The present invention relates to a porous aluminum hydrate, to a process for preparing same and to the use of same as intermediate in the preparation of an alumina or of a mixed oxide based on aluminum, on cerium and on zirconium. The invention also relates to the alumina obtained from the aluminum hydrate.

A CHA-type zeolite has a molar ratio of silica to alumina of 10.0 or more and less than 20.0 and a molar ratio of silanol groups to silicon of 0.1510.sup.2 or more and 0.5010.sup.2 or less, a molar ratio of silica to alumina of 20.0 or more and 35.0 or less and a molar ratio of silanol groups to silicon of 0.1510.sup.2 or more and 1.1010.sup.2 or less, a molar ratio of silica to alumina of more than 35.0 and 45.0 or less and a molar ratio of silanol groups to silicon of 0.1510.sup.2 or more and 1.6510.sup.2 or less, or a molar ratio of silica to alumina of more than 45.0 and 55.0 or less and a molar ratio of silanol groups to silicon of 0.1510.sup.2 or more and 1.8010.sup.2 or less.

A method is described to make a metal-containing non-amorphous hard-carbon composite material that is synthesized from furan-ring containing compounds. The metals described in the process include lithium and transition metals, including transition metal oxides like lithium titanates. The non-amorphous hard-carbon component of the metal-containing non-amorphous hard-carbon composite material is characterized by a d.sub.002 peakin the X-ray diffraction patternsthat corresponds to an interlayer spacing of >3.6 , along with a prominent D-band peak in the Raman spectra. These metal-containing hard-carbon composites are used for constructing electrodes for Li-ion batteries and Li-ion capacitors.

The present invention aims to provide a technique for preparing a complex fiber covered by silica and/or alumina at a high coverage ratio. According to the present invention, complex fibers comprising silica and/or alumina deposited on the surface of a fiber at a high coverage ratio can be prepared by synthesizing silica and/or alumina on the fiber while maintaining the pH of the reaction solution containing the fiber at 4.6 or less.

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon-containing colloids or composite colloids have a silicon-containing shell which surrounds the hollow colloids or composite colloids. The colloids have a spherical geometry. The silicon-containing composite colloids have a spherical geometry and a diameter of between 2 nm and 7 nm in scanning electron micrographs, and the silicon-containing colloids have a spherical geometry with a cavity and a diameter of between 50 and 200 nm in scanning transmission electron micrographs. The cavity is surrounded by a shell with a thickness of between 3 and 10 nm.

The present disclosure provides a solar cell including a first electrode, a second electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and an electron transport layer disposed between the first electrode and the photoelectric conversion layer. At least one of the first electrode and the second electrode has a light-transmitting property. The photoelectric conversion layer contains a perovskite compound composed of a monovalent cation, a Sn cation, and a halogen anion. The electron transport layer contains an electron transport material containing niobium oxide. The niobium oxide is amorphous. The electron transport material has a conduction band at a bottom of which an energy level with respect to a vacuum level is greater than 3.9 eV and less than 3.1 eV.

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.

The present disclosure concerns lithium zirconium phosphate (LZP) chemical oxides for coated cathode active materials, which are useful in cathodes (i.e., positive electrodes) of rechargeable lithium-batteries for reversibly storing lithium ions (Li.sup.+).

Provided is a soft magnetic metal powder including a plurality of soft magnetic metal particles. Each of the soft magnetic metal particles includes a metal particle and an oxidized part covering the metal particle. The metal particle includes at least Fe. The oxidized part includes at least one kind of element of S and an element M. The element M is at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Nb, Ta, W, Zr, Hf, and Cr. A unit of a concentration of each of S and the element M in the metal particle and the oxidized part is atom %. The concentration of S or the element M in the metal particle and the oxidized part has a maximum value in the oxidized part.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ultraviolet and/or near-infrared shielding agent composition for transparent material using silicon compound-coated silicon-doped zinc oxide particles that are controlled in properties in an ultraviolet region and/or a near-infrared region. The present invention provides an ultraviolet and/or near-infrared shielding agent composition for transparent material used for a purpose of shielding ultraviolet rays and/or near-infrared rays, the ultraviolet and/or near-infrared shielding agent composition for transparent material featuring that the ultraviolet and/or near-infrared shielding agent contains silicon compound-coated silicon-doped zinc oxide particles, with which surfaces of silicon-doped zinc oxide particles that are zinc oxide particles doped with at least silicon are at least partially coated with a silicon compound.