A solid ionic conducting material for use in an electrochemical device comprises an oxyhydroxide or hydrated oxide derived from of an oxide with a perovskite, Brownmillerite, layered oxide, and/or K.sub.4CdCl.sub.6 structure, the elemental composition of the initial oxide being selected to provide suitable conduction properties for the derived anhydrous or hydrated oxyhydroxide or hydrated oxide. A method of making such a solid ionic conducting material, including treatment with water, and an electrochemical device incorporating such a solid ionic conducting material (optionally as an electrolyte) are also disclosed.

A positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery including a coating layer, wherein, a substance quantity ratio is represented by Li:Ni:Co:M=t:1−x−y:x:y (wherein, M is at least one element selected from Mg and else, 0.95≤t≤1.20, 0<x≤0.22, and 0≤y≤0.15), the coating layer includes a lithium zirconium compound, and a ratio of a sum of substance quantities of Ni, Co, Zr and a substance quantity of Zr existing on a surface of the positive electrode active material is 0.80 or more and 0.97 or less.

Ternary precursor particles used for a lithium-ion battery, the ternary precursor particles having a Ni.sub.xCo.sub.yMn.sub.z(OH).sub.2, wherein, x+y+z=1, 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0<z<1; each ternary precursor particle is a spheroidal structure, and comprises a shell, a transition layer and a particle core; the shell is a dense structure, the particle core is a porous structure, a density of the shell is greater than a density of the particle core, the transition layer surrounds the particle core and is sandwiched between the shell and the particle core; each ternary precursor particle is a mixture formed by mixing the nickel hydroxide, the cobalt hydroxide and the manganese hydroxide at the atomic level; a crystallinity of the shell is greater than a crystallinity of the transition layer, and the crystallinity of the transition layer is greater than a crystallinity of the particle core.

The present invention relates to a dispersion liquid of titanium oxide-tungsten oxide composite photocatalytic fine particles that is characterized by having two types of photocatalytic fine particles dispersed in an aqueous dispersion medium, the fine particles including i) fine particles of titanium oxide that contain a peroxotitanium component and a copper component and ii) fine particles of tungsten oxide. The present invention can provide a dispersion liquid and the like that can be used to conveniently manufacture a photocatalytic thin film that demonstrates photocatalytic activity even within visible light (400-800 nm) only, exhibits high antibacterial performance, is highly durable, and wherein the state of copper coordination is stable against exposure to heat and ultraviolet rays and is not easily modified. The dispersion liquid is a dispersion liquid of titanium oxide-tungsten oxide composite photocatalytic fine particles that contains copper-containing titanium oxide fine particles.

A cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a lithium composite oxide, and a lithium-aluminum-sulfur-boron oxide formed on a surface of the lithium composite oxide. A lithium secondary battery including the cathode active material and having improved stability and electrical properties is provided.

Provided is apparatus for manufacturing a cathode active material for lithium ion secondary batteries which can improve productivity. The apparatus for manufacturing a cathode active material for lithium ion secondary batteries includes: a conveying device conveying a cathode active material raw material that contains a metallic compound and a lithium compound; and a heating unit adapted to heat the cathode active material raw material, wherein the heating unit has at least one heating roller adapted to heat the cathode active material raw material by heat conduction, and said at least one heating roller has a wrap angle larger than 180° and at most 360°.

The present invention relates to a process for sintering a compacted powder of at least one oxide of a metal selected from an actinide and a lanthanide, this process comprising the following successive steps, carried out in a furnace and under an atmosphere comprising an inert gas, dihydrogen and water: (a) a temperature increase from an initial temperature T.sub.I up to a hold temperature T.sub.P, (b) maintaining the temperature at the hold temperature T.sub.P, and (c) a temperature decrease from the hold temperature T.sub.P down to a final temperature T.sub.F, in which the P(H.sub.2)/P(H.sub.2O) ratio is such that: 500<P(H.sub.2)/P(H.sub.2O)≦50 000, during step (a), from T.sub.I until a first intermediate temperature T.sub.i1 between 1000° C. and T.sub.P is reached, and P(H.sub.2)/P(H.sub.2O)≦500, at least during step (c), from a second intermediate temperature T.sub.i2 between T.sub.P and 1000° C., until T.sub.F is reached.

Disclosed herein are doped perovskite oxides. The doped perovskite oxides may be used as a cathode material in an electrochemical cell to electrochemically generate ammonia from N.sub.2. The doped perovskite oxides may be combined with nitride compounds, for instance iron nitride, to further increase the efficiency of the ammonia production.

A method can be used for producing a powdery precursor material for an optoelectronic component having a first phase of the following general composition (Ca.sub.1-a-b-c-d-eZn.sub.dMg.sub.eSr.sub.cBa.sub.bX.sub.a).sub.2Si.sub.5N.sub.8, wherein X is an activator that is selected from the group of the lanthanoids and wherein the following applies: 0<a<1 and 0≦b≦1 and 0≦c≦ and 0≦d≦1 and 0≦e≦1. The method includes producing a powdery mixture of starting materials. The starting materials comprise ions of the aforementioned composition. At least silicon nitride having a specific surface area greater than or equal to 9 m/g is selected as a starting material and wherein the silicon nitride comprises alpha silicon nitride or is amorphous. The method also includes heat-treating the mixture under a protective gas atmosphere.

A positive-electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to the present disclosure contains a layered lithium (Li)-containing transition metal composite oxide that contains Li in the transition metal layer and more than 0.4 μmol/g and less than 25 μmol/g of iodine (I) or bromine (Br).