A method of forming composition-modified barium titanate ceramic particulate includes mixing a plurality of precursor materials and a precipitant solution to form an aqueous suspension. The plurality of precursors include barium nitrate, titanium chelate, and a metal or oxometal chelate. The precipitant solution includes tetraalkylammonium hydroxide and tetraalkylammonium oxalate. The method further includes treating the aqueous suspension at a temperature of at least 150 C. and a pressure of at least 200 psi, and separating particulate from the aqueous suspension after treating.

A method for preparing a suspension of LDH particles comprising the steps of: preparing LDH precipitates by coprecipitation to form a mixture of LDH precipitates and solution; separating the LDH precipitates from the solution; washing the LDH precipitates to remove residual ions; mixing the LDH precipitates with water; and subjecting the mixture of LDH particles and water to a hydrothermal treatment step by heating to a temperature of from greater than 80 C. to 150 C. for a period of about 1 hour to about 144 hours to form a well dispersed suspension of LDH particles in water, wherein said LDH particles in suspension comprise platelets having a maximum particle dimension of up to 400 nm.

Process for producing a suspension by precipitation of a solid from a solution, wherein at least two solutions of salts are combined with one another in a stirred vessel so as to form a sparingly soluble solid, where portions of suspension are taken off continuously or discontinuously, the portions taken off in this way are processed in a combination of two separation apparatuses, where gas is separated off in a first separation apparatus which is selected from liquid-gaseous separation apparatuses, and mother liquor is separated off from precipitated sparingly soluble solid in a second separation apparatus selected from solid-liquid separation apparatuses, and the mother liquor is taken off, and the solid which has been separated off or enriched in this way is returned to the reaction mixture.

Hollow silica-based particles having cavities inside the outer shell having a low refractive index. The method of producing the silica-based particles comprises the following steps (a) and (b): (a) a step in which, when an aqueous silicate solution and/or an acidic silicic acid solution and an aqueous solution of an alkali-soluble inorganic compound are simultaneously added in an alkali aqueous solution to prepare a dispersion liquid of composite oxide particles, an electrolytic salt is added at the molar ratio of a mole number of the electrolytic salt (M.sub.E) versus that of SiO.sub.2 (M.sub.S) [(M.sub.E)/(M.sub.S)] in the range from 0.1 to 10, and (b) a step of furthermore adding an electrolytic salt, if necessary, to the dispersion liquid of composite oxide particles and then removing at least a portion of elements constituting the composite oxide other than silicon by adding an acid to prepare a dispersion liquid of silica-based particles.

Layered double hydroxides organo-modified by 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid (HPPA), by 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethylsulfonic acid or by a hydroxyphenylpropenoic acid, and to composite polymer materials having same. The composite materials are advantageously made of biosourced polymers such as poly(butylene succinate). These composite materials have improved properties over the polymers that make up the composition thereof, and over the composites of the prior art.

A metal bronze compound is provided. The metal bronze compound is a compound represented by formula (1) below. In formula (1), A represents at least one type of cation. M represents at least two types of ions selected from a transition metal and a metalloid. x represents the sum of the number of the at least one type of cation used as A. y represents the sum of the number of the at least two types of ions selected from the transition metal and the metalloid used as M. z represents the number of oxygen ion. The values of x, y and z balance the charge number of formula (1).

A.sub.xM.sub.yO.sub.z (1)

Provided are a method of preparing a metal oxide-silica composite aerogel, which includes preparing metal oxide-silica composite precipitates by adding a metal salt solution to a silicate solution and performing a reaction, and drying the metal oxide-silica composite precipitates by irradiation with infrared rays in a wavelength range of 2 m to 8 m, and a metal oxide-silica composite aerogel having excellent physical properties, such as low tap density and high specific surface area, as well as excellent pore properties prepared by the method.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing transition metal hydroxides with a mean particle diameter in the range from 6 to 12 m (D50), which comprises combining, in a stirred vessel, at least one solution of at least one transition metal salt with at least one solution of at least one alkali metal hydroxide to prepare an aqueous suspension of transition metal hydroxide, and, in at least one further compartment, continuously introducing a mechanical power in the range from 50 to 10 000 W/l in a proportion of the suspension in each case, based on the proportion of the suspension, and then recycling the proportion into the stirred vessel.

Described herein are methods for forming inorganic composite oxides. Such methods include combining, at a substantially constant pH of between about 5 and about 6.75 over a period of at least about 5 minutes, an acidic precursor composition and a basic composition to form a precipitate composition, wherein the acidic precursor composition comprises an alumina precursor, a ceria precursor, a zirconia precursor and optionally one or more dopant precursors; stabilizing the precipitate by increasing the pH of the precipitate composition to between about 8 and about 10; and calcining the stabilized precipitate to form an inorganic composite oxide. Also described are inorganic composite oxides formed using such methods.

Disclosed are high-entropy oxides, and methods of their preparation. The high-entropy oxide is characterised by a sub-micron particle size and rod-like particle shape. The method of its preparation includes a co-precipitation step, preferably using an oxalate compound as a precipitating agent. Also disclosed are an electrode, e.g. an anode, a catalyst and an electrochemical cell comprising the high-entropy oxide.