Synthesizing upconverting nanoparticles includes heating a precursor solution comprising one or more rare earth salts, an alkali metal salt or alkaline earth salt, and a solvent comprising a plasticizer in a microwave reactor to yield a product mixture, and cooling the product mixture to yield the upconverting nanoparticles. Core-shell upconverting nanoparticles are synthesized by combining the upconverting nanoparticles with a precursor solution comprising one or more rare earth salts, an alkali metal salt or alkaline earth salt, and a solvent comprising a plasticizer to yield a nanoparticle mixture, heating the nanoparticle mixture in a microwave reactor to yield a product mixture, and cooling the product mixture to yield the core-shell upconverting nanoparticles.

Synthesizing upconverting nanoparticles includes heating a precursor solution comprising one or more rare earth salts, an alkali metal salt or alkaline earth salt, and a solvent comprising a plasticizer in a microwave reactor to yield a product mixture, and cooling the product mixture to yield the upconverting nanoparticles. Core-shell upconverting nanoparticles are synthesized by combining the upconverting nanoparticles with a precursor solution comprising one or more rare earth salts, an alkali metal salt or alkaline earth salt, and a solvent comprising a plasticizer to yield a nanoparticle mixture, heating the nanoparticle mixture in a microwave reactor to yield a product mixture, and cooling the product mixture to yield the core-shell upconverting nanoparticles.

Provided is a slurry for suspension plasma spraying, which is a spray material used for suspension plasma spraying in an atmosphere including an oxygen-containing gas, contains 5-40 mass % of rare earth fluoride particles having a maximum particle diameter (D100) of 12 ?m or less, and contains one or more types of solvent selected from among water and organic solvents. A rare earth acid fluoride-containing sprayed film, in which process shift and particle generation hardly occur, can be stably formed on a base material by carrying out suspension plasma spraying in an atmosphere including an oxygen-containing gas. A spraying member provided with this sprayed film exhibits excellent corrosion resistance to halogen-based gas plasma.

Provided is a slurry for suspension plasma spraying, which is a spray material used for suspension plasma spraying in an atmosphere including an oxygen-containing gas, contains 5-40 mass % of rare earth fluoride particles having a maximum particle diameter (D100) of 12 ?m or less, and contains one or more types of solvent selected from among water and organic solvents. A rare earth acid fluoride-containing sprayed film, in which process shift and particle generation hardly occur, can be stably formed on a base material by carrying out suspension plasma spraying in an atmosphere including an oxygen-containing gas. A spraying member provided with this sprayed film exhibits excellent corrosion resistance to halogen-based gas plasma.

A mineral processing facility is provided that includes a cogen plant to provide electrical energy and waste heat to the facility and an electrochemical acid generation plant to generate, from a salt, a mineral acid for use in recovering valuable metals.

Nanopowders containing nanoparticles having a core particle with a thin film coating. The core particles and thin film coatings are, independently, formed from at least one of a rare earth metal-containing oxide, a rare earth metal-containing fluoride, a rare earth metal-containing oxyfluoride or combinations thereof. The thin film coating may be formed using a non-line of sight technique such as atomic layer deposition (ALD). Also disclosed herein are nanoceramic materials formed from the nanopowders and methods of making and using the nanopowders.

Monodisperse particles having: a single pure crystalline phase of a rare earth-containing lattice, a uniform three-dimensional size, and a uniform polyhedral morphology are disclosed. Due to their uniform size and shape, the monodisperse particles self assemble into superlattices. The particles may be luminescent particles such as down-converting phosphor particles and up-converting phosphors. The monodisperse particles of the invention have a rare earth-containing lattice which in one embodiment may be an yttrium-containing lattice or in another may be a lanthanide-containing lattice. The monodisperse particles may have different optical properties based on their composition, their size, and/or their morphology (or shape). Also disclosed is a combination of at least two types of monodisperse particles, where each type is a plurality of monodisperse particles having a single pure crystalline phase of a rare earth-containing lattice, a uniform three-dimensional size, and a uniform polyhedral morphology; and where the types of monodisperse particles differ from one another by composition, by size, or by morphology. In a preferred embodiment, the types of monodisperse particles have the same composition but different morphologies. Methods of making and methods of using the monodisperse particles are disclosed.

Processes and systems for carbon ion implantation include utilizing phosphorous trifluoride (PF.sub.3) as a co-gas with carbon oxide gas, and in some embodiments, in combination with the lanthanated tungsten alloy ion source components advantageously results in minimal oxidation of the cathode and cathode shield. Moreover, acceptable levels of carbon deposits on the arc chamber internal components have been observed as well as marked reductions in the halogen cycle, i.e., WF.sub.x formation.

A sprayed coating having a multilayer structure including a lower layer made a sprayed coating containing a rare earth oxide, and a surface layer made of another sprayed coating containing a rare earth fluoride and/or a rare earth oxyfluoride, the multilayered sprayed coating having a volume resistivity at 23? C. and a volume resistivity at 200? C., the volume resistivity at 23? C. being 1?10.sup.9 to 1?10.sup.12 ?.Math.cm, and a temperature index of the volume resistivities defined by the ratio of the volume resistivity at 200? C. to the volume resistivity at 23? C. being 0.1 to 10.

A sprayed coating having a multilayer structure including a lower layer made a sprayed coating containing a rare earth oxide, and a surface layer made of another sprayed coating containing a rare earth fluoride and/or a rare earth oxyfluoride, the multilayered sprayed coating having a volume resistivity at 23? C. and a volume resistivity at 200? C., the volume resistivity at 23? C. being 1?10.sup.9 to 1?10.sup.12 ?.Math.cm, and a temperature index of the volume resistivities defined by the ratio of the volume resistivity at 200? C. to the volume resistivity at 23? C. being 0.1 to 10.