Provided is a potassium titanate powder that can avoid safety and health concerns and concurrently, during use in a friction material, can give excellent frictional properties. A potassium titanate powder is a powder formed of bar-like potassium titanate particles having an average length of 30 m or more, an average breadth of 10 m or more, and an average aspect ratio of 1.5 or more, wherein the bar-like potassium titanate particles are represented by a composition formula K.sub.2Ti.sub.nO.sub.2n+1 (where n=5.5 to 6.5).

A method of producing metallic sodium powders. The method includes immersing one or more solid pieces of sodium metal in an organic liquid containing a hydrocarbon oil. The solid piece (s) of sodium metal immersed in the hydrocarbon oil is (are) then subjected to ultrasonic irradiation, wherein the solid piece of sodium metal is fragmented to form sodium powder, resulting in a dispersion of the sodium powder in the organic liquid. The dispersed sodium powder is then separated from the organic liquid, resulting in metallic sodium powder. A method of presodiation of an anode in an electrochemical cell. The method includes adding sodium metal powders to the surface of the anode either as a dry powder or as a suspension of the sodium particles in an organic liquid. An anode in an electrochemical cell containing metallic sodium particles. An electrochemical cell comprising a presodiated anode.

A method for manufacturing a material layer includes a first step S101 of arranging first particles P1 in a pattern on a base material 11 and a second step S102 of arranging second particles in regions in which the first particles P1 are not arranged on the base material 11. The second step S102 includes a step of rubbing bearing materials S2 that carry the second particles P2 against the base material 11 on which the first particles P1 are arranged.

A solid-state battery comprising a cathode, an anode and a solid electrolyte is provided. In one embodiment, the cathode, anode and/or solid electrolyte is formed from a printable lithium composition including lithium metal powder, a polymer binder compatible with the lithium metal powder, a rheology modifier compatible with the lithium metal powder, and a solvent compatible with the lithium metal powder and with the polymer binder. In another embodiment, lithium is deposited onto the solid electrolyte with a lithium printable lithium composition including lithium metal powder, a polymer binder compatible with the lithium metal powder, a rheology modifier compatible with the lithium metal powder, and a solvent compatible with the lithium metal powder and with the polymer binder.

A method for depositing lithium on a substrate to form an electrode is provided. The method includes applying a printable lithium composition comprised of lithium metal powder, a polymer binder compatible with the lithium metal powder, a rheology modifier compatible with the lithium metal powder and a solvent compatible with the lithium metal powder and with the polymer binder, to a substrate.

A method for producing a metal powder includes maintaining molten reducing metal in a sealed reaction vessel that is substantially free of oxygen and water, establishing a vortex in the molten reducing metal, introducing a metal halide into the vortex so that the molten reducing metal is in a stoichiometric excess to the metal halide, thereby producing metal particles and salt, removing unreacted reducing metal, removing the salt, and recovering the metal powder. The molten reducing metal can be a Group I metal, a Group II metal, or aluminum.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides new nanomaterials which are passivized by the polymerization of an olefin catalyzed by the nanomaterial. In some embodiments, these nanomaterials exhibit increased stability in the ambient atmosphere. In other aspects, the present disclosure provides methods of preparing nanomaterials as well as use of these nanomaterials in a fuel such as a rocket fuel.

The invention relates to particulate lithium metal formations having a substantially spherical geometry and a core composed of metallic lithium, which are enclosed with an outer passivating but ionically conductive layer containing nitrogen. The invention further relates to a method for producing lithium metal formations by reacting lithium metal with one or more passivating agent(s) containing nitrogen, selected from the groups N.sub.2, N.sub.xH.sub.y with x=1 or 2 and y=3 or 4, or a compound containing only the elements C, H, and N, and optionally Li, at temperatures in the range between 60 and 300 C., preferably between 100 and 280 C., and particularly preferably above the melting temperature of lithium of 180.5 C., in an inert organic solvent under dispersion conditions or in an atmosphere that contains a gaseous coating agent containing nitrogen.

Methods for forming prelithiated electroactive materials are provided. Methods include preparing a precursor that includes lithium and silicon and centrifugally distributing the precursor using a centrifugal atomizing reactor. Methods for preparing the precursor include contacting a first mixture including lithium and having a first temperature and a second mixture including silicon and having a second temperature in a mixing chamber to form a precursor. The first mixture and the second mixture each enters the mixing chamber at a pressure greater than or equal to about 10 PSI. The second temperature is greater than the first temperature. Centrifugally distributing the precursor includes contacting the precursor with a rotating surface in a centrifugal atomizing reactor and solidifying the precursor to form a plurality of substantially round solid electroactive particles including lithium and silicon and having D50 diameters of less than or equal to about 30 micrometers.

Various embodiments are directed to oxidation- and/or corrosion-resistant nanostructured metallic system and techniques for producing such systems. The metallic system may include (i) a solvent of copper (Cu) metal that comprises 50 to 99.98 atomic percent (at. %) of the metallic system, (ii) a first solute of tantalum (Ta) metal dispersed in the solvent metal, the first solute comprising 0.01 to 50 at. % of the metallic system, (iii) a second solute of an oxidation and/or corrosion resistance-inducing metal dispersed in the solvent metal, the second solute comprising 0.01 to 50 at. % of the metallic system, and optionally (iv) a third solute of an additional metal dispersed in the solvent metal, the third solute comprising 0.01 to 50 at. % of the metallic system, the additional metal being an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, or a transition metal that is different from the solvent, first solute, and second solute.