The present invention relates to nanocrystalline cellulose, an efficient way of its preparation and to uses of such nanocrystalline cellulose. The present invention also relates to porous metal oxides having a chiral nematic structure which are prepared using nanocrystalline cellulose.

The present invention provides a method of producing a lithium mixed metal oxide, a lithium mixed metal oxide and a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. The method includes a step of calcining a mixture of one or more compounds of M wherein M is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and manganese, and a lithium compound, in the presence of one or more inactive fluxes selected from the group consisting of a fluoride of A, a chloride of A, a carbonate of A, a sulfate of A, a nitrate of A, a phosphate of A, a hydroxide of A, a molybdate of A and a tungstate of A, wherein A is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Na, K, Rb, Cs, Ca, Mg, Sr and Ba. The lithium mixed metal oxide contains nickel, cobalt and manganese, has a BET specific surface area of from 3 m.sup.2/g to 15 m.sup.2/g, and has an average particle diameter within a range of 0.1 μm or more to less than 1 μm, the diameter determined by a laser diffraction scattering method.

The present invention provides a method of producing a lithium mixed metal oxide, a lithium mixed metal oxide and a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. The method includes a step of calcining a mixture of one or more compounds of M wherein M is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and manganese, and a lithium compound, in the presence of one or more inactive fluxes selected from the group consisting of a fluoride of A, a chloride of A, a carbonate of A, a sulfate of A, a nitrate of A, a phosphate of A, a hydroxide of A, a molybdate of A and a tungstate of A, wherein A is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Na, K, Rb, Cs, Ca, Mg, Sr and Ba. The lithium mixed metal oxide contains nickel, cobalt and manganese, has a BET specific surface area of from 3 m.sup.2/g to 15 m.sup.2/g, and has an average particle diameter within a range of 0.1 μm or more to less than 1 μm, the diameter determined by a laser diffraction scattering method.

A process for producing a metal oxide powder proceeds by spray pyrolysis, in which a mixture comprising ammonia and an aerosol which is obtained by atomizing a solution containing a metal compound by means of an atomization gas is introduced into a high-temperature zone of a reaction space and reacted in an oxygen-containing atmosphere therein and the solids are subsequently separated off.

A process for preparing a metal oxide-containing powder that comprises conducting spray pyrolysis that comprises aerosolizing a slurry that comprises solidphase particles in a liquid that comprises at least one precursor compound, which comprises one or more metallic elements of at least one metal oxide, to form droplets of said slurry, and calcining the droplets to at least partially decompose the at least one precursor compound and form the metal oxide-containing powder having a non-hollow morphology.

A process for preparing a metal oxide-containing powder that comprises conducting spray pyrolysis that comprises aerosolizing a slurry that comprises solidphase particles in a liquid that comprises at least one precursor compound, which comprises one or more metallic elements of at least one metal oxide, to form droplets of said slurry, and calcining the droplets to at least partially decompose the at least one precursor compound and form the metal oxide-containing powder having a non-hollow morphology.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing uniform metal oxide nanoparticles. According to the preparation method of the present invention, it is possible to maintain the temperature and pressure inside the reactor in a stable and constant manner by removing water generated in the reaction step for forming metal oxide nanoparticles. Thus, the uniformity of nanoparticles formed is increased, and the reproducibility between batches can be increased even in a repeated process and and a large-scale reaction. Therefore, the preparation method of the present invention can be used to synthesize uniform nanoparticles reproducibly in large quantities.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing uniform metal oxide nanoparticles. According to the preparation method of the present invention, it is possible to maintain the temperature and pressure inside the reactor in a stable and constant manner by removing water generated in the reaction step for forming metal oxide nanoparticles. Thus, the uniformity of nanoparticles formed is increased, and the reproducibility between batches can be increased even in a repeated process and and a large-scale reaction. Therefore, the preparation method of the present invention can be used to synthesize uniform nanoparticles reproducibly in large quantities.

Novel methods for processing fumed metallic oxides into globular metallic oxide agglomerates are provided. The methodology may allow for fumed metallic oxide particles, such as fumed silica and fumed alumina particles, to be processed into a globular morphology to improve handling while retaining a desirable surface area. The processes may include providing fumed metallic oxide particles, combining the particles with a liquid carrier to form a suspension, atomizing the solution of suspended particles, and subjecting the atomized droplets to a temperature range sufficient to remove the liquid carrier from the droplets, to produce metallic oxide-containing agglomerations.

A mesoporous metal oxide materials with a chiral organization; and a method for producing it, in the method a polymerizable metal oxide precursor is condensed inside the pores of chiral nematic mesoporous silica by the so-called “hard templating” method. As a specific example, mesoporous titanium dioxide is formed inside of a chiral nematic silica film templated by nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). After removing the silica template such as by dissolving the silica in concentrated aqueous base, the resulting product is a mesoporous titania with a high surface area. These mesoporous metal oxide materials with high surface area and chiral nematic structures that lead to photonic properties may be useful for photonic applications as well as enantioselective catalysis, photocatalysis, photovoltaics, UV filters, batteries, and sensors.