A battery comprising an acidified metal oxide (“AMO”) material, preferably in monodisperse nanoparticulate form 20 nm or less in size, having a pH<7 when suspended in a 5 wt % aqueous solution and a Hammett function H.sub.0>−12, at least on its surface.

A sputtering target including an oxide with a low impurity concentration is provided. Provided is a method for manufacturing a sputtering target, including a first step of preparing a mixture including indium, zinc, an element M (the element M is aluminum, gallium, yttrium, or tin), and oxygen; a second step of raising a temperature of the mixture from a first temperature to a second temperature in a first atmosphere containing nitrogen at a concentration of higher than or equal to 90 vol % and lower than or equal to 100 vol %; and a third step of lowering the temperature of the mixture from the second temperature to a third temperature in a second atmosphere containing oxygen at a concentration of higher than or equal to 10 vol % and lower than or equal to 100 vol %.

A transparent electroconductive layer 3 includes a first main surface 5 and a second main surface 6 facing each other in a thickness direction. The transparent electroconductive layer 3 is a single layer extending in a plane direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. The transparent electroconductive layer 3 has a plurality of crystal grains 4, a plurality of first grain boundaries 7 partitioning the plurality of crystal grains 4 and having each of one end edge 9 and another end edge 10 in the thickness direction open in each of the first main surface 5 and the second main surface 6, and a second grain boundary 8 branching from a first intermediate portion 11 of one first grain boundary 7A and reaching a second intermediate portion 12 of another first grain boundary 7B.

A transparent electroconductive layer 3 includes a first main surface 5 and a second main surface 6 facing each other in a thickness direction. The transparent electroconductive layer 3 is a single layer extending in a plane direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. The transparent electroconductive layer 3 has a plurality of crystal grains 4, a plurality of first grain boundaries 7 partitioning the plurality of crystal grains 4 and having each of one end edge 9 and another end edge 10 in the thickness direction open in each of the first main surface 5 and the second main surface 6, and a second grain boundary 8 branching from a first intermediate portion 11 of one first grain boundary 7A and reaching a second intermediate portion 12 of another first grain boundary 7B.

A substrate with conductive film includes a base material; and a film of a conductive metal oxide arranged on an upper part of the base material. The film includes, by a top plan view, a first region and a second region, the second region is configured of a same material as the first region, and an electric resistance of the second region is higher than an electric resistance of the first region. The second region includes a part configured by a plurality of cellular sections surrounded by a plurality of fine cracks. In the part, each fine crack has a width of 1 nm to 50 nm, and each cellular section has a largest measure of less than 10 μm.

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 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.

An acidified metal oxide (“AMO”) material, preferably in monodisperse nanoparticulate form 20 nm or less in size, having a pH<7 when suspended in a 5 wt % aqueous solution and a Hammett function H.sub.0>−12, at least on its surface. The AMO material is useful in applications such as a battery electrode, catalyst, or photovoltaic component.

A method of forming a sealed device comprising providing a first substrate having a first surface, providing a second substrate adjacent the first substrate, and forming a weld between an interface of the first substrate and the adjacent second substrate, wherein the weld is characterized by ((σ.sub.tensile stress location)/(σ.sub.interface laser weld))<<1 or <1 and σ.sub.interface laser weld>10 MPa or >1 MPa where σ.sub.tensile stress location is the stress present in the first substrate and σ.sub.interface laser weld is the stress present at the interface. This method may be used to manufacture a variety of different sealed packages.

A method of forming a sealed device comprising providing a first substrate having a first surface, providing a second substrate adjacent the first substrate, and forming a weld between an interface of the first substrate and the adjacent second substrate, wherein the weld is characterized by ((σ.sub.tensile stress location)/(σ.sub.interface laser weld))<<1 or <1 and σ.sub.interface laser weld>10 MPa or >1 MPa where σ.sub.tensile stress location is the stress present in the first substrate and σ.sub.interface laser weld is the stress present at the interface. This method may be used to manufacture a variety of different sealed packages.