Ngk Spark Plug Company, Limited

The Director-general of the National Institute of Fusion Science

Kotaro Kuroda

Masakazu Watanabe

Satoshi Iio

Toru Imura

Hiroyasu Saka

Sataro Yamaguchi

Current leads are used for connecting a power supply placed in a room-temature environment and a superconducting coil placed in an ultralow-temperature environment. The current leads includes a first current lead and a second current lead. The first current lead is made up of a room-temperature N-type thermoelectric semiconductor, a low-temperature N-type thermoelectric semiconductor, and a high-temperature superconductor. The second current lead is made up of a room-temperature P-type thermoelectric semiconductor, a low-temperature P-type thermoelectric semiconductor, and a high-temperature superconductor. At least one of the first and second current leads is formed of a functionally gradient material.

Current leads adapted for use with superconducting coil and formed of

A zirconia-base sintered body comprising a sintered substrate containing 30% by volume or more of tetragonal zirconia and a coating film disposed thereon, characterized in that the diffusion coefficient of oxygen in a material forming said coating film at no higher than 550.degree. C. is smaller than that of oxygen in said tetragonal zirconia at a temperature of no higher than said temperature.

Zirconia-base sintered bodies having coating films

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Nagoya, Japan

Kotaro Kuroda