A carbon-coated transition metal nanocomposite material includes carbon-coated transition metal particles having a core-shell structure. The shell layer of the core-shell structure is a graphitized carbon layer doped with oxygen and/or nitrogen, and the core of the core-shell structure is a transition metal nanoparticle. The nanocomposite material has a structure rich in mesopores, is an adsorption/catalyst material with excellent performance, can be used for catalyzing various hydrogenation reduction reactions, or used as a catalytic-oxidation catalyst useful for the treatment of volatile organic compounds in industrial exhaust gases.

A method and a system for producing a change in a medium. The method places in a vicinity of the medium at least one energy modulation agent. The method applies an initiation energy to the medium. The initiation energy interacts with the energy modulation agent to directly or indirectly produce the change in the medium. The system includes an initiation energy source configured to apply an initiation energy to the medium to activate the energy modulation agent.

The manufacturing method provided by the present invention provides a powder material substantially comprising Ag—Pd core-shell particles consisting of Ag core particles containing silver as a principal constituent element and a Pd shell containing palladium as a principal constituent element covering at least part of the surface of the Ag core particles, wherein hydroquinone and/or a quinone is attached to the surface of the Ag—Pd core-shell particles. Typically, when the powder material is in a dispersed state in a specific medium, a Z average particle diameter (D.sub.DLS) based on the dynamic light scattering (DLS) method is 0.1 μm to 2 μm, and the polydispersity index (PDI) based on the dynamic light scattering method is 0.4 or lower.

Provided is a photocatalyst layer that improves the photocatalytic performance while suppressing detachment of photocatalyst particles. The photocatalyst layer has a front surface and a rear surface on the opposite side of the front surface. The photocatalyst layer includes photocatalyst particles and a binder. The photocatalyst layer has a first region containing the photocatalyst particles and a second region containing the binder and not containing the photocatalyst particles. The photocatalyst particles include tungsten oxide particles. The photocatalyst particles have contact points being in contact with the rear surface. The ratio of the thickness of the second region to the number-average secondary particle diameter of the photocatalyst particles is 0.20 or more and 0.80 or less.

The invention relates to a composite oxide comprising CaO stabilised by Ca.sub.3Al.sub.2O.sub.6 (C3A), wherein the composite is in the form of particles. The mixed oxide composite is useful as a catalyst in the transesterification of triglycerides, e.g. in the production of biodiesel. Calcium leaching is more hindered in CaO—Ca.sub.3Al.sub.2O.sub.6 (2Ca/Al) than in CaO—Al.sub.2O.sub.3.

Methods for synthesizing and using metal oxide nanomaterials are provided. The methods include heating a solution including large inverse micelles of a metal chelate in a solvent to a temperature greater than the solvent boiling point to form a dried product and calcining the dried product to form the metal oxide nanomaterial.

Methods of solid catalyst manufacture using a peptization agent, and formed solid catalyst materials having improved structural properties are provided. The peptization agent includes one or more oxidized disulfide oil (“ODSO”) compounds. These ODSO compounds peptization agents serve to improve the adhesion characteristics of the binder material, and as a result increase the particle strength of the final catalyst particles.

A method for making a functional structural body includes a skeletal body of a porous structure composed of a zeolite-type compound, and at least one type of metallic nanoparticles present in the skeletal body, the skeletal body having channels connecting with each other, the metallic nanoparticles being present at least in the channels of the skeletal body.

Provided is a method of manufacturing a porous core-shell catalyst structure. The method of manufacturing a porous core-shell catalyst structure includes preparing a bulk metal oxide; providing a first reaction gas containing nitrogen to the bulk metal oxide to prepare an intermediate product containing a porous metal oxide; and providing a second reaction gas containing sulfur to the intermediate product to prepare a core-shell catalyst structure including a core formed of the porous metal oxide and a shell formed of metal sulfide.

The present disclosure discloses a process for improving the surface catalytic efficiency of a catalyst substrate. In some embodiments, to use nano-catalyst particles more efficiently, a process uses a porous substrate as a stationary phase support and disperses the nano-catalyst particles uniformly in all the internal space of the porous substrate, such that reactants flow through the porous substrate to achieve a catalytic effect. In some embodiments, the process not only improves the use efficiency of nano-catalyst particles, but also enables easier and more convenient adjustment of various parameters of a catalytic reaction.