Disclosed is a method for manufacturing calcium zincate crystals including: placing calcium hydroxide.sub.2 and zinc oxide, one of the precursors thereof, or one of the water mixtures thereof in a starting suspension, the mass ratio of water to calcium hydroxide and zinc oxide, or one of the precursors or mixtures thereof, being greater than or equal to 1; milling the starting suspension to an ambient temperature less than or equal to 50 C. in a wet-phase three-dimensional micro-ball mill for a residence time less than or equal to 15 minutes and in particular from 5 to 25 seconds; recovering a calcium zincate crystal suspension coming out of the mill; and optionally, concentrating or drying the calcium zincate crystal suspension so as to obtain a calcium zincate crystal powder. Also disclosed are uses associated with the calcium zincate crystals obtained according to the method described above.

A zinc anode material for secondary cells includes zinc-containing particles that are coated with a coating composition containing at least one oxide of a metal selected from titanium, zirconium, magnesium, tin and yttrium. The surface localization ratio of the coating composition of Equation (1) ranges from 1.6 to 16. In Equation (1), the surface metal atomic ratio of the coating composition is represented by Equation (2), and the bulk metal atomic ratio of the coating composition is represented by Equation (3). $\begin{array}{c}\mathrm{Surface}\mathrm{Localization}\mathrm{Ratio}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{Coating}\mathrm{Composition}=\frac{\begin{array}{c}\mathrm{Surface}\mathrm{Metal}\mathrm{Atomic}\\ \mathrm{Ratio}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{Coating}\end{array}}{}\end{array}$

A zinc anode material for secondary cells includes zinc-containing particles that are coated with a coating composition containing at least one oxide of a metal selected from titanium, zirconium, magnesium, tin and yttrium. The surface localization ratio of the coating composition of Equation (1) ranges from 1.6 to 16. In Equation (1), the surface metal atomic ratio of the coating composition is represented by Equation (2), and the bulk metal atomic ratio of the coating composition is represented by Equation (3). $\begin{array}{c}\mathrm{Surface}\mathrm{Localization}\mathrm{Ratio}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{Coating}\mathrm{Composition}=\frac{\begin{array}{c}\mathrm{Surface}\mathrm{Metal}\mathrm{Atomic}\\ \mathrm{Ratio}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{Coating}\end{array}}{}\end{array}$

The present invention provides a layered double hydroxide with improved conductivity, a layered double hydroxide and a composite material containing the layered double hydroxide. The layered double hydroxide is represented by the general formula: [Mg.sup.2+.sub.(1-y)M1.sup.+.sub.y].sub.1-x[Al.sup.3+.sub.(1-z)M2.sup.+.sub.z].sub.x(OH).sub.2A.sup.n.sub.x/n.mH.sub.2O, wherein 0.1x0.4, 0y0.95, and 0z0.95, provided that both y and z are not 0 at the same time; =1 or 2; =2 or 3; A.sup.n is an n-valent anion, provided that n is an integer of 1 or greater; m0; M1.sup.+ is a cation of at least one substituent element selected from monovalent elements, transition metal elements, and other elements with an ionic radius greater than that of Mg.sup.2+; and M2.sup.+ is a cation of at least one element selected from divalent elements, transition metals, and other elements with an ionic radius greater than that of Al.sup.3+.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing crystals of aluminates of one or more element(s) other than aluminium, referred to as A. The method includes: placing starting reagents, including at least one aluminium element source and a source of the element(s) A that has a degree of oxidation of between 1 and 6, in suspension in a liquid medium, forming a suspension referred to as the starting suspension; milling the starting suspension at 50 C., in a three-dimensional liquid medium ball mill for 5 minutes; recovering, at the outlet of the three-dimensional ball mill, a suspension referred to as the end suspension including the starting reagents in activated form or crystals of aluminate of the element(s) A generally in hydrated form; if required, calcination of the end suspension when it includes the starting reagents in activated form, to obtain generally non-hydrated crystals of aluminate of the element(s) A.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing crystals of aluminates of one or more element(s) other than aluminium, referred to as A. The method includes: placing starting reagents, including at least one aluminium element source and a source of the element(s) A that has a degree of oxidation of between 1 and 6, in suspension in a liquid medium, forming a suspension referred to as the starting suspension; milling the starting suspension at 50 C., in a three-dimensional liquid medium ball mill for 5 minutes; recovering, at the outlet of the three-dimensional ball mill, a suspension referred to as the end suspension including the starting reagents in activated form or crystals of aluminate of the element(s) A generally in hydrated form; if required, calcination of the end suspension when it includes the starting reagents in activated form, to obtain generally non-hydrated crystals of aluminate of the element(s) A.

A core-shell quantum dot including a core including a first semiconductor nanocrystal, the first semiconductor nanocrystal including zinc, tellurium, and selenium and a semiconductor nanocrystal shell disposed on the core, the semiconductor nanocrystal shell including zinc and selenium, sulfur, or a combination thereof and a production thereof are disclosed, wherein the core-shell quantum dot does not include cadmium, lead, mercury, or a combination thereof, wherein the core-shell quantum dot(s) includes chlorine, wherein in the core-shell quantum dot, a mole ratio of chlorine with respect to tellurium is greater than or equal to about 0.01:1 and wherein a quantum efficiency of the core-shell quantum dot is greater than or equal to about 10%.

There are provided, for example, a reducing agent that can be used in a chemical looping method, a method of producing a gas using such a reducing agent and a method of increasing conversion efficiency, through which the efficiency of converting carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide is high. The reducing agent of the present invention is a reducing agent that produces valuables containing carbon by reducing carbon dioxide, including a granular support having a plurality of pores and an angle of repose of 45? or more and an oxygen carrier which is supported on the support and has oxygen ion conductivity. In addition, in the reducing agent of the present invention, the support preferably has an average pore size of 0.1 nm or more.

There are provided, for example, a reducing agent that can be used in a chemical looping method, a method of producing a gas using such a reducing agent and a method of increasing conversion efficiency, through which the efficiency of converting carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide is high. The reducing agent of the present invention is a reducing agent that produces valuables containing carbon by reducing carbon dioxide, including a granular support having a plurality of pores and an angle of repose of 45? or more and an oxygen carrier which is supported on the support and has oxygen ion conductivity. In addition, in the reducing agent of the present invention, the support preferably has an average pore size of 0.1 nm or more.

Single crystals of a new noncentrosymmetric polar oxysulfide SrZn.sub.2S.sub.2O (s.g. Pmn2.sub.1) grown in a eutectic KF-KCl flux with unusual wurtzite-like slabs consisting of close-packed corrugated double layers of ZnS.sub.3O tetrahedra vertically separated from each other by Sr atoms and methods of making same.