The present invention provides a titanium compound sol solution capable of enabling manufacturing of a film high in transparency and having an excellent photocatalyst effect by low-temperature processing, and a coating film using the same. The present invention is a titanium compound sol solution containing a particulate incomplete condensate obtained by condensing an alkoxy titanium, an α-substituted β-diketone, and a solvent.

A method for preparing an amorphous silicon powder for an anode material of a lithium-ion battery is disclosed. The amorphous silicon powder is prepared by reducing an oxide of silicon, wherein an X-ray diffraction peak of an amorphous silicon material is weak, and the amorphous silicon material is of an amorphous structure. A structural formula of the oxide of silicon is SiO.sub.x, wherein 0<x≤2. The reduction refers to vapor phase reduction, a vapor phase reduction atmosphere is a mixed gas of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, a reduction temperature ranges from 100° C. to 700° C., and a reduction time ranges from 2 h to 72 h.

A poorly crystalline mixed metal manganese oxide material. The mixed metal manganese oxide material may be used for making a cathode for a rechargeable battery. Generally, the mixed metal manganese oxide includes: manganese oxide; copper, silver, gold, or a combination thereof; a first additional cation selected from the group consisting of: bismuth, lead, and mixtures thereof; and a second additional cation selected from the group consisting of: lithium, sodium, potassium, cesium, rubidium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, NR.sub.4.sup.+, or a combination thereof, with R being, hydrogen, an alkyl group, an aryl group, or combinations thereof. The amorphous composition has an essentially amorphous x-ray powder diffraction pattern.

An X-ray amorphous magnesium carbonate is disclosed that is characterized by a cumulative pore volume of pores with a diameter smaller than 10 nm of at least 0.018 cm.sup.3/g, and a specific surface areas of at least 60 m.sup.2/g. The X-ray amorphous magnesium carbonate is produced by reacting an inorganic magnesium compound with alcohol in a CO.sub.2 atmosphere. The X-ray amorphous magnesium carbonate can be a powder or a pellet and acts as a desiccant in, for example, production of food, chemicals or pharmaceuticals.

A solid electrolyte (SE) composition comprising a homogeneous blend of lithium thiophosphate particles and a polyalkylene oxide, wherein the lithium thiophosphate particles have the formula xLi.sub.2S.(1−x)P.sub.2S.sub.5 wherein x is a value within a range of 0.5-0.9, and wherein said polyalkylene oxide is present in an amount of 0.1-10 wt % of the solid electrolyte. Also described herein is a solid-state lithium-based battery comprising: a) an anode; (b) a cathode; and c) the SE composition described above. Further described herein is a method for producing the SE composition, comprising: (i) homogeneously mixing Li.sub.2S, P.sub.2S.sub.5, a polyalkylene oxide, and a solvent to form a liquid solution or liquid homogeneous dispersion, and (ii) heating the liquid solution or liquid homogeneous dispersion produced in step (i) to remove the solvent and produce the SE composition.

The present disclosure relates to a negative electrode active material to a lithium secondary battery, including: a carbon-based material; a silicon coating layer disposed on the carbon-based material: and a carbon coating layer disposed on the silicon coating layer, wherein the silicon coating layer includes silicon particles and a silicon-based amorphous matrix.

A method for manufacturing catalyst material is provided, which includes putting an M′ target and an M″ target into a nitrogen-containing atmosphere, in which M′ is Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, Cr, V, Ti, Cu, or Zn, and M″ is Nb, Ta, or a combination thereof. Powers are provided to the M′ target and the M″ target, respectively. Providing ions to bombard the M′ target and the M″ target to sputtering deposit M′.sub.aM″.sub.bN.sub.2 on a substrate, wherein 0.7≤a≤1.7, 0.3≤b≤1.3, and a+b=2, wherein M′.sub.aM″.sub.bN.sub.2 is a cubic crystal system.

A method of producing a solid electrolyte having a high ionic conductivity, which adopts a liquid-phase method and suppresses the generation of hydrogen sulfide, wherein a raw material inclusion containing a lithium element, a sulfur element, a phosphorus element, and a halogen element is mixed with a complexing agent containing a compound having at least two tertiary amino groups; and an electrolyte precursor constituted of a lithium element, a sulfur element, a phosphorus element, a halogen element, and a complexing agent containing a compound having at least two tertiary amino groups.

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a citrate-coated amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticle which comprises the following steps: 1) providing a first solution of a salt of calcium and a citrate salt wherein the molar ratio of citrate ion to calcium ion is in the range from 1 to 2 thus obtaining a clear first solution; 2) providing a second solution of a salt capable to give phosphate anion and a carbonate salt; 3) mixing together the first and the second solution at a pH in the range from 8 to 11; 4) precipitating the nanoparticle; and 5) drying the nanoparticle obtained from step 4). Preferably and advantageously the invention provides for the addition of a fluoride compound in step 2) for obtaining a fluorine-doped citrate-coated calcium phosphate nanoparticle or a nanoparticle agglomerate. The nanoparticle/nanoparticle agglomerate of the invention has a peculiar superficial area and a diameter that allow to use it as a biomaterial for dentistry application.

There is provided is an energy storage device having improved power performance at a relatively large current. In the present embodiment, an energy storage device is provided, which has a negative active material layer containing particulate amorphous carbon, wherein a distribution curve of differential pore volume in the negative active material layer has a peak appearing within the range from 0.1 μm to 2 μm inclusive and the differential pore volume at the peak is 0.9 cm.sup.3/g or more.