The invention concerns a method for converting a feedstock selected from sugars or sugar alcohols, alone or in a mixture, into mono- or polyoxygenated compounds, wherein the feedstock is contacted with at least one heterogeneous catalyst comprising a support selected from perovskites of formula ABO.sub.3, in which A is selected from the elements Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba and B is selected from the elements Fe, Mn, Ti and Zr, and the oxides of elements selected from lanthanum, neodymium, yttrium and cerium, alone or in a mixture, which oxides can be doped with at least one element selected from alkali metals, alkaline earths and rare earths, in a reducing atmosphere, at a temperature of 100 C. to 300 C. and at a pressure of 0.1 MPa to 50 MPa.

The present invention is directed to the use of an ionic liquid as a dispersant or solvent and as a heat sink in a composition for generating oxygen, the composition further comprising at least one oxygen source formulation, and at least one metal oxide compound formulation, wherein the oxygen source formulation comprises a peroxide compound, the ionic liquid is in the liquid state at least in a temperature range from 10 C. to +50 C., and the metal oxide compound formulation comprises a metal oxide compound which is an oxide of one single metal or of two or more different metals, said metal(s) being selected from the metals of groups 2 to 14 of the periodic table of the elements.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier materials and methods of using hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier materials. The hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier material may comprise a core material, which includes a redox-active transition metal oxide; a shell material, which includes one or more alkali transition metal oxides; and a support material. The shell material may be in direct contact with at least a majority of an outer surface of the core material. At least a portion of the core material may be in direct contact with the support material. The hydrogen-selective oxygen carrier material may be selective to combust hydrogen in an environment that includes hydrogen and hydrocarbons.

A positive electrode active material for a battery, the positive electrode active material comprising a compound having a crystal structure of space group Fm-3m and represented by composition formula (1): Li.sub.xMe1.sub.Me2.sub.O.sub.2 . . . (1). In the formula, Me1 represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Mn, Ni, Co, Fe, Al, Sn, Cu, Nb, Mo, Bi, Ti, V, Cr, Y, Zr, Zn, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Pt, Au, Ag, Ru, Ta, W, La, Ce, Pr, Sm, Eu, Dy, and Er, Me2 represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of B, Si, and P, and the following conditions are met: 0<; 0<; +=y; 0.5x/y3.0; and 1.5x+y2.3.

There is provided a thermoelectric conversion material which is characterized by being composed of a sintered body of plate-like crystals of a composite oxide represented by general formula (2) Bi.sub.fCa.sub.gM.sup.3.sub.hCo.sub.iM.sup.4.sub.jO.sub.k, and by having a density of 4.0-5.1 g/cm.sup.3. This thermoelectric conversion material is also characterized in that: when observed by SEM, the ratio of the plate-like crystals of a composite oxide represented by general formula (2) having an inclination in the major axis direction within 020 relative to the surface of the thermoelectric conversion material is 60% or more on the number basis; the average length of the lengths of the plate-like crystals of a composite oxide represented by general formula (2) is 20 m or more; and the aspect ratio of the plate-like crystals of a composite oxide represented by general formula (2) is 20 or more.

A composite positive active material including a composite represented by Formula 1:

Li.sub.2MO.sub.3.(1)[xLi.sub.2MnO.sub.3.(1x)Li.sub.dNi.sub.aCO.sub.bM.sub.cO.sub.2]Formula 1 wherein, in Formula 1, M is titanium (Ti) or zirconium (Zr); M is manganese (Mn), vanadium (V), magnesium (Mg), gallium (Ga), silicon (Si), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), boron (B), or a combination thereof; and 0<<0.5; 0x<0.3; a+b+c1; 0<a<1; 0<b<1; 0<c<1, and 0.95d1.05.

Provided is a composite cathode active material including layered lithium manganese oxide and lithium-containing metal oxide. Also, the present invention provides a secondary battery, a battery module, and a battery pack which have improved power characteristics by including the composite cathode active material.

The present invention relates to a positive electrode active material and a lithium secondary battery including the same, and more particularly, to a positive electrode active material including an overlithiated lithium manganese-based oxide, which can prevent a rapid decrease in the lifetime of the lithium secondary battery by suppressing and mitigating the elution of transition metals from the lithium manganese-based oxide and reduce gas generation due to side reactions in the battery, and a lithium secondary battery including the same.

Provided are a positive electrode active material for nonaqueous secondary batteries, the material having a narrow particle-size distribution and a monodisperse property and being capable of increasing a battery capacity; an industrial production method thereof; and a nonaqueous secondary battery using the positive electrode active material and having excellent electrical characteristics. The positive electrode active material is represented by a general formula: Li.sub.1+uNi.sub.xCo.sub.yMn.sub.zM.sub.tO.sub.2+ (wherein, 0.05u0.95, x+y+z+t=1, 0x0.5, 0y0.5, 0.5z<0.8, 0t0.1, and M is an additive element and at least one element selected from Mg, Ca, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, and W), has an average particle diameter of 3 to 12 um, and has [(d.sub.90d.sub.10)/average particle diameter], an index indicating a scale of particle-size distribution, of 0.60 or less.

Provided is a black fine particulate near-infrared reflective material having exceptional hiding performance and coloring performance. A black fine particulate near-infrared reflective material which is a perovskite-type complex oxide containing at least an alkaline earth metal element, titanium element, and manganese element, wherein the black fine particulate near-infrared reflective material comprises microparticles in which the BET specific surface area of the powder body is within a range of 3.0-150 m.sup.2/g, the black fine particulate near infrared reflective material having exceptional hiding performance and coloring performance. The Hunter L value, as an indicator of blackness, is 30 or less, and the reflectivity at a wavelength of 1200 nm, as an indicator of near-infrared reflective power, is 40% or above. The black fine particular near-infrared reflective material is obtained by mixing an alkaline earth metal compound, a titanium compound, a manganese compound, and other materials in a wet grinding mill and firing the resulting mixture at a temperature of 800-1100 C.