A new slow-release fertilizer is described that is formed by applying graphene oxide (GO) as a carrier for micronutrients such as copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in which the micronutrients are efficiently bonded with the functional groups at the surface and sides of the GO sheets due to their affinity to the unpaired oxygen atoms in the GO. The prepared Cu-graphene oxide (Cu-GO) and Zn-graphene oxide (Zn-GO) fertilizers showed a biphasic dissolution behaviour compared to commercial zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) and copper sulphate (CuSO4) fertilizer granules, displaying both fast- and slow-release micronutrient release.

A carbon electrode material includes carbon fibers (A); carbon particles (B) other than graphite particles; carbon material (C) for binding the carbon fibers (A) and the carbon particles (B) to each other, and the carbon electrode material satisfies: (1) a particle diameter of the carbon particles (B) other than graphite particles is not larger than 1 μm, (2) Lc(B) is not larger than 10 nm when Lc(B) represents a crystallite size, in a c-axis direction, obtained by X-ray diffraction in the carbon particles (B) other than graphite particles, (3) Lc(C)/Lc(A) is 1.0 to 5.0, (4) a meso-pore specific surface area obtained from a nitrogen gas adsorption amount is less than 30 m.sup.2/g, and (5) a number of oxygen atoms bound to a surface of the carbon electrode material is not less than 1% of a total number of carbon atoms on the surface of the carbon electrode material.

Provided is a method for producing a near infrared-reflective black pigment containing at least the element calcium, the element titanium, and the element manganese, wherein the method produces a pigment that exhibits little of the elution of the element calcium and the element manganese that is caused by contact with acid. At least a calcium compound, a titanium compound, and a manganese compound are mixed by a wet grinding method and are calcined to provide a BET specific surface area of at least 1.0 m.sup.2/g and less than 3.0 m.sup.2/g. In another method, the element bismuth and/or the element aluminum is incorporated in a near infrared-reflective black pigment containing at least the element calcium, the element titanium, and the element manganese.

The disclosure herein sets forth processes and compositions for producing carbonated materials comprising calcium carbonates through a mechanochemical process. The present disclosure concerns the production of calcium carbonate by sequestrating CO.sub.2. Certain processes herein include providing alkaline-rich mineral materials that include carbonatable solid wastes such as lime kiln dust, cement kiln dust, and coal combustion residues, and simultaneously fractioning the alkaline-rich mineral materials, while contacting the alkaline-rich mineral materials with a CO.sub.2-containing gas in carbonation reactor at low temperature and ambient pressure. In some embodiments, the alkaline-rich mineral materials are partially carbonated before being used in the processes disclosed herein. After contacting the alkaline-rich mineral materials with a CO.sub.2-containing gas in carbonation reactor at low temperature and ambient pressure, solid calcium carbonate is produced. In aqueous reactors, the solid calcium carbonate is filtered from a solution in which it precipitated, and the remaining solution includes hydroxide as well as alkaline metal ions. The solution filtered from the solid calcium carbonate can be sequentially contacted with a CO.sub.2-containing gas stream to precipitate additional calcium carbonate. The carbonated materials formed from these processes can be used in the form of a slurry, as a moist powder, as a dried powder, as a reactive filler or as a supplementary cementitious material in a mixture that is used to make concrete.

The present invention relates to a carbon nanotube having an La(100) of less than 7.0 nm when measured by XRD and a specific surface area of 100 m.sup.2/g to 196 m.sup.2/g, and an electrode and a secondary battery including the carbon nanotube.

Provided is a “lithium-excess-type” active material having high initial efficiency. Disclosed is a positive active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery containing a lithium transition metal composite oxide. In this positive active material, the lithium transition metal composite oxide has an α-NaFeO.sub.2 structure, a molar ratio Li/Me of Li to a transition metal (Me) is 1<Li/Me, Ni and Mn are contained as the transition metal (Me), an X-ray diffraction pattern attributable to a space group R3-m is included, and a half-value width of a (101) plane at a Miller index hkl in X-ray diffraction measurement using a CuKα ray is 0.22° or less.

The present invention discloses a crystalline aluminum phosphite, a preparation method thereof and an application thereof as or for the preparation of a flame retardant or a flame retardant synergist. The preparation method has the following processes: 1, reacting aluminum hydrogen phosphite with an aluminum-containing compound in water at 80-110° C. to obtain a precipitate in the presence of no strong acid or a small amount of strong acid; 2, washing and filtering the precipitate; 3, drying the precipitate at 100-130° C.; 4, continuously heating the dried solid step by step at a low speed, where the material temperature is increased to not exceeding 350° C. from room temperature at about 5-10 h, with a temperature rise rate not exceeding 5° C./min. Compared with amorphous aluminum hydrogen phosphite, the crystalline aluminum phosphite has a higher thermal decomposition temperature, lower water absorption and weaker acidity, and can be synergistic with diethyl aluminum hypophosphite to achieve better flame retardant property and thus, is used for a halogen-free flame retardant component of high polymer materials.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a lithium halide compound, capable of industrially advantageously producing a lithium halide compound having a low water content, particularly lithium bromide and lithium iodide, at a high reaction efficiency without accompanying a step of directly removing water, and the method including mixing lithium sulfide, a halogen molecule of at least one of bromine and iodine, and a first solvent; and removing the first solvent, wherein the first solvent is a solvent that dissolves a lithium halide containing the same halogen element as the halogen molecule.

A technique of improving the performance of a secondary battery is provided. A secondary battery according to an embodiment includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a first layer disposed on the first electrode and including a first n-type oxide semiconductor, a second layer disposed on the first layer and including a second n-type oxide semiconductor material and a first insulating material, a third layer which is disposed on the second layer and is a solid electrolyte layer, and a fourth layer disposed on the third layer and including hexagonal Ni(OH)2 microcrystals.

An hBN powder containing an aggregate of primary particles of hBN, the hBN powder having a ratio of an average longer diameter (L.sub.1) to an average thickness (d.sub.1) of the primary particles, [L.sub.1/d.sub.1], of 10 to 25, a tap density of 0.80 g/cm.sup.3 or more, and a BET specific surface area of less than 5.0 m.sup.2/g, in which a particle size distribution curve showing a frequency distribution based on volume of the hBN powder is a bimodal distribution curve having a first peak and a second peak in a range of a particle size of 500 μm or less and having a peak height ratio of a second peak height (H.sub.B) to a first peak height (H.sub.A), [(H.sub.B)/(H.sub.A)], of 0.90 or less, a method for producing the same, and a resin composition and a resin sheet each comprising the hBN powder.