Disclosed herein are metal organic framework (MOF) suspensions, and sols and compositions comprising MOF nanosheets. Also disclosed herein are their methods of preparation.

The present invention relates to a sol composition for forming an aerogel composite, wherein the sol composition is a sol composition with a sufficient pot life for forming an aerogel composite superior in thermal insulation and flexibility, and comprises: at least one selected from the group consisting of a silicon compound having a hydrolyzable functional group or a condensable functional group and a hydrolysis product of the silicon compound having a hydrolyzable functional group; and a silica particle having an average primary particle diameter of 5 to 300 nm or a specific surface area of 10 to 600 m.sup.2/g.

Provided is a method for the preparation of a porous hollow shell WO.sub.3/WS.sub.2 nanomaterial, comprising: (1) adding a hexavalent tungsten salt to a sol A comprising mesocarbon microbeads, and stirring to obtain a sol B; (2) drying and grinding the sol B, and then heating a resulting powder at 200-500 C. for 0.5-2 hours to obtain a porous hollow shell WO.sub.3 nanocrystalline material; (3) placing the porous hollow shell WO.sub.3 nanocrystalline material obtained by Step 2 and a sulfur powder separately in a vacuum furnace, controlling such that a degree of vacuum is 0.01 to 0.1 MPa and a temperature is 200-500 C., and reacting for 0.5-3 hours to obtain a WO.sub.3/WS.sub.2 porous hollow shell nanocrystalline material. Also provided is a porous hollow shell WO.sub.3/WS.sub.2 nanocrystalline material obtained by the method.

This invention relates to azirconium solution or sol comprising: (a) zirconium, (b) nitrate, acetate and/or chloride ions, and (c) one or more complexing agents being an organic compound comprising at least one of the following functional groups: an amine, an organosulphate, a sulphonate, a hydroxyl, an ether or a carboxylic acid group, wherein the molar ratio of components (a):(b) is 1:0.7 to 1:4.0, the molar ratio of components (a):(c) is 1:0.0005 to 1:0.1, and the pH of the zirconium solution or sol is less than 5. The invention also relates to a process for preparing a zirconium solution or sol, the process comprising the steps of: (a) dissolving a zirconium salt in nitric, acetic and/or hydrochloric acid, and (b) adding one or more complexing agents to the resulting solution, the one or more complexing agents being an organic compound comprising at least one of the following functional groups: an amine, an organosulphate, a sulphonate, a hydroxyl, an ether or a carboxylic acid group, and (c) heating the solution or sol to a temperature of at least 75? C. In addition, the invention relates to products formed from the zirconium solution or sol or obtainable by the process.

This invention relates to a cerium-zirconium based mixed oxide having: (a) a Ce:Zr molar ratio of 1 or less, and (b) a cerium oxide content of 10-50% by weight, wherein the composition has (i) a surface area of at least 18 m.sup.2/g, and a total pore volume as measured by N.sub.2 physisorption of at least 0.11 cm.sup.3/g, after ageing at 1100? C. in an air atmosphere for 6 hours, and (ii) a surface area of at least 42 m.sup.2/g, and a total pore volume as measured by N.sub.2 physisorption of at least 0.31 cm.sup.3/g, after ageing at 1000? C. in an air atmosphere for 4 hours. The invention also relates to a catalytic system comprising the cerium-zirconium based mixed oxide, as well as to a process 10 for treating an exhaust gas from a vehicle engine comprising contacting the exhaust gas with the cerium-zirconium based mixed oxide. In addition, the invention relates to a process for preparing a cerium-zirconium based mixed hydroxide or mixed oxide as claimed in any preceding claim, the process comprising the steps of: (a) dissolving a zirconium salt in an aqueous acid, (b) adding one or more complexing agents to the resulting solution, the one or more complexing agents being an organic compound comprising at least one of the following functional groups: an amine, an organosulphate, a sulphonate, a hydroxyl, an ether or a carboxylic acid group, (c) heating the solution or sol formed in step (b), (d) adding a cerium salt, and adding a sulphating agent either before or after the addition of the cerium salt, and (e) adding a base to form a cerium-zirconium based mixed hydroxide.

