The formation of amorphous silicon for use in, for example, lithium-ion batteries is disclosed. The process can include milling a plurality of silicon nanocrystals having an average particle diameter and a percent crystallinity greater than about 60%, in a unit designed to reduce the average particle diameter to the same or a larger size, thereby forming a plurality of amorphous silicon nanoparticles having about the same average particle diameter as the silicon nanocrystals and a percent crystallinity of less than about 50%.

The present invention is a polishing composition, containing zirconium oxide as abrasive grains, the polishing composition having pH of 11.0 or more and less than 12.5, the zirconium oxide having element concentrations of sodium, magnesium, aluminum, potassium, calcium, titanium, chromium, iron, manganese, nickel, copper, zinc, lead, and cobalt of less than 1 ppm each. There can be provided a polishing composition that enables semiconductor substrates having high flatness not only in the inner circumferential portion but also in the outer circumferential portion with little contamination due to metal impurities to be obtained at high productivity.

A crystalline structure compound A is represented by a composition formula (2) and has having diffraction peaks respectively in below-defined ranges (A) to (K) of an incidence angle observed by X-ray diffraction measurement.

(In.sub.xGa.sub.yAl.sub.z).sub.2O.sub.3  (2)

In the formula (2), 0.47≤x≤0.53, 0.17≤y≤0.43, 0.07≤z≤0.33, and x+y+z=1.

31° to 34° (A), 36° to 39° (B), 30° to 32° (C), 51° to 53° (D), 53° to 56° (E), 62° to 66° (F), 9° to 11° (G), 19° to 21° (H), 42° to 45° (I), 8° to 10° (J), and 17° to 19° (K).

An amorphous silica powder that is suitable for obtaining a liquid sealant that exhibits superior filling properties and preservation properties, and a resin composition obtained by using the amorphous silica powder as a filler. More specifically, an amorphous silica powder is prepared so as to have a modal diameter within the range of 1 to 10 μm and a frequency of particles having particle diameters of less than 0.50 μm of 1.0% or more in the particle diameter frequency distribution and have a specific surface area of 1 to 12 m.sup.2/g.

A solid electrolyte material includes a first crystal phase. The first crystal phase has a composition that is deficient in Li as compared with a composition represented by the following composition formula (1).
Li.sub.3Y.sub.1Br.sub.6  formula (1)

Lithiated porous silicon particles comprising lithium, silicon and oxygen, a method of making the particles, and uses of the particles are described.

Methods of producing functionalized carbon nanosheets capable of use as electrode materials in electrochemical energy storage cells, electrodes and electrode materials formed thereby, and electrochemical energy storage cells of sodium-ion batteries that utilize such electrodes and electrode materials. Such a method of producing functionalized carbon nanosheets includes preparing a solution containing dissolved glucose, mixing a quantity of NaCl crystals with the solution to form a mixture, drying the mixture to form a gel comprising NaCl crystals each having a layer of glucose thereon, heating the gel in an inert atmosphere to a processing temperature and for a duration sufficient to cause carbonization of the glucose and in situ functionalization with oxygen-containing functional groups, and removing the NaCl crystals to yield the functionalized carbon nanosheets.

An anode active material for a secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a carbon-based particle containing pores, a silicon-containing coating layer formed at an inside of the pores or on a surface of the carbon-based particle, and a carbon coating formed on the silicon-containing coating layer. A ratio of a peak intensity (I.sub.D) of a D band relative to a peak intensity (I.sub.G) of a G band in a Raman spectrum of the carbon coating is 1.65 or less.

The present invention provides zeolite hollow spheres in which zeolite crystals grow to form a framework of macropore through a hydrothermal crystallization process using the hydrophilic surface of a carbon sphere as a hard template, wherein the zeolite framework is an ordered, porous crystalline zeolite material with a number of channels or pores interconnected, which has two independent pore structures including mesopores and micropores. The zeolite hollow spheres of the present invention can be used for various purposes such as catalysts and adsorbents.

A lithium-ion rechargeable battery negative electrode active material and a preparation method thereof, a lithium-ion rechargeable battery negative electrode plate, and a lithium-ion rechargeable battery are disclosed. The negative electrode active material includes a carbon core and a coating layer formed on a surface of the carbon core, a material of the coating layer includes amorphous carbon and a doping element, and the doping element includes element nitrogen. The lithium-ion rechargeable battery negative electrode active material has the carbon core, and the coating layer that includes the doping element and the amorphous carbon is provided on the surface of the carbon core.