An apparatus and a method for producing fine particles capable of increasing the production and producing fine particles at low costs by feeding a large quantity of material efficiently into the plasma. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a material feeding device connected to the vacuum chamber and feeding material particles into the vacuum chamber from material feeing ports, a plurality of electrodes connected to the vacuum chamber, tip ends of which protrude into the vacuum chamber to generate plasma and a collecting device connected to the vacuum chamber and collecting fine particles, which generates discharge inside the vacuum chamber and produces the fine particles from the material, in which the material feeding ports of the material feeding device are arranged in a lower side than the plural electrodes in the vertical direction in the vacuum chamber.

A method comprises reacting an aluminum feedstock with an acid in the presence of water to provide an aluminum salt solution comprising an aluminum salt in water, wherein the aluminum salt comprises a reaction product of the acid and aluminum, and spray roasting the aluminum salt solution at a temperature of at least about 450 C. to provide an aluminum oxide powder, wherein the spray roasting is performed in a furnace lined with a refractory comprising alumina that is at least about 99.2% purity alumina, and wherein the aluminum oxide powder is 99.2% pure aluminum oxide or greater.

A composition including a plant medium and a poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide that comprises a clathrate containing oxygen gas molecules. The poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide may comprise of a poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide. The composition may include one or more nutrients. The composition may be in a solid form, a fluid form, or a combination thereof. The poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide is soluble in a fluid. In one embodiment, the poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide composition may have particles having a diameter of 212 m or less, and which may be homogeneous.

Milling methods that use grinding media particles formed of a ceramic material having an interlamellar spacing of less than 1250 nm.

Alumina having excellent electrolytic solution stability, a slurry containing the same, an alumina porous film using the same, a laminated separator, a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery and a method for manufacturing the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery are provided. Alumina is provided including one or more selected from K, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and La in the total amount of 200 to 50,000 ppm by mass, wherein a surface concentration of one or more elements is 0.5 to 20 at % in total. Alumina is provided in which in an infrared absorption spectrum of the alumina obtained by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, a peak having an intensity larger than that of a baseline defined by a line segment connecting an intensity at 3,400 cm.sup.1 and an intensity at 3,500 cm.sup.1 and having a half width of 90 cm.sup.1 or less, does not exist in a range of 3,400 to 3,500 cm.sup.1.

A composition of chlorine-free poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide that comprises a clathrate containing oxygen gas molecules, and which may comprise a nutraceutical. In one embodiment, the poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide composition is soluble, and may have particles having a diameter of 212 m or less. The poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide may comprise of a poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide. The nutraceutical may include one or more of a protein, vitamin, fiber, mineral and electrolytes. The composition may be in a powder or fluid form, where the poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide is soluble in the fluid.

A composition of chlorine-free poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide that comprises a clathrate containing oxygen gas molecules, and which may comprise a nutraceutical. In one embodiment, the poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide composition is soluble, and may have particles having a diameter of 212 m or less. The poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide may comprise of a poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide. The nutraceutical may include one or more of a protein, vitamin, fiber, mineral and electrolytes. The composition may be in a powder or fluid form, where the poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide is soluble in the fluid.

A method comprising (a) reacting aluminum metal with an acid in the presence of water to provide a first aluminum salt solution comprising an aluminum salt in water, wherein the aluminum salt comprises a reaction product of the acid and the aluminum metal, (b) heating the first aluminum salt solution to provide a mother liquor and solid aluminum salt, (c) optionally, separating the solid aluminum salt from the mother liquor, (d) optionally, dissolving at least a portion of the separated solid aluminum salt with water to provide a second aluminum salt solution, (e) spray roasting the first, or second (if produced), aluminum salt solution to provide an aluminum oxide powder, and (f) washing the aluminum oxide powder, wherein the washed aluminum oxide powder comprises less than about 30 ppmw total metallic and alkyl impurities.

A method for producing an oriented sintered body according to the present invention includes the steps of: (a) preparing a multilayer body, the multilayer body including a layer including a fine raw-material powder and a layer including a plate-like raw-material powder which are alternately stacked each other, particles of the plate-like raw-material powder being arranged such that surfaces of the particles of the plate-like raw-material powder extend along a surface of the layer including a fine raw-material powder; and (b) sintering the multilayer body.

The present disclosure is directed to an alpha alumina powder having a specific surface area, a specific crystallite size, and a specific particle size distribution for use in abrasive polishes, and method of making such powder. The method of making the alpha alumina powder can include calcining an aluminum oxide precursor powder at a temperature of 800-1500 C. and milling the calcined powder to the specific particle size distribution. The alpha alumina powder disclosed herein can quickly enable high removal rate with undiminished aesthetic quality when used in abrasive polishes.