The invention relates to an apparatus and methods for producing liquid colloids such as suspensions of nanoparticles, in which liquid feedstock materials are reacted on a reaction surface of a rotatable plate. The apparatus has a first plate (101) mounted for rotation about a rotation axis (102), the first plate (101) providing a reaction surface (103) having a concave portion; first (106) and second (107) inlet lines arranged to introduce respective first and second liquid feedstock materials to the reaction surface (103); and a collection unit (110) arranged to collect a reaction product formed from reaction of the liquid feedstock materials as a liquid colloid ejected from an outer edge of the plate (101).

A method and an apparatus for producing a dispersion, which enable high-speed and highly-efficient production of a dispersion of a reaction product having desired properties, are provided. The present invention relates to such a method and an apparatus for producing a dispersion. In the method and the apparatus, a first substance is dissolved or dispersed in a first liquid, a second substance is dissolved or dispersed in a second liquid or a low dielectric liquid, a phase of the second liquid and a phase of the low dielectric liquid are one on top of the other in such a manner that the two phases are separated from each other, a spray port of a nozzle is disposed in the low dielectric liquid phase, or is disposed at a position apart from the two phases but close to the low dielectric liquid phase in such a manner that the spray port is oriented to a liquid surface of the low dielectric liquid phase, and an electrode is disposed in the second liquid phase. In these states, droplets of the first liquid in which the first substance is dissolved or dispersed, are charged by generating a potential difference between the nozzle and the electrode, and are electrostatically sprayed from the spray port of the nozzle. In the method and the apparatus, the first liquid which was electrostatically sprayed, passes through the phase of the low dielectric liquid and reaches the phase of the second liquid so that the reaction product is dispersed in the second liquid phase or in the low dielectric liquid phase.

A method and an apparatus for producing a dispersion, which enable high-speed and highly-efficient production of a dispersion of a reaction product having desired properties, are provided. The present invention relates to such a method and an apparatus for producing a dispersion. In the method and the apparatus, a first substance is dissolved or dispersed in a first liquid, a second substance is dissolved or dispersed in a second liquid or a low dielectric liquid, a phase of the second liquid and a phase of the low dielectric liquid are one on top of the other in such a manner that the two phases are separated from each other, a spray port of a nozzle is disposed in the low dielectric liquid phase, or is disposed at a position apart from the two phases but close to the low dielectric liquid phase in such a manner that the spray port is oriented to a liquid surface of the low dielectric liquid phase, and an electrode is disposed in the second liquid phase. In these states, droplets of the first liquid in which the first substance is dissolved or dispersed, are charged by generating a potential difference between the nozzle and the electrode, and are electrostatically sprayed from the spray port of the nozzle. In the method and the apparatus, the first liquid which was electrostatically sprayed, passes through the phase of the low dielectric liquid and reaches the phase of the second liquid so that the reaction product is dispersed in the second liquid phase or in the low dielectric liquid phase.

This invention discloses a process for making nanoparticles of amphiphilic copolymers by flash precipitation. Nanoparticles may be of amphiphilic copolymer alone or may contain an additive target molecule, preferably an organic active. The inclusion of additive target molecules in amphiphilic copolymer nanoparticles can alter their water solubility characteristics, fluid dynamics, and/or stability. Changing an additive target molecule's solubility and stability in a nanoparticle can make a water insoluble compound suitable for pharmaceutical administration as well as specifically target the molecule to a specific area of a patient's body. The process affords the production of nanoparticles at high absolute active content, at high yield, high productivity, and high processing rates while using unusually low amounts of amphiphilic copolymers. Furthermore, the resulting particles exhibit sufficient stability for post processing as desired. The invention also discloses two apparatuses for the production of nanoparticles of amphiphilic copolymers by flash precipitation.

This invention discloses a process for making nanoparticles of amphiphilic copolymers by flash precipitation. Nanoparticles may be of amphiphilic copolymer alone or may contain an additive target molecule, preferably an organic active. The inclusion of additive target molecules in amphiphilic copolymer nanoparticles can alter their water solubility characteristics, fluid dynamics, and/or stability. Changing an additive target molecule's solubility and stability in a nanoparticle can make a water insoluble compound suitable for pharmaceutical administration as well as specifically target the molecule to a specific area of a patient's body. The process affords the production of nanoparticles at high absolute active content, at high yield, high productivity, and high processing rates while using unusually low amounts of amphiphilic copolymers. Furthermore, the resulting particles exhibit sufficient stability for post processing as desired. The invention also discloses two apparatuses for the production of nanoparticles of amphiphilic copolymers by flash precipitation.