A light-absorbing material includes a compound, wherein the compound has a perovskite crystal structure represented by the formula AMX.sub.3 where a Cs.sup.+ ion is located at an A-site, a Ge.sup.2+ ion is located at an M-site, and I.sup. ions are located at X-sites, and at least a part of the compound has an orthorhombic perovskite crystal structure. An X-ray diffraction pattern of the compound measured using Cu K radiation may have a first peak at a diffraction angle (2) of 25.4 or more and 25.8 or less and a second peak at a diffraction angle (2) of 24.9 or more and 25.3 or less, and an intensity of the first peak may be 30% or more of an intensity of the second peak.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a sulfide solid electrolyte material having favorable ion conductivity and high stability against moisture. The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem by providing a sulfide solid electrolyte material comprising an M1 element (such as Li element), an M2 element (such as Ge element, Sn element and P element) and a S element, and having a peak at a position of 2=29.580.50 in X-ray diffraction measurement using a CuK ray, characterized in that when a diffraction intensity at the above-mentioned peak of 2=29.580.50 is regarded as IA and a diffraction intensity at a peak of 2=27.330.50 is regarded as IB, a value of IB/IA is less than 0.50, and the M2 contains at least P and Sn.

Calibration devices including germanium-68 source material are disclosed. The source material may be a matrix material (e.g., zeolite) in which germanium-68 is isomorphously substituted for central atoms in tetrahedra within the matrix material. Methods for preparing such calibration devices are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a hexafluoromanganate(IV), said method being characterized by comprising: inserting an anode and a cathode into a reaction solution that contains a compound containing manganese having an atomic valence of less than 4 and/or manganese having an atomic valence of more than 4 and hydrogen fluoride; and then applying an electric current having an electric current density of 100 to 1000 A/m.sup.2 between the anode and the cathode. According to the present invention, it becomes possible to produce a hexafluoromanganate(IV) in which the content ratio of manganese having an atomic valence of 4 is high and the contamination with oxygen is reduced and which has high purity. When a complex fluoride red phosphor is produced using the hexafluoromanganate(IV) as a raw material, the phosphor produced has high luminescence properties, particularly high internal quantum efficiency.

Provided is an oxide phosphor having a light emission peak in a wavelength range from red light to near-infrared light. An oxide phosphor having a composition represented by Formula (1): (Li.sub.1?uM.sup.1.sub.u).sub.2M.sup.2.sub.vM.sup.3.sub.wO.sub.x:Cr.sub.y,M.sup.4.sub.z (1). wherein M.sup.1 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Na, K, Rb and Cs; M.sup.2 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Zn; M.sup.3 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, Ti, Zr, Sn, and Hf; M.sup.4 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Eu, Fe, Mn, Nd, Tm, Ho, Er, and Yb; and u, v, w, x, y, and z satisfy 0?u?1.0, 0.8?v?3.0, 1.8?w?6, 5.4?x?16, 0.005?y?1.0, and 0?z?0.5, respectively.

A perovskite material represented by Formula 1:
Li.sub.xA.sub.yM.sub.zO.sub.3-?Formula 1 wherein in Formula 1, 0<x?1, 0<y?1, 0<x+y<1, 0<z?1.5, 0???1, A is H, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Ca, Sr, Ba, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, or a combination thereof, and M is Ni, Pd, Pb, Fe, Ir, Co, Rh, Mn, Cr, Ru, Re, Sn, V, Ge, W, Zr, Mo, Hf, U, Nb, Th, Ta, Bi, Li, H, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Ca, Sr, Ba, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Mg, Al, Si, Sc, Zn, Ga, Ag, Cd, In, Sb, Pt, Au, or a combination thereof.

Provided is a method for producing a phosphor having a chemical composition represented by formula (I), A.sub.2MF.sub.6:Mn (I) (A is one type or more of an alkali metal selected from Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs, and includes at least Na and/or K, and M is one type or more of a tetravalent element selected from Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, Ge, and Sn.), the method comprising preparing a first hydrofluoric acid solution containing M and a second hydrofluoric acid solution containing A as well as either dissolving a compound containing Mn in either the first hydrofluoric acid solution or the second hydrofluoric acid solution or preparing a separate solution in which the compound containing Mn is dissolved. When the solutions are mixed to precipitate the phosphor of the formula (I), the solutions are mixed so that the concentration of M is 0.1 to 0.5 mol/liter when all the solutions are mixed. According to the present invention, a complex fluoride phosphor having excellent luminescence properties can be produced stably with high yield.

The invention relates to a method for preparing a material made of silicon and/or germanium nanowires, comprising the steps of: i) placing a source of silicon and/or a source of germanium in contact with a catalyst comprising a binary metal sulfide or a multinary metal sulfide, said metal(s) being selected from among Sn, In, Bi, Sb, Ga, Ti, Cu, and Zn, by means of which silicon and/or germanium nanowires are obtained, ii) optionally recovering the silicon and/or germanium nanowires obtained in step (i); the catalyst and, optionally, the source of silicon and/or the source of germanium being heated before, during and/or after being placed in contact under temperature and pressure conditions that allow the growth of the silicon and/or germanium nanowires.

The present disclosure relates to a material containing the elements Li, M, P, S and X wherein M=Si, Ge or Sn, and X=F, Cl, Br or I. The material can be used as a sulfide solid electrolyte material, notably for an all-solid-state lithium battery.

A solid electrolyte material includes: Li.sub.2+yGe.sub.1xM.sub.xO.sub.3. x satisfies an equation of 0x<0.5. y satisfies an equation of 0.5<y<0.5. M represents at least one element selected from Mg, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Ga, Zr, Sn, Nb, Sb, Cu, Sc, Ta, and Hf. Ge has a six-coordinate structure, or the solid electrolyte material has a crystal structure attributed to monoclinic, C12/c1.