Sintering is an important issue in creating crystalline metal oxides with high porosity and surface area, especially in the case of high-temperature materials such as metal aluminates. Herein we report a rationally designed synthesis of metal aluminates that diminishes the surface area loss due to sintering. Metal aluminate (e.g. MeAl.sub.2O.sub.4or MeAlO.sub.3Me=Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, La, or Ce; or mixture thereof) supported on -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 with ultralarge mesopores (up to 30 nm) was synthesized through microwave-assisted peptization of boehmite nanoparticles and their self-assembly in the presence of a triblock copolymer (Pluronic P123) and metal nitrates, followed by co-condensation and thermal treatment. The resulting materials showed the surface area up to about 410 m.sup.2.Math.g.sup.1, porosity up to about 2.5 cm.sup.3.Math.g.sup.1, and very good thermal stability. The observed enhancement in their thermomechanical resistance is associated with the faster formation of the metal aluminate phases. The nanometer scale path diffusion and highly defective interface of -alumina facilitate the counter diffusion of Me.sup.X+ and Al.sup.3+ species and further formation of the metal aluminate phase.

Magnetodielectric (MD) metamaterials have a magnetodielectric (MD) substrate of a ferrite composition or composite having a characteristic impedance matching an impedance of free space and at least one frequency selective surface (FSS). The FSS has a plurality of frequency selective surface elements disposed in a pattern and supported on the MD substrate. The FSS has a conducting composition and is configured to permit one or more of transmission, reflection, or absorption at a selected resonant frequency or selected frequency band. Articles incorporating magnetodielectric metamaterials are provided.

A method of producing a positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, the method includes preparing nickel-containing composite oxide particles having a ratio .sup.1D.sub.90/.sup.1D.sub.10 of a 90% particle size .sup.1D.sub.90 to a 10% particle size .sup.1D.sub.10 in volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of 3 or less; obtaining a raw material mixture containing the composite oxide particles and a lithium compound and having a ratio of a total number of moles of lithium to a total number of moles of metal elements contained in the composite oxide in a range of 1 to 1.3; subjecting the raw material mixture to a heat treatment to obtain a heat-treated material; subjecting the heat-treated material to a dry-dispersion treatment to obtain a first dispersion; and bringing the first dispersion into contact with a liquid medium to obtain a second dispersion.

The present disclosure discloses a preparation method of a ternary precursor, including: S1: mixing a first metal salt solution with a soluble nickel salt, a soluble cobalt salt, and a soluble manganese salt, ammonia water, and a sodium hydroxide solution, adjusting a pH, and heating and stirring a resulting mixture to allow a reaction; and aging and filtering a resulting slurry to obtain a precursor seed crystal; S2: adding the precursor seed crystal to a dilute acid solution, and stirring and filtering a resulting mixture to obtain an acidified seed crystal; and S3: mixing a second metal salt solution with a soluble nickel salt, a soluble cobalt salt, and a soluble manganese salt, a sodium hydroxide solution, and the acidified seed crystal, adjusting a pH, and heating and stirring a resulting mixture to allow a reaction; and aging, filtering, and drying a resulting slurry to obtain the ternary precursor.

A process of hydrotreating of a feed containing one or more hydrocarbons by contacting the feed with hydrogen in the presence of a metal sulphide catalyst obtained by sulphidation of a precursor which is in the form of a mixed oxide of formula (I) or of a mixed oxide of formula (I) bound to an inorganic binder B: Me.sub.a Ni.sub.b Mo.sub.c W.sub.d Al.sub.e O.sub.f pC (I).

The present application refers to a process for preparing of nanostructured metal oxides such as cobalt oxide and transition metal incorporated cobalt oxides and nickel aluminium oxides and nickel metal supported on aluminium oxide using plant material such as spent tea leaves as a hard template and the use of such catalysts for water oxidation.

The invention relates to electrodes comprising doped nickelate-containing compositions comprising a first component-type comprising one or more components with an O3 structure of the general formula: A.sub.aM.sup.1vM.sup.2wM.sup.3xM.sup.4yM.sup.5zO.sub.2 wherein A comprises one or more alkali metal selected from sodium, lithium and potassium M.sup.1 is nickel in oxidation state 2+, M.sup.2 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 4+, M.sup.3 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 2+, M.sup.4 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 4+, and M.sup.5 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 3+ wherein 0.85a1; 0<v<0.5; at least one of w and y is >0; x0; z0; and wherein a, v, w, x, y and z are chosen to maintain electroneutrality; together with one or more component-types selected from a second component-type comprising one or more components with a P2 structure of the general formula: A.sub.a<M.sup.1vM.sup.2wM.sup.3x<M.sup.4y<M.sup.5zO.sub.2 wherein A comprises one or more alkali metal selected from sodium, lithium and potassium; M.sup.1 is nickel in oxidation state 2+, M.sup.2 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 4+, M.sup.3 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 2+, M.sup.4 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 4, and M.sup.5 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 3+ wherein 0.4a<1; 0<v<0.5; at least one of w and y is >0; x0, preferably x>0; z>0; and wherein a, v, w, x, y and z are chosen to maintain electroneutrality; and a third component-type comprising one or more components with a P3 structure of the general formula: A.sub.aM1.sub.vM2.sub.wM.sup.3.sub.xM.sup.4.sub.yM.sup.5.sub.zO.sub.2 wherein A comprises one or more alkali metals selected from sodium, lithium and potassium; M.sup.1 is nickel in oxidation state 2+, M.sup.2 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 4+, M.sup.3 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 2, M.sup.4 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 4+, and M.sup.5 comprises one or more metals in oxidation state 3+ wherein 0.4a<1, 0<v<0.5, At least one of w and y is >0; x0; z0; and wherein a, v, w, x, y and z are chosen to maintain electroneutrality.

The present invention industrially provides: a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having a high energy density and high cycling characteristics; a cathode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having a high packing efficiency; and a nickel manganese containing composite hydroxide having a small particle size, a narrow particle size distribution, and a high sphericity. When producing the nickel manganese containing composite hydroxide by a crystallization reaction using material solution where metal compounds including nickel and manganese dissolve, a nucleation process is performed in a non-oxidizing atmosphere by stirring an aqueous solution for nucleation, that includes the quantity of the material solution corresponding to 0.6% to 5.0% of the whole amount of substance of metal element included in a metal compound used for the overall crystallization reaction.

A particulate precursor compound for manufacturing a lithium transition metal (M)-oxide powder for use as an active positive electrode material in lithium-ion batteries, wherein (M) is Ni.sub.xMn.sub.yCo.sub.zA.sub.v, A being a dopant, wherein 0.33x0.60, 0.20y0.33, and 0.20z0.33, v0.05, and x+y+z+v=1, the precursor comprising Ni, Mn and Co in a molar ratio x:y:z and having a specific surface area BET in m.sup.2/g and a sulfur content S expressed in wt %, wherein formula (I).

A method of producing a positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, the method includes preparing nickel-containing composite oxide particles having a ratio .sup.1D.sub.90/.sup.1D.sub.10 of a 90% particle size .sup.1D.sub.90 to a 10% particle size .sup.1D.sub.10 in volume-based cumulative particle size distribution of 3 or less; obtaining a raw material mixture containing the composite oxide particles and a lithium compound and having a ratio of a total number of moles of lithium to a total number of moles of metal elements contained in the composite oxide in a range of 1 to 1.3; subjecting the raw material mixture to a heat treatment to obtain a heat-treated material; subjecting the heat-treated material to a dry-dispersion treatment to obtain a first dispersion; and bringing the first dispersion into contact with a liquid medium to obtain a second dispersion.