A non-amorphous hard carbon material, synthesized from Furan-ring containing compounds, is described. These non-amorphous hard carbon materials have a d.sub.002 peak in their X-ray diffraction patterns, corresponding to an interlayer spacing of >3.6 , along with a prominent D-band peak in their Raman spectra. BET surface area values between 2 m.sup.2/gm and around 100 m.sup.2/gm can be obtained by controlling the processing parameters of temperature, time and heating rate. The higher surface area HCsin Li-ion and Na-ion anode configurationsare capable of high charging rates up to 100 C with a cycle life of up to 1000 cycles. Composites of these non-amorphous hard carbons with silicon and lithium compounds are also disclosed.

A surface-treated infrared absorbing fine particle dispersion liquid wherein surface-treated infrared absorbing fine particles are dispersed in a liquid medium, and are an infrared absorbing transparent substrate having a coating layer in which the surface-treated infrared absorbing fine particles. This is a surface-treated infrared absorbing fine particle dispersion liquid in which surface ted infrared absorbing fine particles are dispersed in a liquid medium, wherein the surface-treated infrared absorbing fine particles are infrared absorbing fine particles, each surface is coated with a coating layer containing at least one selected from a hydrolysis product of a metal chelate compound, a polymer of the hydrolysis product of the metal chelate compound, a hydrolysis product of a metal cyclic oligomer compound, and a polymer of the hydrolysis product of the metal cyclic oligomer compound, and this is an infrared absorbing transparent substrate prepared using the surface-treated infrared absorbing fine particle dispersion liquid.

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 invention is a method of producing silicon compound coated oxide particles in which at least a part of a surface of a metal oxide particle is coated with a silicon compound, wherein wettability and color characteristics are controlled by controlling a ratio of SiOH bonds contained in the silicon compound coated oxide particles. By the present invention, silicon compound coated oxide particles having controlled wettability such as hydrophilicity, water repellency or oil repellency, and controlled color characteristics of either reflectivity, molar absorption coefficient or transmittance can be provided.

A method of making porous ceramic granules is provided. The method comprises heating pore-forming agent particles to a temperature above a glass transition temperature for the pore-forming agent particles; contacting the heated pore-forming agent particles with a ceramic material to form a mixture of pore-forming agent particles and ceramic material; heating the mixture to remove the pore-forming agent particles from the mixture to form a porous ceramic material; and micronizing the porous ceramic material to obtain the porous ceramic granules, wherein the porous ceramic granules have an average diameter from about 50 m to 800 m. The porous ceramic granules are also disclosed.

A method for manufacturing nitride catalyst is provided, which includes putting a Ru target and an M target into a nitrogen-containing atmosphere, in which M is Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, Cr, V, Ti, Cu, or Zn. The method also includes providing powers to the Ru target and the M target, respectively. The method also includes providing ions to bombard the Ru target and the M target for depositing M.sub.xRu.sub.yN.sub.2 on a substrate by sputtering, wherein 0<x<1.3, 0.7<y<2, and x+y=2, wherein M.sub.xRu.sub.yZ.sub.2 is cubic crystal system or amorphous.

Described is a composite material composed of an atomically thin (single layer) amorphous carbon disposed on top of a substrate (metal, glass, oxides) and methods of growing and differentiating stem cells.

The invention relates to a method for preparing amorphous molybdenum oxide adsorption material and an application thereof. The invention aims to solve the technical problem of low recovery efficiency of silver ions in coexisting silver-containing wastewater in the prior art. The method of the present invention includes: 1) preparation of electrolyte; and 2) subjecting to cyclic voltammetry. The amorphous molybdenum oxide adsorption material prepared by the present invention is used as an adsorbent for adsorbing and reducing silver ions in wastewater. The invention successfully prepares amorphous molybdenum oxide (MoOx) by cyclic voltammetry, which has a highly selective reduction adsorption for Ag.sup.+. Silver ions and the adsorbent MoOx could be subjected to redox reaction to remove silver ions in water. The removal efficiency of the silver ions in wastewater by the amorphous molybdenum oxide prepared by cyclic voltammetry of the invention is up to 99.85%.

A nanoparticle of a decomposition product of a transition metal aluminum hydride compound, a transition metal borohydride compound, or a transition metal gallium hydride compound. A process of: reacting a transition metal salt with an aluminum hydride compound, a borohydride compound, or a gallium hydride compound to produce one or more of the nanoparticles. The reaction occurs in solution while being sonicated at a temperature at which the metal hydride compound decomposes. A process of: reacting a nanoparticle with a compound containing at least two hydroxyl groups to form a coating having multi-dentate metal-alkoxides.

Proposed is a two-dimensional nanosheet, which can significantly improve catalytic efficiency by realizing a two-dimensional nanosheet structure with a high specific surface area including a metal material having an amorphous crystal structure as an electrochemical catalyst to fully utilize the characteristics of a metal oxide catalyst material with excellent electrical conductivity and, at the same time, which is easy for mass synthesis in manufacturing method due to its relatively simple manufacturing process, and is easy to realize ultra-thin and large-area.