ceramic sintered phase containing AlOparticles, the first phase being a grain boundary phase including a conductive substance-containing conductive phase and AlOparticles, the AlOparticles being present in an island-sea form in the conductive phase, the second phase being a grain boundary phase containing a conductive phase having the same composition as the conductive phase in the first phase and having a structure that electrically connects the first phases three-dimensionally to each other.

Semiconductive ceramic sintered compact

There is provided a semiconductive ceramic sintered compact that has a conductivity high enough to attain static electricity removal and antistatic purposes and, at the same time, has excellent mechanical properties or stability over time. The semiconductive ceramic sintered compact includes a main phase and a conductive phase, wherein the main phase is a ceramic sintered phase including AlOparticles, the area ratio of the conductive phase to the main phase is 0% (exclusive) to 10% (inclusive), and the conductive phase includes two or more metals selected from Mn (manganese), Fe (iron), and Ti (titanium) and has a composition meeting a relation of Mn/(Ti+Mn+Fe)&#x3e;0.08 or Mn/Ti&#x3e;0.15.

Growing community of inventors

Kitakyushu, Japan

Atsushi Teramoto