With an aim to provide an oxide particle with controlled color characteristics, the present invention provides a method for producing an oxide particle, wherein the color characteristics of the oxide particle are controlled by controlling a M-OH bond/M-O bond ratio, which is a ratio of a M-OH bond between an element (M) and a hydroxide group (OH) to a ratio of an M-O bond between the element (M) and oxygen (O), where the element (M) is one or plural different elements other than oxygen or hydrogen included in the oxide particle selected from metal oxide particles and semi-metal oxide particles. According to the present invention, by controlling the M-OH bond/M-O bond ratio of the metal oxide particle or the semi-metal oxide particle, the oxide particle with controlled color characteristics of any of reflectance, transmittance, molar absorption coefficient, hue, and saturation can be provided.

A new slow-release fertilisers 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 (ZnSO.sub.4) and copper sulphate (CuSO.sub.4) fertilizer granules, displaying both fast- and slow-release micronutrient release.

A composition for artificial marble, of the present invention comprises: a binder resin; an inorganic filler excluding zinc oxide; and zinc oxide, wherein the zinc oxide has a size ratio (B/A), in which peak A is a 370 nm to 390 nm region and peak B is a 450 nm to 600 nm region, of approximately 0.01 to 1 during photoluminescence measurement, and has a BET surface area of approximately 10 m.sup.2/g or less.

A rare earth phosphate particle containing a rare earth element A, where A is Sc, Y, La, Eu, Gd, Dy, Yb, or Lu, and a rare earth element B different from the element A, where B is Sc, Y, La, Eu, Gd, Dy, Yb, or Lu. The phosphate of the element A is preferably crystalline, with at least part of the element B dissolved in the phosphate of the element A in a solid state. The phosphate of the element A preferably has a xenotime or monazite crystal structure.

A method of preparing an indium oxide spherical powder with a controllable grain shape includes: (1) reacting a sulfuric acid solution, and then adding a nitric acid solution, to react with the metal indium to obtain a mixed solution system containing indium sulfate and indium nitrate; (2) adjusting a concentration of indium ions in the mixed solution system to between 0.45˜0.6M; (3) performing a precipitation reaction of the mixed solution with a precipitant, until a pH value of the solution is between 9-10, and then having the solution precipitated and aged to obtain an indium hydroxide precursor slurry; (4) using a ceramic membrane to filter and wash the precursor slurry, and ending the washing to obtain a purified precursor sample; (5) drying the precursor sample at 80˜130° C.; and (6) ball-milling the precursor sample, and calcining the precursor at a calcination temperature to obtain the indium oxide powder.

The present invention relates to a mechanochemically carbonated magnesium silicate which has a BET surface area within the range of 20 to 100 m.sup.2/g, preferably 30 to 80 m.sup.2/g, more preferably 40 to 70 m.sup.2/g, most preferably 45 to 65 m.sup.2/g and/or an amorphous content as determined by XRD of at least 30 wt. %, preferably at least 40 wt. %, more preferably at least 50 wt. %, even more preferably at least 60 wt. % a CO.sub.2 content of at least 3 wt. %. The invention further relates to methods of its production and uses thereof, for example as a filler in polymers. The compositions comprising the mechanochemically carbonated magnesium silicate and a polymer (such as a polyolefin) provide the benefits of being a CO.sub.2 negative material having excellent functional properties which can be used for a variety of purposes, for example as a component of clothing or apparel, or as a component of backpacks such as a buckle.

A process for preparing doped-lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (doped-LLZO) is described herein. The method involves dry doping of a co-precipitated lanthanum zirconium oxide (LZO) precursor. Dry doping is a process in which a dry powdered dopant is ground and mixed with a pre-prepared co-precipitated LZO precursor and a lithium salt to provide a LLZO precursor composition, which is subsequently calcined to form a doped-LLZO. The process described herein comprises calcining a dry, powdered (e.g., micron, sub-micron or nano-powdered) mixture of a co-precipitated LZO precursor, a dopant salt or oxide, and a lithium salt under an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a temperature in the range of about 500 to about 1100° C., and recovering the doped-LLZO after calcining.

The present invention is directed to a process for producing an aqueous suspension of precipitated calcium carbonate, wherein a milk of lime is prepared by mixing water, a calcium oxide containing material, and a precipitation enhancer, and subsequently, the milk of lime is carbonated to form an aqueous suspension of precipitated calcium carbonate.

An object of the present invention is to provide ferrite particles having a high saturation magnetisation, and being excellent in the dispersibility in a resin, a solvent or a resin composition, a resin composition including the ferrite particles, and a resin film composed of the resin composition. The ferrite particles are a single crystalline body having an average particle size of 1 to 2000 nm, and Mn-based ferrite particles having a spherical shape, and have a saturation magnetisation of 45 to 95 Am.sup.2/kg. The resin composition includes the ferrite particles as a filler. The resin film is composed of the resin composition.

The present invention relates to silicon-compound-coated fine metal particles, with which surfaces of fine metal particles, composed of at least one type of metal element or metalloid element, are at least partially coated with a silicon compound and a ratio of Si—OH bonds contained in the silicon-compound-coated fine metal particles is controlled to be 0.1% or more and 70% or less. By the present invention, silicon-compound-coated fine metal particles that are controlled in dispersibility and other properties can be provided by controlling the ratio of Si—OH bonds or the ratio of Si—OH bonds/Si—O bonds contained in the silicon-compound-coated fine metal particles. By controlling the ratio of Si—OH bonds or the ratio of Si—OH bonds/Si—O bonds, a composition that is more appropriate for diversifying applications and targeted properties of silicon-compound-coated fine metal particles than was conventionally possible can be designed easily.