There are provided a piezoelectric laminate, which include, on a substrate in the following order, a lower electrode layer and a piezoelectric film, in which the piezoelectric film contains a perovskite-type oxide, the piezoelectric film includes a first region in which the perovskite-type oxide contains, as a main component, a first perovskite crystal in which a first angle formed by a (100) plane orientation or a (001) plane orientation and a normal direction of a surface of the substrate is 5°˜30°, and includes a second region provided between the first region and the lower electrode layer, in which the perovskite-type oxide contains, as a main component, a second perovskite crystal in which a second angle formed by the (100) plane orientation or the (001) plane orientation and the normal direction is less than 5°, and a thickness of the second region is 30 nm or more.

This invention relates to azirconium hydroxideor zirconium oxide comprising, on an oxide basis, up to 30 wt % of a dopant comprising one or more of silicon, sulphate, phosphate, tungsten, niobium, aluminium, molybdenum, titanium or tin, and having acid sites, wherein the majority of the acid sites are Lewis acid sites. In addition, the invention relates to a catalyst, catalyst support or precursor, binder, functional binder, coating or sorbent comprising the zirconium hydroxide or zirconium oxide. The invention also relates to a process for preparing zirconium hydroxide, the process comprising the steps of:(a) dissolving a zirconium salt in an aqueous acid, (b) addingone or more complexing agents to the resulting solution or sol, the one or more complexing agents being an organic compound comprising at least one of the following functional groups: an amine, an organosulphate, a sulphonate, a hydroxyl, an ether or a carboxylic acid group, (c) heating the solution or sol formed in step (b), (d) adding a sulphating agent, and (e) adding a base to form a zirconium hydroxide, and (f) optionally adding a dopant.

Fabricating a layer including lithium lanthanum zirconate (Li.sub.7La.sub.3Zr.sub.2O.sub.12) layer includes forming a slurry including lanthanum zirconate (La.sub.2Zr.sub.2O.sub.7) nanocrystals, a lithium precursor, and a lanthanum precursor in stoichiometric amounts to yield a dispersion including lithium, lanthanum, and zirconium. In some cases, the dispersion includes lithium, lanthanum, and zirconium in a molar ratio of 7:3:2. In certain cases, the slurry includes excess lithium. The slurry is dispensed onto a substrate and dried. The dried slurry is calcined to yield the layer including lithium lanthanum zirconate.

Provided is an alumina-based composite oxide having a large initial specific surface area and a small initial mean pore size, with excellent heat resistance of the specific surface area and pore volume; and a production method therefor. Specifically, provided is an alumina-based composite oxide wherein the initial crystallite diameter is 10 nm or less and the initial specific surface area is 80 m.sup.2/ml or more; after calcination at 1200° C. for 3 hours in air, the specific surface area is 10 m.sup.2/ml or more; the initial mean pore size is 10 nm or more and 50 nm or less; and after calcination at 1200° C. for 3 hours in air, the pore volume retention rate is 10% or more, which is determined by (P.sub.1/P.sub.0)×100 wherein P.sub.0 represents an initial pore volume (ml/g), and P.sub.1 represents a pore volume (ml/g) after calcination at 1200° C. for 3 hours in air.

Disclosed is a process for coating onto a substrate, including preparing a precursor having a general formula Q.sub.m/nMO.sub.xF.sub.y by a reaction M(OH).sub.x+yHF+m/nQ(OH).sub.n.fwdarw.Q.sup.n+.sub.m/n(MO.sub.xF.sub.y).sup.m−, wherein Q is an onium ion, selected from quaternary alkyl ammonium, quaternary alkyl phosphonium and trialkylsulfonium; M is a metal capable of forming an oxofluorometallate, where M may further comprise one or more additional metal, metalloid, and one or more of phosphorus (P), sulfur (S) and selenium (Se), iodine (I), and arsenic (As) or a combination thereof, and x>0, y>0, m≥1, n≥1; combining the precursor with a lithium ion source and with the substrate, and mixing to form a coating composition comprising a lithium oxofluorometallate having a general formula Li.sub.mMO.sub.xF.sub.y on the substrate. Further disclosed is a core-shell electrode active material including a core capable of intercalating and deintercalating lithium coated with the lithium oxofluorometallate having the general formula Li.sub.mMO.sub.xF.sub.y.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an oxygen storage and release material comprising a ceria-zirconia-based complex oxide improved in ability to remove HC and NOx and a three-way catalyst able to reduce an amount of NOx emission. Further, to solve this problem, an oxygen storage and release material comprising a ceria-zirconia-based complex oxide containing Gd.sub.2O.sub.3 in 0.1 mol % or more and less than 20 mol % and having an ion conductivity of 2×10.sup.−5 S/cm or more at 400° C. is provided. Further, in addition to the above, an oxygen storage and release material having a molar ratio of cerium and zirconium of 0.2 or more and 0.6 or less by cerium/(cerium+zirconium) and an speed of oxygen storage and release “Δt.sub.50” of 20.0 seconds or more or amount of oxygen storage and release of 300 μmol-O.sub.2/g or more etc. was obtained. Further, by applying the oxygen storage and release material to the catalyst, it is possible to assist the purification of exhaust gas as it changes every instant in accordance with the driving conditions and possible to obtain a catalyst with a higher ability to remove harmful components of catalytic precious metals than before. In particular, it is possible to obtain an automotive exhaust gas purification system excellent in ability to remove CO, NOx, and HC.

The present application provides a composite material and a preparation method thereof, and a lithium ion battery, and belongs to the technical field of lithium batteries. A specific solution is as follows: the composite material is an oxide electrolyte coated nano-attapulgite composite material, where a coating layer of an oxide electrolyte has a thickness less than or equal to 20 μm, a rod crystal of a nano-attapulgite has a length of 100 nm-50 μm and a width of 10 nm-120 nm, and the nano-attapulgite is an organically modified natural nano-attapulgite and/or a lithium cation exchanged natural nano-attapulgite. The attapulgite composite material coated with the oxide electrolyte has a rod-shaped fast lithium ion transmission channel at a nanometer level, which can improve a transmission of lithium ions and has good lithium ion conductivity and excellent mechanical properties.

Disclosed are a mixed oxide composition based on zirconium and cerium exhibiting a high reducibility, the process for preparing it and its use in the field of catalysis.

Set forth herein are garnet material compositions, e.g., lithium-stuffed garnets and lithium-stuffed garnets doped with alumina, which are suitable for use as electrolytes and catholytes in solid state battery applications. Also set forth herein are lithium-stuffed garnet thin films having fine grains therein. Disclosed herein are novel and inventive methods of making and using lithium-stuffed garnets as catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes for all solid state lithium rechargeable batteries. Also disclosed herein are novel electrochemical devices which incorporate these garnet catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes. Also set forth herein are methods for preparing novel structures, including dense thin (<50 um) free standing membranes of an ionically conducting material for use as a catholyte, electrolyte, and, or, anolyte, in an electrochemical device, a battery component (positive or negative electrode materials), or a complete solid state electrochemical energy storage device. Also, the methods set forth herein disclose novel sintering techniques, e.g., for heating and/or field assisted (FAST) sintering, for solid state energy storage devices and the components thereof.

Disclosed herein, in certain embodiments, are compounds, methods, tools, and abrasive materials comprising mixed transition metal dodecaborides.