A metal oxide catalyst involved in a hydrogenation reaction in which a ketone is converted into an alcohol, a method of preparing the metal oxide catalyst, and a method of preparing an alcohol using the same are provided. The metal oxide catalyst has a spinel structure represented by the following Formula 1:
XAl.sub.2O.sub.4,<Formula 1> wherein X represents nickel or copper.

A positive electrode active material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries that can achieve a high output characteristic and a high battery capacity when used in a positive electrode of a battery and that can achieve a high electrode density, and a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that uses such a positive electrode active material and can achieve a high capacity and a high output. A lithium-manganese-cobalt composite oxide includes plate-shaped secondary particles each obtained by aggregation of a plurality of plate-shaped primary particles caused by overlapping of plate surfaces of the plate-shaped primary particles, wherein a shape of the primary particles is any one of a spherical, elliptical, oval, or a planar projected shape of a block-shaped object, and the secondary particles have an aspect ratio of 3 to 20 and a volume-average particle size (Mv) of 4 m to 20 m as measured by a laser diffraction scattering process.

An active material precursor having a hollow structure is represented by Formula 1:

Ni.sub.aMn.sub.bCo.sub.cM.sub.d(OH).sub.2Formula 1 where, in Formula 1, 0<a1, 0<b1, 0<c1, 0d1, and a+b+c=1; and M is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of titanium (Ti) vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), magnesium (Mg), zirconium (Zr), and boron (B). A method of the active material precursor includes: mixing a nickel precursor, a manganese precursor, a cobalt precursor, a metal (M) precursor, and a solvent to prepare a precursor mixture; and mixing the precursor mixture and a pH adjusting agent to adjust a pH value of the resultant to be in a range of about 11.0 to about 11.2.

Ternary precursor particles used for a lithium-ion battery, the ternary precursor particles having a Ni.sub.xCo.sub.yMn.sub.z(OH).sub.2, wherein, x+y+z=1, 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0<z<1; each ternary precursor particle is a spheroidal structure, and comprises a shell, a transition layer and a particle core; the shell is a dense structure, the particle core is a porous structure, the transition layer surrounds the particle core and is sandwiched between the shell and the particle core; each ternary precursor particle is a mixture formed by mixing the nickel hydroxide, the cobalt hydroxide and the manganese hydroxide at the atomic level; a crystallinity of the shell is greater than a crystallinity of the transition layer, and the crystallinity of the transition layer is greater than a crystallinity of the particle core.

A positive electrode active material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries that can achieve a high output characteristic and a high battery capacity when used in a positive electrode of a battery and that can achieve a high electrode density, and a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that uses such a positive electrode active material and can achieve a high capacity and a high output. A lithium-manganese-cobalt composite oxide includes plate-shaped secondary particles each obtained by aggregation of a plurality of plate-shaped primary particles caused by overlapping of plate surfaces of the plate-shaped primary particles, wherein a shape of the primary particles is any one of a spherical, elliptical, oval, or a planar projected shape of a block-shaped object, and the secondary particles have an aspect ratio of 3 to 20 and a volume-average particle size (Mv) of 4 m to 20 m as measured by a laser diffraction scattering process.

The present invention provides a powdered ferrite having high dispersibility in a resin and high electromagnetic shielding characteristics. The powdered ferrite comprises platy ferrite particles having a spinel crystal structure. The powdered ferrite comprises at least 50 number % platy ferrite particles each having at least one protrusion on a surface of the particle, and the protrusion has a shape selected from the group consisting of a rectangular pyramid, a truncated rectangular pyramid, an elongated rectangular pyramid, and combinations thereof.

A positive electrode active material precursor having a uniform particle size distribution and represented by Formula 1, wherein a percentage of fine powder with an average particle diameter (D.sub.50) of 1 ?m or less is generated when the positive electrode active material precursor is rolled at 2.5 kgf/cm.sup.2 is less than 1%, and an aspect ratio is 0.93 or more, and a method of preparing the positive electrode active material precursor
[Ni.sub.xCo.sub.yM.sup.1.sub.zM.sup.2.sub.w](OH).sub.2 [Formula 1] in Formula 1, 0.5?x<1, 0<y?0.5, 0<z?0.5, and 0?w?0.1, M.sup.1 includes at least one selected from the group consisting of Mn and Al, and M.sup.2 includes at least one selected from the group consisting of Zr, B, W, Mo, Cr, Nb, Mg, Hf, Ta, La, Ti, Sr, Ba, Ce, F, P, S, and Y. A method of preparing the positive electrode active material precursor is also provided.

Disclosed herein is a process for making a particulate (oxy)hydroxide, carbonate, or oxide of TM which includes nickel and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, manganese, and aluminum. The process includes providing an aqueous solution (?1) containing a water-soluble salt of Ni, one of an aqueous solution (?2) containing a water-soluble salt of Co, an aqueous solution (?3) containing a water-soluble salt of Mn, or an aqueous solution (?4) containing a water-soluble compound of Al, an aqueous solution (?) containing an alkali metal hydroxide or carbonate and, optionally, an aqueous solution (?) containing ammonia or an organic acid or its alkali metal salt, combining solution (?1) and solution (?) and at least one of solutions (?2), (?3), (?4), and, if applicable, solution (?), in different locations of a continuous reactor, and removing the particles from the liquid by a solid-liquid separation method.

A method of forming an inorganic nano-material by thermally treating metal-infused organic polymers to remove the organics to leave an inorganic nano-material where the metal-infused organic polymer precursor may be formed by a polymer synthesis reaction of organic monomers with a metal-containing precursor and by combining a metal containing precursor with at least one organic monomer to obtain a mixture and initiating a polymerization reaction of the mixture to form a metal-infused organic polymer precursor.

A simple one pot sol-gel method for the synthesis of bi-metal nanostructures is based on non-noble metals (Fe, Co and Sn) and titanium. The method involves the synthesis of mixed metal nanoscale composites using low cost precursors which allow for the synthesis of desired nanocomposite materials with self-scarifying titanium or silica supports. The procedure does not require any surfactant or any need for pH controlled step. Applicants' method involves the in-situ generation of precursors and their simultaneous entrapment in a gel. This simple one pot synthesis allows for the synthesis of homogenous size, shape and distribution of targeted nanostructures. Further, this method can be applied for the preparation of various nanocomposite materials using different choices of metals and self-scarifying supports. Applicants also show that Pd, the noble metal based nanocomposite is feasible.