Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and resulting structures for integrated circuits having metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors that serve as both decoupling capacitors and crack stops. In a non-limiting embodiment, an interconnect is formed on a first portion of a substrate in an interior region of the integrated circuit. A second portion of the substrate is exposed in an edge region of the integrated circuit. A MIM capacitor is formed over the second portion of the substrate in the edge region. The MIM capacitor includes two or more plates and one or more dielectric layers. Each dielectric layer is positioned between an adjacent pair of the two or more plates and a portion of the two or more plates extends over the interconnect in the interior region. A plate of the two or more plates is electrically coupled to a last metal wiring level of the interconnect.

To provide an alumina-based fibrous mass having a high areal pressure and is usable as a holding material for an exhaust gas cleaners and a production process thereof; the alumina-based fibrous mass has a chemical composition containing an Al.sub.2O.sub.3 in an amount of 70% or more and less than 90% and having a total pore volume of 0.0055 mL/g or less.

The disclosure provides a system and a method for reducing hazardous gases, including PHGs, through one or more photocatalysts in a filter system. A microstructure of the photocatalytic filter can be formed using biological systems as a template for the photocatalysts to be deposited thereon. The biological system can be removed by heat, oxidation, or by chemical processes to leave the photocatalytic template as a filter for the gases. In various embodiments, multiple photocatalysts can be activated at different wavelengths to filter different gases, or multiple photocatalysts can be activated at the same wavelength to filter different gases, or a photocatalyst can be activated at different wavelengths to filter different gases, or some combination thereof. The activation can be sequential or concurrent. For multiple layers of photocatalysts, the sequence of the photocatalysts can be arranged to reduce damaging output from an upstream photocatalyst to one or more downstream photocatalysts.

Disclosed are metal nitride photoctalyst particles and/or metal oxynitride photocatalyst particles having high dispersibility. The metal nitride photoctalyst particles and/or metal oxynitride photocatalyst particles having high dispersibility can be obtained by containing metal nitride photoctalyst particles and/or metal oxynitride photocatalyst particles, which are capable of splitting water under visible light irradiation, and a phosphoric acid polymer that is adsorbed on the surface of the particles. Further, because these particles have high photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation, splitting water by using these particles can generate hydrogen and/or oxygen with high efficiency.

The present invention relates to a method of reducing a metal oxide comprising the steps of preparing a mixture by mixing a metal oxide and a metal hydride (step 1) and reducing the mixture by heat treatment (step 2) and a method of producing a photocatalyst using the same, and The method of reducing a metal oxide of the present invention can easily reduce such metal oxides as TiO.sub.2, ZrO.sub.2, V.sub.2O.sub.3, and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3.

The invention discloses a core-shell structured catalyst comprising a core covered with a shell. The core is made of hematite, tourmaline, germanium, maifanite or kaolin. The invention also provides a method for preparing the catalyst including mixing raw materials of the core with water to form seed-balls with a particle size of 2-4 mm; mixing the seed-balls with raw materials of the shell and water, such that the seed-balls are covered with the raw materials of the shell to form pellets with a particle size of 3-5 mm; processing the pellets at 60-90° C. and then calcining to active the pellets at 450-550° C. to obtain a core-shell structured catalyst. The invention further discloses use of the core-shell structured catalyst in the ozone oxidation reaction. In the invention, a core-shell structured catalyst with good morphology and catalytic performance is prepared, and the production cost of the catalyst is reduced.

Provided herein are catalyst supports, catalyst systems, and methods for making catalyst supports, catalyst systems, and performing chemical reactions with the catalyst systems. The catalyst supports include a zeolite and a binder including non-sodium counterions, such as ammonium counterions and/or potassium counterions. The catalyst systems include the catalyst supports and a catalytic material. The catalyst systems may be used to perform chemical reactions, including reactions of one or more hydrocarbons.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a supported catalytic material, wherein the said process comprises a step of heating a precursor of support material which has been impregnated with a mixture of chemical precursors, wherein the said mixture includes a nitrogen-containing reducing reagent as a precursor and a transition-metal-containing compound as a precursor.

Methods for making a supported chromium catalyst are disclosed, and can comprise contacting a silica-coated alumina containing at least 30 wt. % silica with a chromium-containing compound in a liquid, drying, and calcining in an oxidizing atmosphere at a peak temperature of at least 650° C. to form the supported chromium catalyst. The supported chromium catalyst can contain from 0.01 to 20 wt. % chromium, and typically can have a pore volume from 0.5 to 2 mL/g and a BET surface area from 275 to 550 m.sup.2/g. The supported chromium catalyst subsequently can be used to polymerize olefins to produce, for example, ethylene-based homopolymers and copolymers having high molecular weights and broad molecular weight distributions.

The presently claimed invention provides a layered three-way catalyst composition for purification of exhaust gases from internal combustion engines; said catalyst comprises a first layer comprising i) palladium supported on at least one alumina component and at least one oxygen storage component; and ii) barium oxide; wherein said first layer is essentially free of strontium, and a second layer comprising: i) rhodium supported on at least one zirconia component and/or alumina component; ii) strontium oxide and/or barium oxide; and iii) optionally, palladium supported on at least one alumina component. The presently claimed invention also provides a process for preparing the layered three-way catalyst composition which involves a technique such as incipient wetness impregnation technique(A); co-precipitation technique (B); or co-impregnation technique(C). The process includes preparing a first layer; preparing a second layer; and depositing the second layer on the first layer followed by calcination. The presently claimed invention further provides a a layered three-way catalytic article in which the three-way catalyst composition is deposited on a substrate in a layered fashion and its preparation.