A method for producing a potassium titanate easily and inexpensively produces a potassium titanate that exhibits high thermal stability and has a significantly low fibrous potassium titanate content. The method for producing a potassium titanate includes calcining a raw material mixture by heating the raw material mixture to a maximum calcination temperature that exceeds 1000° C. while controlling the heating rate from 1000° C. to the maximum calcination temperature to 15° C./min or less to obtain a calcine, and cooling the calcine while controlling the cooling rate from the maximum calcination temperature to 500° C. to 100° C./min or more, followed by grinding, the raw material mixture including a titanium compound and a potassium compound so that the molar ratio (number of moles of titanium compound on a titanium atom basis/number of moles of potassium compound on a potassium atom basis) of the number of moles of the titanium compound on a titanium atom basis to the number of moles of the potassium compound on a potassium atom basis is 2.7 to 3.3.

A method of manufacturing barium titanate powder by dispersing, in a solvent such as ethanol, barium titanate. Then, the barium titanate is separated from the slurry by evaporating the solvent while pressurizing the slurry in a pressure container. Then, the separated barium titanate is subjected to a heat treatment, thereby producing the barium titanate powder.

A process for producing lithium titanate which includes the steps of synthesizing a lithium titanate hydrate intermediate via aqueous chemical processing, and thermally treating the lithium titanate hydrate intermediate to produce the lithium titanate. The lithium titanate hydrate is preferably (Li.sub.1.81H.sub.0.19)Ti.sub.2O<<2H.sub.2O. The lithium titanate is preferably Li.sub.4Ti.sub.5O.sub.12 (LTO). Synthesizing the lithium titanate hydrate intermediate may include mixing a titanium-containing compound with a lithium-containing compound in a solvent to produce a lithium-titanium precursor mixture. Preferably the titanium-containing compound includes titanium tetrachloride TiCl.sub.4. Also, a lithium titanate obtained according to the process and a lithium battery including the lithium titanate.

Provided axe porous titanate compound particles capable of giving excellent fade resistance when used in a friction material, a resin compound and a friction material each containing the porous titanate compound particles, and a method for producing the porous titanate compound particles. Porous titanate compound particles are each formed of titanate compound crystal grains bonded together and have a cumulative pore volume of 5% or more within a pore diameter range of 0.01 to 1.0 μm.

According to a novel fabrication method, a new composition of matter includes a large percentage (e.g., 75% or higher percentage) of primary nanoparticles in the new composition of matter. The novel fabrication method reduces the size of nanoparticle clusters in material of the new composition of matter, allows fabrication of specific nanoparticle cluster sizes, and allows fabrication of primary nanoparticles. This new composition of matter can include a high permittivity and high resistivity dielectric compound. This new composition of matter, according to certain examples, has high permittivity, high resistivity, and low leakage current. In certain examples, the new composition of matter constitutes a dielectric energy storage device that is a battery with very high energy density, high operating voltage per cell, and an extended battery life cycle.

The invention provides a low-cost, efficient method for producing lithium titanate that is useful for applications in electric storage devices. The desired lithium titanate can be obtained by heating at least (1) titanium oxide having a BET single point specific surface area of 50 to 450 m.sup.2/g based on nitrogen adsorption and (2) a lithium compound. Preferably the titanium oxide and lithium compound are heated together with (3) a lithium titanate compound having the same crystal structure as the desired lithium titanate. Preferably these ingredients are dry-mixed before heating.

A method of producing barium titanate that includes making a slurry by dispersing barium titanate powder in a solvent such as ethanol. Then, in a high-pressure vessel, substituting supercritical fluid including carbon dioxide gas, for example, for the solvent in the slurry. Then, separating the barium titanate powder from the supercritical fluid by gasifying the supercritical fluid. Then, performing a heat treatment on the separated barium titanate powders to produce the barium titanate.

According to one embodiment, there is provided an active material for a battery. The active material includes secondary particle which contains primary particles of a monoclinic β-type titanium composite oxide having an average primary particle diameter of 1 nm to 10 μm. The secondary particle has an average secondary particle diameter of 1 μm to 100 μm. The secondary particle has compression fracture strength of 20 MPa or more.

A manufacturing method of ceramic powder includes mixing a barium carbonate having a specific surface are of 15 m.sup.2/g or more, a titanium dioxide having a specific surface area of 20 m.sup.2/g or more, a first compound of a donor element having a larger valence than Ti, and a second compound of an acceptor element having a smaller valence than Ti and having a larger ion radium than Ti and the donor element, and synthesizing barium titanate powder by calcining the barium carbonate, the titanium dioxide, the first compound and the second compound until a specific surface area of the barium titanate powder becomes 4 m.sup.2/g or more and 25 m.sup.2/g or less.

An electrically conductive member of the present disclosure includes a base member containing chromium (Cr), and a first layer provided on a surface of the base member and containing chromium(III) oxide (Cr.sub.2O.sub.3). The first layer also contains titanium (Ti).