This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to lithium metal oxyfluorides. In one aspect, a method for manufacturing a lithium metal oxyfluoride having a general formula Li.sub.1+x(MM′).sub.zO.sub.2-yF.sub.y, with 0.6≤z≤0.95, 0<y≤0.67, and 0.05≤x≤0.4, the lithium metal oxyfluoride having a cation-disordered rocksalt structure, includes: providing at least one lithium-based precursor; providing at least one redox-active transition metal-based precursor; providing at least one redox-inactive transition metal-based precursor; providing at least one fluorine-based precursor comprising a fluoropolymer; and mixing the at least one lithium-based precursor, the at least one redox-active transition metal-based precursor, the at least redox-inactive transition metal-based precursor, and the at least one fluorine-based precursor comprising a fluoropolymer to form a mixture.

According to one embodiment, an active material is provided. The active material includes an Nb.sub.2TiO.sub.7 phase and at least one Nb-rich phase selected from the group consisting of an Nb.sub.10Ti.sub.2O.sub.29 phase, an Nb.sub.14TiO.sub.37 phase, and an Nb.sub.24TiO.sub.64 phase. The active material includes potassium and phosphorus, and a total concentration of potassium and phosphorus in the active material is in the range of 0.01% by mass to 5.00% by mass. An average crystallite diameter is in the range of 80 nm to 150 nm. In a particle size distribution chart obtained by a laser diffraction scattering method, D10 is 0.3 μm or greater, and D90 is 10 μm or less. The active material satisfies a peak intensity ratio represented by the following Formula (1).

0<I.sub.B/I.sub.A0.25   (1)

Provided is a piezoelectric material filler including alkali niobate compound particles having a ratio (K/(Na+K)) of the number of moles of potassium to the total number of moles of sodium and potassium of 0.460 to 0.495 in terms of atoms and a ratio ((Li+Na+K)/Nb) of the total number of moles of alkali metal elements to the number of moles of niobium of 0.995 to 1.005 in terms of atoms. The present invention can provide a piezoelectric material filler having excellent piezoelectric properties, and a composite piezoelectric material including the piezoelectric material filler and a polymer matrix.

The invention provides a process for the preparation of a bismuth sodium titanate (BNT) compound of formula (I) wherein A is one or more of Bi, Na, Li, K, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, La, Al, Cu, Eu, Ag and Zn; B is one or more of Ti, Nb, Ta, Zr, Fe, Nd, Eu and Co; 0<x<0.8; 0<y<0.8; and −0.1<z<0.1; said process comprising spray pyrolysis of a solution comprising Bi ions, Na ions, Ti ions and, if present, metal (A) and/or metal (B) ions.

A piezoelectric element includes, in sequence, a substrate, a lower electrode layer, a growth control layer, a piezoelectric layer including, as a main component, a perovskite-type oxide containing lead and an upper electrode layer. The growth control layer includes a metal oxide represented by M.sub.dN.sub.1-dO.sub.e, where M is composed of one or more metal elements capable of substituting in the perovskite-type oxide, 0<d<1, and when the electronegativity is X, 1.41X−1.05≤d≤A1.Math.exp(−X/t1)+y0, where A1=1.68×10.sup.12, t1=0.0306, and y0=0.59958.

There is provided a hydrogen-substituted garnet-type oxide containing at least Li, H, La and Zr and has an amount of hydrogen a (moll unit) per one unit of a garnet-type oxide in a range of ≤1.85.

Provided is a dielectric composition exhibiting a high specific dielectric constant and a high resistivity even when fired in a reducing atmosphere. The dielectric composition contains a composite oxide having a composition represented by (Sr.sub.xBa.sub.1-x).sub.yNb.sub.2O.sub.5+y, the crystal system of the composite oxide is tetragonal, and y in the composition formula is smaller than 1.

The solid electrolyte according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is represented by the following formula (1):

Li.sub.7−yLa.sub.3 (Zr.sub.2−x−yGe.sub.xM.sub.y) O.sub.12   (1)

wherein 0.00<x≤0.40, 0.00<y≤1.50, M is Sb or is Sb and an element of at least one of Nb and Ta.

A lead-free KNN-based piezoelectric material represented by the composition formula (K.sub.aNa.sub.bLi.sub.c)(Nb.sub.dTa.sub.eSb.sub.f)O.sub.g, where 0.4≤a≤0.5, 0.5≤b≤0.6, 0.01≤c≤0.1, 0.5≤d≤1.0, 0.05≤e≤0.15, 0.01≤f≤0.09, 1≤g≤3. In one embodiment, the lead-free KNN-based piezoelectric material has a d.sub.33>300 pm/V and a T.sub.curie>250° C. In one embodiment, the d.sub.33 and T.sub.curie of the lead-free textured KNN-based piezoelectric material can be adjusted by creating phase boundaries of (i) orthorhombic to tetragonal (O-T), (ii) rhombohedral to orthorhombic (R-O), and (iii) orthorhombic to tetragonal (O-T). In one embodiment, the lead-free KNN-based piezoelectric material is textured with NaNbO.sub.3 or Ba.sub.2NaNb.sub.5O.sub.15 seeds which are platelet or acicular shaped. In one embodiment, the amount, orientation, or particle size distribution of the NaNbO.sub.3 or Ba.sub.2NaNb.sub.5O.sub.15 texturing seeds in the lead-free textured KNN-based piezoelectric material can be altered.

Cesium-niobium-chalcogenide compounds and a semiconductor device are provided. The cesium-niobium-chalcogenide compound is selected from the group consisting of CsNbS.sub.3, CsNbSe.sub.3, and CsNbO.sub.x-3Q.sub.x, where Q is S or Se, and x is 1 or 2, and includes an edge-shared orthorhombic crystal structure. In one embodiment, the semiconductor device includes a cathode layer, an anode layer, and an active layer disposed between the cathode layer and the anode layer, and the active layer includes the cesium-niobium-chalcogenide compound.