An improved method of forming a transition metal layered oxide material for alkali-ion battery cathodes include combining an alkali-containing precursor and at least one transition metal precursor or other metal precursor at a low temperature of less than 100° C. to form a liquid eutectic alloy mixture. The mixture is then heated at a temperature between 300° C. to 500° C. to pre-calcinate the mixture, and subsequently the pre-calcinated mixture is subjected to a final calcination at a temperature of 500° C. to 1000° C. to obtain a crystalline oxide material. A P2-type or O3-type cathode may be formed with the layered oxide material, and a sodium-ion battery cell may include the so-formed P2-type or O3-type cathode.

A method for preparing copper-nickel cobaltate nanowires includes steps of: (1) dissolving a soluble nickel salt, cobalt salt and copper salt in ultrapure water, and preparing same into a mixed salt solution A; (2) adding 1-4 mmol of sodium dodecyl sulfate to solution A, and dissolving same with stirring; (3) dissolving 12-30 mmol of hexamethylenetetramine in 20 mL of ultrapure water to form solution B; (4) slowly dropwise adding solution B to solution A via a separatory funnel to form solution C, and stirring same for 0.5-1 h; and (5) further transferring same into a 100 mL reaction vessel, reacting same at 100-160° C. for 8-20 h, suction filtration and washing, and drying same at 40-60° C. in a vacuum oven, and further reacting same at 350-800° C. for 1-4 h in a muffle furnace.

A method of producing a nickel-containing hydroxide includes a pre-reaction aqueous solution preparation step of preparing a pre-reaction aqueous solution, and a crystallization step of obtaining the nickel-containing hydroxide by adding at least a nickel salt as a metal salt, a neutralizing agent that reacts with the metal salt to form a metal hydroxide, and a complexing agent to the pre-reaction aqueous solution while stirring the pre-reaction aqueous solution, wherein the pre-reaction aqueous solution contains water and the neutralizing agent, and a concentration of dissolved oxygen in the pre-reaction aqueous solution is 0.1 mg/L or less when the crystallization step starts.

Provided is a nickel composite hydroxide that was excellent in reactivity to a lithium compound and a positive electrode active material using the nickel composite hydroxide as a precursor. The nickel composite hydroxide, having an average diameter of pores of 50 Å or larger and 60 Å or smaller in pore distribution measurement by a nitrogen adsorption method and an integrated intensity ratio of a diffraction peak appearing in a range of 2θ=51.9±1.0°/a diffraction peak appearing in a range of 2θ=19.1±1.0° in powder X-ray diffraction using CuKα rays of 0.40 or more and 0.50 or less.

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 is 3 or less; mixing the composite oxide particles and a lithium compound to obtain a first mixture; subjecting the first mixture to a first heat treatment at a first temperature and a second heat treatment at a second temperature higher than the first temperature to obtain a first heat-treated product; and subjecting the first heat-treated material to a dispersion treatment.

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.

Methods and apparatus for producing a magnetic nanoparticle suitable for additive manufacturing techniques includes providing a solution having a plurality of metallic precursors to produce magnetic nanoparticles, a coordinating solvent, and a chelating agent. The solution is mixed and heated to grow nanoparticles wherein magnetic nanoparticles are formed. The solution is then cooled and a magnetic field is applied to the solution wherein ferrite nanoparticles are at least partially separated by size.

A precursor for a lithium secondary battery positive electrode active material, containing at least Ni and an element M, in which the element M is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Co, Mn, Fe, Cu, Ti, Mg, Al, W, Mo, Nb, Zn, Sn, Zr, Ga, V, B, Si, S, and P, when measurement is carried out with a laser diffraction type particle size distribution measuring instrument and all in an obtained cumulative particle size distribution curve is set to 100%, a value of D.sub.60/D.sub.10 that is a ratio between a particle diameter D.sub.60 (μm) at which a cumulative volume from a small particle side becomes 60% and a particle diameter D.sub.10 (μm) at which the cumulative volume from the small particle side becomes 10% is 2.0 or less, and a BET specific surface area is 20 m.sup.2/g or more.

The present invention is in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. Particularly, the present invention relates to a process for preparing catalysts advantageously usable in the hydrotreatment processes, for example in hydrodesulphurization, hydrodenitrogenation, hydrodearomatization processes of hydrocarbons. More in particular, the present invention relates to a process for obtaining said catalysts, which comprise mixed oxides of Nickel, Aluminum, Molybdenum and Tungsten and optionally a transition metal Me selected from the group consisting of Zn, Mn, Cd, and a mixture thereof, an organic component C, and possibly an inorganic binder B. Said mixed oxides comprise an amorphous phase and a pseudo-crystalline phase isostructural to Wolframite. The present invention further relates to said hydrotreatment catalysts and a hydrotreatment process wherein said catalysts are used.

The present invention aims to obtain a resin composition with low thermal expansion property by suppressing functional deterioration in negative thermal expansion property when a negative thermal expansion material is added to a thermoplastic resin and heat-processed. The present invention provides a resin composition including metal oxide particles and a thermoplastic resin, both having a negative thermal expansion property. The negative thermal expansion of the particles is attributed to a crystal phase transition, which is driven by electron transfer between the constituent metals, and a covalent protective layer that inhibits the electron transfer is formed between the particles and the thermoplastic resin.