A universal or all-purpose laser marking composition for forming satisfactorily dark laser marks on a wide variety of substrates is provided. The marking composition comprises an enhancer of nitrides, carbides, silicides, and combinations thereof. The enhancer may be selected one or more of ferromanganese, ferrosilicon, Fe.sub.xSi.sub.(1-x) where X can range from about 0.005 to 0.995, Fe.sub.5Si.sub.2, MgFeSi, SiC, CaSi, (Co)Mo, MoSi.sub.2, TiSi.sub.2, ZrSi.sub.2, WSi.sub.2, MnSi.sub.2, YSi, Cu.sub.5Si, Ni.sub.2Si, Fe.sub.3C, Fe.sub.7C.sub.3 and Fe.sub.2C, MoC, Mo.sub.2C, Mo.sub.3C.sub.2, YC.sub.2, WC, Al.sub.4C.sub.3, Mg.sub.2C, Mg.sub.2C.sub.3, CaC.sub.2, LaC.sub.2, Ta.sub.4C.sub.3, Fe.sub.2N, Fe.sub.3N, Fe.sub.4N, Fe.sub.7N.sub.3, Fe.sub.16N.sub.2, MoN, Mo.sub.2N, W.sub.2N, WN, WN.sub.2, and combinations thereof and combinations thereof. Upon disposing the marking composition on a substrate and exposing the marking composition to laser radiation, the marking composition absorbs the laser radiation, increases in temperature, chemically bonds with the substrate, and when formed on each of a metal, glass, ceramic, stone, and plastic substrates, the mark has a negative L dark contrast value of at least 1 compared to a mark formed by the marking composition without the enhancer.

A method for manufacturing nitride catalyst is provided, which includes putting a Ru target and an M target into a nitrogen-containing atmosphere, in which M is Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, Cr, V, Ti, Cu, or Zn. The method also includes providing powers to the Ru target and the M target, respectively. The method also includes providing ions to bombard the Ru target and the M target for depositing M.sub.xRu.sub.yN.sub.2 on a substrate by sputtering, wherein 0<x<1.3, 0.7<y<2, and x+y=2, wherein M.sub.xRu.sub.yZ.sub.2 is cubic crystal system or amorphous

A method for manufacturing catalyst material is provided, which includes putting an M target and an M target into a nitrogen-containing atmosphere, in which M is Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, Cr, V, Ti, Cu, or Zn, and M is Nb, Ta, or a combination thereof. Powers are provided to the M target and the M target, respectively. Providing ions to bombard the M target and the M target to sputtering deposit M.sub.aM.sub.bN.sub.2 on a substrate, wherein 0.7a1.7, 0.3b1.3, and a+b=2, wherein M.sub.aM.sub.bN.sub.2 is a cubic crystal system.

The disclosure is directed to an iron-nitride material having a polycrystalline microstructure including a plurality of elongated crystallographic grains with grain boundaries, the iron-nitride material including at least one of an -Fe.sub.16N.sub.2 phase and a body-center-tetragonal (bct) phase comprising Fe and N. The disclosure is also directed a method producing an iron-nitride material. The method includes some combinations of preparing a raw material comprising iron, carrying out a microstructure build-up by annealing the prepared raw material at an elevated temperature and subsequently quenching the prepared raw material to produce a microstructure build-up material, annealing the microstructure build-up material, reducing the microstructure build-up material in a hydrogen environment, nitriding the reduced material to produce a nitrided material and subsequently quenching the nitrided material to a martensitic transformation temperature, stress annealing the nitrided material, and magnetic field annealing the stress-annealed material.

Techniques are disclosed for milling an iron-containing raw material in the presence of a nitrogen source to generate anisotropically shaped particles that include iron nitride and have an aspect ratio of at least 1.4. Techniques for nitridizing an anisotropic particle including iron, and annealing an anisotropic particle including iron nitride to form at least one -Fe.sub.16N.sub.2 phase domain within the anisotropic particle including iron nitride also are disclosed. In addition, techniques for aligning and joining anisotropic particles to form a bulk material including iron nitride, such as a bulk permanent magnet including at least one -Fe.sub.16N.sub.2 phase domain, are described. Milling apparatuses utilizing elongated bars, an electric field, and a magnetic field also are disclosed.

Techniques are disclosed for milling an iron-containing raw material in the presence of a nitrogen source to generate anisotropically shaped particles that include iron nitride and have an aspect ratio of at least 1.4. Techniques for nitridizing an anisotropic particle including iron, and annealing an anisotropic particle including iron nitride to form at least one a-Fe16N2 phase domain within the anisotropic particle including iron nitride also are disclosed. In addition, techniques for aligning and joining anisotropic particles to form a bulk material including iron nitride, such as a bulk permanent magnet including at least one a-Fe16N2 phase domain, are described. Milling apparatuses utilizing elongated bars, an electric field, and a magnetic field also are disclosed.

The disclosure is directed to an iron-nitride material having a polycrystalline microstructure including a plurality of elongated crystallographic grains with grain boundaries, the iron-nitride material including at least one of an -Fe.sub.16N.sub.2 phase and a body-center-tetragonal (bct) phase comprising Fe and N. The disclosure is also directed a method producing an iron-nitride material. The method includes some combinations of preparing a raw material comprising iron, carrying out a microstructure build-up by annealing the prepared raw material at an elevated temperature and subsequently quenching the prepared raw material to produce a microstructure build-up material, annealing the microstructure build-up material, reducing the microstructure build-up material in a hydrogen environment, nitriding the reduced material to produce a nitrided material and subsequently quenching the nitrided material to a martensitic transformation temperature, stress annealing the nitrided material, and magnetic field annealing the stress-annealed material.

A main object of the present disclosure is to provide an active material of which capacity properties are excellent. The present disclosure achieves the object by providing an active material to be used for a fluoride ion battery, the active material comprising: a composition represented by M.sup.1N.sub.X in which M.sup.1 is at least one kind of Cu, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, Nb, In, Sn, Ta, W, and Bi, and x satisfies 0.05x3; or a composition represented by M.sup.2Ln.sub.yN.sub.z in which M.sup.2 is at least one kind of Cu, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, Nb, In, Sn, Ta, W, and Bi, Ln is at least one kind of Sc, Y, and lanthanoid, y satisfies 0.1y3, and z satisfies 0.15z6.

Nitride stabilized metal nanoparticles and methods for their manufacture are disclosed. In one embodiment the metal nanoparticles have a continuous and nonporous noble metal shell with a nitride-stabilized non-noble metal core. The nitride-stabilized core provides a stabilizing effect under high oxidizing conditions suppressing the noble metal dissolution during potential cycling.

The disclosure is directed to an iron-nitride material having a polycrystalline microstructure including a plurality of elongated crystallographic grains with grain boundaries, the iron-nitride material including at least one of an ?-Fe.sub.16N.sub.2 phase and a body-center-tetragonal (bct) phase comprising Fe and N. The disclosure is also directed a method producing an iron-nitride material. The method includes some combinations of preparing a raw material comprising iron, carrying out a microstructure build-up by annealing the prepared raw material at an elevated temperature and subsequently quenching the prepared raw material to produce a microstructure build-up material, annealing the microstructure build-up material, reducing the microstructure build-up material in a hydrogen environment, nitriding the reduced material to produce a nitrided material and subsequently quenching the nitrided material to a martensitic transformation temperature, stress annealing the nitrided material, and magnetic field annealing the stress-annealed material.