TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CERAMICS AND GLASS - Preferred Components: The ceramic material comprises an oxide of element(s) from silicon, zinc, zirconium, aluminum, titanium, ruthenium, tin or cerium, preferably silica.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Properties: The weight average particle size of metal-containing particles is 10-300 (preferably 30-50) nm. At least 80 (preferably 90) wt.% of the size distribution of the particles is less than 500 nm. The volume ratio of metal to ceramic material for each particle is greater than or equal to 9:1 (preferably 98:1). The weight average particle size of the aggregates is less than 500 (preferably 75-200) nm. Each aggregate comprises less than 20 (preferably 5) of the metal-containing particles. The weight average particle size of metal or metal alloy particles is less than 80 (preferably 50) nm. The weight ratio of the metal or its alloy component to the ceramic component in the contacting step is greater than or equal to 4:1 (preferably 19:1). Preferred Components: The powder batch further comprises aggregates of metal-containing particles within a matrix of the ceramic material. Preferred Method: The contacting is conducted in a flame spray, plasma or laser reactor at greater than or equal to 1000, preferably 2000degreesC. The process further comprises vaporizing by flame spraying the droplets produce from atomizing at least one liquid medium containing a precursor of the metal or its alloy and ceramic material. Preferred Components: The metal is from silver (preferably), copper, gold, palladium, platinum, nickel, cobalt, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten or its alloys.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The coating is free of covalently bonded carbon. EXAMPLE - Silver neodecanoate and hexamethyldisiloxane were premixed in toluene in differing amounts to produce solutions having various silver/silicon oxide weight ratios of 5/95-98/2. Each solution was dispersed at oxygen dispersion gas flowing at 40 standards liter per minute (slpm) and supplied to a flame spray reactor at a rate of 10 ml per minute. The ignition source for the reactor was fueled by methane supplied at 2 slpm and oxygen supplied at 4 slpm, where the fuel for the burner(s) was supplied by the precursors (silver neodecanoate and hexamethyldisiloxane) and the toluene carrier. In addition, the reactor includes an oxygen sheath supplied at 200 slpm and an oxygen quench medium supplied at 900 slpm. The resulting product was collected and analyzed. The results showed that the solutions having higher silver/silicon oxide ratio (greater than or equal to 60 wt.%) had a relatively narrow particle size distribution centered near 100 nm with no particles being larger than 500 nm.