A process for producing a lithium nickel metal oxide material is provided together with a particulate lithium nickel metal oxide material with a defined crystallite size. Such materials find utility as cathode materials for secondary lithium-ion batteries. The process comprises a first calcination step which comprises heating at a temperature of between about 460° C. and about 540° C. for a period of between three and ten hours, and a subsequent second calcination step which comprises heating to a temperature greater than about 600° C. for a period of between 30 mins and 4 hours.

The present invention relates to single crystalline RbUO.sub.3, hydrothermal growth processes of making such single crystals and methods of using such single crystals. In particular, Applicants disclose single crystalline RbUO.sub.3 single crystalline RbUO.sub.3 in the Pm-3m space group. Unlike other powdered RbUO.sub.3, Applicants' single crystalline RbUO.sub.3 has a sufficient crystal size to be characterized and used in the fields of neutron detection, radiation-hardened electronics, nuclear forensics, nuclear engineering photovoltaics, lasers, light-emitting diodes, photoelectrolysis and magnetic applications.

A novel material and a transistor using a novel material are provided. A composite oxide includes at least two regions, one of which includes In, Zn and an element M1 (the element M1 is one or more of Al, Ga, Si, B, Y, Ti, Fe, Ni, Ge, Zr, Mo, La, Ce, Nd, Hf, Ta, W, Mg, V, Be, and Cu), and the other of which includes In, Zn, and an element M2 (the element M2 is one or more of Al, Ga, Si, B, Y, Ti, Fe, Ni, Ge, Zr, Mo, La, Ce, Nd, Hf, Ta, W, Mg, V, Be, and Cu). The proportion of the element M1 to In, Zn, and the element M1 in the region including the element M1 is less than that of the element M2 to In, Zn, and the element M2 in the region including the element M2. In an analysis of the composite oxide by X-ray diffraction, the diffraction pattern result in the X-ray diffraction is asymmetric with the angle at which the peak intensity of X-ray diffraction is detected as the symmetry axis.

What is provided is a positive electrode active material for an all-solid-state lithium-ion battery composed of particles containing crystals of a lithium metal composite oxide, wherein the particles have a hexagonal layered crystal structure belonging to the space group R-3m and contain at least Li and a transition metal, and in powder x-ray diffraction measurement using CuKα rays, the crystallite size L.sub.003 of a diffraction peak in a range of 2θ=18.7±1° is 1,300 Å or less, and wherein the BET specific surface area is 0.2 m.sup.2/g or more and 2.0 m.sup.2/g or less.

A hexagonal ferrite magnetic powder is significantly more useful for achieving simultaneously both the enhancement of the recording density and the enhancement of the SNR of a magnetic recording medium. The hexagonal ferrite magnetic powder contains Bi at a Bi/Fe molar ratio in a range of 0.035 or less, has a saturation magnetization σs of 42.0 Am.sup.2/kg or more and a Dx volume calculated based on the crystallite diameters of 1,800 nm.sup.3 or less. A method for producing hexagonal ferrite magnetic powder includes a step of performing a treatment of immersing hexagonal ferrite magnetic powder containing Bi in a solution having dissolved therein a compound X that forms a complex with Bi, so as to elute a part of Bi existing in the hexagonal ferrite magnetic powder into the solution.

A zirconia sintered body is provided and includes yttria and zirconia, containing yttria by a content ranging from 4.5 mol % or more to 6.5 mol % or less and zirconia as the remainder, the total light transmittance of a 1-mm thick sample measured in compliance with JIS K 7361-1 being 46.5% or higher, the three-point bending strength being 700 MPa or higher, and a ratio of an integrated value for the total light transmittance to an integrated value for the parallel light transmittance of a 1-mm thick sample measured at the measurement wavelength ranging from 400 to 700 nm being 1.3% or less.

A positive electrode active material and a method for producing the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a positive electrode active material includes a lithium-nickel-based oxide in the form of at least one of single particles or a pseudo-single particles, wherein each single particle consists of one nodule, wherein each pseudo-primary particles is a composite of 30 or fewer nodules, wherein on the surface of the lithium-nickel-based oxide, a number of nickel ions having an oxidation number of +3 or higher is greater than a number of nickel ions having an oxidation number less than +3.

A synthesis method for producing a refractory oxide-ceramic material of CaZrO.sub.3, in particular in the form of a refractory granular material that is preferably mechanically comminuted, in particular crushed and/or ground, as well as to a batch and a coarse ceramic, shaped or unshaped, refractory product containing at least one pre-synthesized refractory calcium zirconate-containing granular material.

A particulate oxide composition comprising cerium oxide, trivalent dopant, and optional additional metal oxide, other than cerium oxide and trivalent dopant, is beneficial to aid in the removal of biological contaminants, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa (e.g., amoebae), yeast and algae. This particulate oxide composition contains more cerium oxide than trivalent dopant and has a unique depth profile in which the average trivalent dopant to Ce ratio at about 0 nm to about 3.5 nm from the surface of the particulate composition is greater than the trivalent dopant to Ce ratio at about 15 nm from the surface of the particulate composition. These trivalent doped cerium oxide compositions can be used to remove these biological contaminants from fluids, including air and water, and from solid surfaces. Also described are methods of using compositions containing these trivalent doped cerium oxide compositions to remove biological contaminants.

Provided is a piezoelectric ceramic composition including a potassium sodium niobate-based perovskite type complex oxide represented by Compositional Formula ABO.sub.3, as a main component. Further, the piezoelectric ceramic composition contains Bi in an A site and Zr in a B site. Further, the piezoelectric ceramic composition includes a segregation portion positioned in a crystal grain. At least one of Zr or Bi is localized in the segregation portion.