A sorbent cartridge device includes an ion-exchange material containing zirconium phosphate and no more than about 0.1 mg of leachable phosphate ions per about 1 g of the ion-exchange material. In one example, the cartridge also includes a phosphate-adsorbing material containing zirconium oxide. In this example, the weight ratio between zirconium phosphate and zirconium oxide in the cartridge is from about 10:1 to about 40:1. The zirconium phosphate may be alkaline zirconium phosphate prepared by a process including the following steps: (i) drying acid zirconium phosphate to obtain a dry acid zirconium phosphate; (ii) combining the dry acid zirconium phosphate with an aqueous solution to obtain an aqueous slurry; and (iii) combining the slurry with an alkali hydroxide to obtain the alkaline zirconium phosphate. During step (ii), any free phosphate ions in the dry acid zirconium phosphate leach out into the aqueous phase of the slurry.

A lithium battery with an improved cathode. The cathode comprises the epsilon polymorph of vanadyl phosphate, -VOPO.sub.4, made from solvothermally synthesized H.sub.2VOPO.sub.4, and optimized to reversibly intercalate two Li-ions to reach full theoretical capacity with a coulombic efficiency of 98%. This material adopts a stable 3D tunnel structure and can extract two Li-ions per vanadium ion, giving a theoretical capacity of 305 mAh/g, with an upper charge/discharge plateau at around 4.0 V, and one lower at around 2.5 V The -VOPO4 particles may be modified with niobium (Nb) to improve the cycling stability.

A lithium battery with a cathode fabricated using an improved method for slurry formulation and electrode production. The cathode comprises the epsilon polymorph of vanadyl phosphate, -VOPO.sub.4, made from solvothermally synthesized H.sub.2VOPO.sub.4, and optimized to reversibly intercalate two Li-ions to reach full theoretical capacity with a coulombic efficiency of 98%. This material adopts a stable 3D tunnel structure and can extract two Li-ions per vanadium ion, giving a theoretical capacity of 305 mAh/g, with an upper charge/discharge plateau at around 4.0 V, and one lower at around 2.5 V. The -VOPO4 particles may be modified with niobium (Nb) to improve the cycling stability.

A titanium phosphate powder containing plate-like particles with a reduced content ratio of byproducts other than the plate-like particles, and exhibiting crystallinity of titanium phosphate represented by a chemical formula Ti(HPO.sub.4).sub.2.Math.nH.sub.2O (0n1) is provided in the present disclosure. The present disclosure relates to a method for producing a titanium phosphate powder exhibiting crystallinity of titanium phosphate represented by a chemical formula Ti(HPO.sub.4).sub.2.Math.nH.sub.2O (0n1), and containing plate-like particles, the method comprising putting an acidic raw material aqueous solution containing phosphorus and titanium in a sealed vessel, and storing the sealed vessel containing the raw material aqueous solution for a period of 2 hours or more, with the ambient temperature of the sealed vessel maintained under a constant temperature condition within a range of 40 C. or more and less than 100 C., wherein during the storage, the raw material aqueous solution is not stirred, or during the storage, the raw material aqueous solution is stirred, and in the case where the raw material aqueous solution is stirred during the storage, a swirl flow rate in stirring the raw material aqueous solution is within a range of more than 0 m/s and 0.30 m/s or less.

The titanium phosphate powder of the present invention includes plate-shaped crystalline particles of titanium phosphate, an average thickness of the plate-shaped crystalline particles is 0.01 m or more and less than 0.10 m, and an aspect ratio, which is a value obtained by dividing an average primary particle diameter of the plate-shaped crystalline particles by the average thickness, is 5 or more. In the method for producing a titanium phosphate powder of the present invention, a raw material containing titanium and phosphorus is caused to react by a hydrothermal synthesis method, and when the titanium phosphate powder including plate-shaped crystalline particles of titanium phosphate is produced, a mixture of titanium sulfate and phosphoric acid is used as the raw material.

Provided are an oxovanadium phosphate catalyst, and a preparation method and an application therefor. The method includes: 1) mixing and reacting a vanadium source, a choline chloride-organic carboxylic acid eutectic solvent, and alcohol; 2) mixing the obtained reaction product with a phosphorus source, raising the temperature to a temperature higher than the melting point of the eutectic solvent, and continuing the reaction to obtain an oxovanadium phosphate precursor; and 3) calcining to obtain the oxovanadium phosphate catalyst. The alcohol is: benzyl alcohol or a mixture of C.sub.3-C.sub.8 monohydric alcohol and benzyl alcohol. The present method uses a green and inexpensive eutectic solvent to strengthen the preparation of oxovanadium phosphate catalyst, avoids the disadvantages of the prior art, and overcoming the problems of low yield and poor selectivity when used in a reaction to prepare maleic anhydride by catalytic n-butane selective oxidisation.

Disclosed is a system for treating a surface of a multi-metal article. The system includes first and second and/or third conversion compositions for contacting at least a portion of the surface. The first conversion composition includes phosphate ions and zinc ions and is substantially free of fluoride. The second conversion composition includes a lanthanide series metal cation and an oxidizing agent. The third conversion composition includes an organophosphate compound, an organophosphonate compound, or combinations thereof that optionally may include at least one transition metal. Methods of treating a multi-metal article using the system are disclosed. Also disclosed are substrates treated with the system and method.

A compound of Formula 1

Li.sub.1+(4a)Hf.sub.2M.sup.a.sub.(PO.sub.4).sub.3(1)

wherein M is at least one cationic element with valence of a, wherein 0<, 1a4, and 00.1. Also an electrolyte composition, a separator, a protected positive electrode, a protected negative electrode, and a lithium battery, each including the compound of Formula 1.

A method of forming a composition having exfoliated nanoplatelets functionalized with covalently bound surface-modifiers, includes exfoliating a layered nanoclay is exfoliated with a surfactant. The method also includes reacting the exfoliated layered nanoclay with a surface modifier comprising one or more of an epoxide, a silane, or an isocyanate.

A method for manufacturing metal phosphate hydrate nanoparticles wherein metal reactants are selected from metal precursors of transition metals,phosphate precursors are selected from: Trisodium phosphate Na.sub.3PO.sub.4, disodium phosphate Na.sub.2HPO.sub.4, phosphoric acid H.sub.3PO.sub.4 and hypophosphoric acid H.sub.4P.sub.2O.sub.6, wherein said method comprises the following step of a reaction medium comprising at least a metal reactant, a phosphate precursor and a solvent, is submitted to a solvothermal treatment at a pressure superior to 50 MPa, and at a temperature of from 100 to 350 C.