The embodiments herein relate to electrochromic stacks, electrochromic devices, and methods and apparatus for making such stacks and devices. In various embodiments, an anodically coloring layer in an electrochromic stack or device is fabricated to include nickel-tungsten-niobium-oxide (NiWNbO). This material is particularly beneficial in that it is very transparent in its clear state.

[Problem] Provided is an oxide dielectric having superior properties, and a solid state electronic device (for example, a high pass filter, a patch antenna, a capacitor, a semiconductor device, or a microelectromechanical system) including the oxide dielectric.

[Solution] The oxide layer 30 according to the present invention includes an oxide (possibly including inevitable impurities) consisting essentially of bismuth (Bi) and niobium (Nb) and having a crystal phase of the pyrochlore-type crystal structure, in which the number of atoms of the above niobium (Nb) is 1.3 or more and 1.7 or less when the number of atoms of the above bismuth (Bi) is assumed to be 1.

Processes for preparing a niobate material include the following steps: (i) providing a niobium-containing source; (ii) providing a transitional metal source (TMS), a post-transitional metal source (PTMS), or both; (iii) dissolving (a) the niobium-containing source, and (b) the TMS, the PTMS, or both in an aqueous medium to form an intermediate solution; (iv) forming an intermediate paste by admixing an inert support material with the intermediate solution; (v) optionally coating the intermediate paste on a support substrate; and (vi) removing the inert support material by subjecting the intermediate paste to a calcination process and providing a transition-metal-niobate (TMN) and/or a post-transition-metal-niobate (PTMN). Anodes including a TMN and/or PTMN are also provided.

The present application provides vanadium dioxide doped with Ti, or vanadium dioxide further doped with other atoms selected from the group of W, Ta, Mo, and Nb. The vanadium dioxide of the present application is excellent in moisture resistance and in which deterioration of endothermic characteristics due to moisture is suppressed.

An oxide electrolyte sintered body with high lithium ion conductivity and a method for producing the same, which can obtain the oxide electrolyte sintered body with high lithium ion conductivity by sintering at lower temperature than ever before. The method for producing an oxide electrolyte sintered body may comprise the steps of: preparing crystal particles of a garnet-type ion-conducting oxide which comprises Li, H, at least one kind of element L selected from the group consisting of an alkaline-earth metal and a lanthanoid element, and at least one kind of element M selected from the group consisting of a transition element that can be 6-coordinated with oxygen and typical elements belonging to the Groups 12 to 15, and which is represented by a general formula (Li.sub.x−3y−z,E.sub.y,H.sub.z)L.sub.αM.sub.βO.sub.γ (where E is at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, Fe and Si, 3≦x−3y−z≦7, 0≦y<0.22, 0<z≦2.8, 2.5≦α≦3.5, 1.5≦β≦2.5, and 11≦γ≦13); preparing a lithium-containing flux; and sintering a mixture of the crystal particles of the garnet-type ion-conducting oxide and the flux by heating at 400° C. or more and 650° C. or less.

The invention relates to active electrode materials and to methods for the manufacture of active electrode materials. Such materials are of interest as active electrode materials in lithium-ion or sodium-ion batteries. The invention provides an active electrode material expressed by the general formula M1.sub.aM2.sub.2-aM3.sub.bNb.sub.34-bO.sub.87-c-dQ.sub.d.

Provided is an electrochemical element having excellent load characteristics and charge-discharge cycle characteristics, an electrode active material that can constitute the electrochemical element, a method for manufacturing the electrode active material, an electrode material, an electrode, and a movable body including the electrochemical element. The electrode active material for an electrochemical element according to the present invention includes an oxide that has a monoclinic crystal structure and satisfies the following general formula (1): A.sub.yM.sup.1.sub.αAl.sub.x−αNb.sub.12−x−zM.sup.2.sub.zO.sub.29−δ (1). In the general formula (1), A is at least one element selected from Li and Na, M1 is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Mn, Zn Cu, Ag, Mg Ca, Sr, Ba, Co, Eu, Y, Bi, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, and Gd, M2 is specific element, awl x, y, z, δ, and α satisfy 0<x≤1.1, 0≤y≤24, 0≤z≤2, −1≤δ≤2, and 0<α≤0.4x.

The present invention is a lithium-phosphorus-based composite oxide/carbon composite used for a positive electrode active material of an electrochemical device, including lithium-phosphorus-based composite oxide with the surface being coated with carbon, wherein the lithium-phosphorus-based composite oxide/carbon composite has elutable fluoride ions, which are eluted to an elute from the composite dispersed to ultrapure water, in a mass ratio of 500 ppm or more and 15000 ppm or less in comparison with the lithium-phosphorus-based composite oxide/carbon composite, and the lithium-phosphorus-based composite oxide has a composition of the following general formula (1):

Li.sub.1-xFe.sub.1-zM.sub.zPO.sub.4-aF.sub.a(−0.1≦x<1,0≦z≦1,0≦a≦4)  (1)

(wherein, M represents one or more kinds of metal element selected from the group of Mn, Ni, Co, V, Cr, Al, Nb, Ti, Cu, and Zn). This provides a lithium-phosphorus-based composite oxide/carbon composite that gives higher charge/discharge capacity when it is used as a positive electrode active material of an electrochemical device even though a trivalent-containing raw material is used.

The present invention relates, in general terms, to piezoelectric thin films with an empirical formula (K.sub.1xNa.sub.x).sub.yNbO.sub.3, wherein 0≤x≤1 and 0.64≤y≤0.95. In particular, the piezoelectric thin film comprises at least two adjacent NbO.sub.2 planes in an antiphase boundary, the at least two adjacent NbO.sub.2 planes displaced from each other by about half a lattice length in either the (100), (010) or (100) crystallographic plane. The present invention also relates to methods of fabricating the piezoelectric thin films.

A ferroelectric perovskite composition, comprising a perovskite oxide ABO.sub.3, and a doping agent selected from perovskites of Ba(Ni,Nb)O.sub.3 and Ba(Ni,Nb)O.sub.3-δ. The ferroelectric perovskite composition may be represented by the formula: xBa(Ni,Nb)O.sub.3.(1-x)ABO.sub.3 or xBa(Ni,Nb)O.sub.3-δ.(1-x)ABO.sub.3. A method of producing the ferroelectric perovskite composition in thin film form is also provided.