A thermoelectric conversion material having a high dimensionless figure of merit ZT includes: a large number of polycrystalline grains which include a skutterudite-type crystal structure containing Yb, Co, and Sb; and an intergranular layer which is between the neighboring polycrystalline grains and includes crystals in which an atomic ratio of O to Yb is more than 0.4 and less than 1.5. A method for manufacturing a thermoelectric conversion material includes: a weighing step; a mixing step; a ribbon preparation step by rapidly cooling and solidifying a melt of the raw materials by using a rapid liquid cooling solidifying method; a first heat treatment step including heat treating in an inert atmosphere with an adjusted oxygen concentration; a second heat treatment step including heat treating in a reducing atmosphere; and manufacturing the thermoelectric conversion material by a pressure sintering step in an inert atmosphere.

A one-pot approach for the scalable production of novel interconnected reduced graphene oxide (IC-RGO) is demonstrated). The method consists of two steps: oxidation of graphite into graphene oxide (GO); and concomitant reduction and interconnection of GO. IC-RGO is formed without additional chemical and reduction agents. Instead, interconnection of graphene oxide is enabled thorough inherently presenting oxygen functional groups produced during the first step of synthesis.

The present invention provides a preparation method of amorphous GeH, and belongs to the field of preparation technologies of amorphous GeH. The preparation method provided in the present invention includes the following step: sealing crystalline GeH, a pressure calibration object, and a pressure transmitting medium in a cavity of a diamond anvil cell, and adjusting pressure in the cavity to obtain amorphous GeH. In the present invention, pressure is applied to the GeH in the sealed diamond anvil cell, to implement amorphization of the GeH at room temperature. In this way, impurities can hardly be found in the preparation method, and pure amorphous GeH can be obtained. In addition, the method provided in the present invention has simple operations and good repeatability.

A composite nanomaterial of ZnO impregnated by, e.g., a green copper phthalocyanine compound (CuPc) can be an efficient solar light photocatalyst for water remediation. The composite may include hollow shell microspheres and hollow nanospheres of CuPc-ZnO. CuPc may function as a templating and/or structure modifying agent, e.g., for forming hollow microspheres and/or nanospheres of ZnO particles. The composite can photocatalyze the degradation of organic pollutants such as crystal violet (CV) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid as well as microbes in water under solar light irradiation. The ZnOCuPc composite can be stable and recyclable under solar irradiation.

Provided are electrochemical cells that include as a cathode active material within the cathode of the cell secondary particles that provide excellent capacity and improved cycle life. The particles are characterized by grain boundaries between adjacent crystallites of the plurality of crystallites and comprising a second composition having a layered -NaFeO.sub.2-type structure, a cubic structure, a spinel structure, or a combination thereof, wherein the electrochemically active cathode active material has an initial discharge capacity of 180 mAh/g or greater; and wherein the electrochemical cell has an impedance growth at 4.2V less than 50% for greater than 100 cycles at 45 C.

A catalytic composite comprises a first component selected from Group VIII noble metal components and mixtures thereof, a second component selected from one or more of alkali and alkaline earth metal components, and a third component selected from one or more of tin, germanium, lead, indium, gallium, and thallium, all supported on an alumina support comprising delta alumina having an X-ray diffraction pattern comprising at least three 2 diffraction angle peaks between 32.0 and 70.0. The at least three 2 diffraction angle peaks comprise a first 2 diffraction angle peak of 32.70.4, a second 2 diffraction angle peak of 50.80.4, and a third 2 diffraction angle peak of 66.70.8, wherein the second 2 diffraction angle peak has an intensity of less than about 0.06 times the intensity of the third 2 diffraction angle peak.

A seed crystal is a crystal of zeolite that is to be deposited on a support when producing a zeolite membrane complex that includes the support and a zeolite membrane formed on the support. A volume-cumulative particle size distribution of the seed crystal, measured by a laser diffraction scattering method, has a coefficient of variation of 0.5 or less and a kurtosis of 5 or less. Use of these seed crystals improves the bonding of zeolite crystals when producing the zeolite membrane. As a result, a dense zeolite membrane can be formed.

An electrode includes an electrode composition having graphenes; carbon black particles having a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area greater than 90 m.sup.2/g, and an oil adsorption number (OAN) greater than 150 mL/100 g, wherein the ratio of the carbon black particles to the graphenes ranges from 3:1 to 6:1 by weight; and an electroactive material selected from the group consisting of lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, wherein the total concentration of the graphenes and the carbon black particles is equal to or less than 2 wt % of the electrode composition; and a current collector contacting the electrode composition.

In an aspect, a multiphase ferrite comprises a Co.sub.2W phase that is optionally doped with Ru; a CFO phase having the formula Me.sub.rCo.sub.1rFe.sub.2+zO.sub.4, wherein Me is at least one of Ni, Zn, or Mg, r is 0 to 0.5, and z is 0.5 to 6 0.5; and a CoRu-BaM phase having the formula BaCo.sub.x+yRu.sub.yFe.sub.12(2/3)x2yO.sub.19, wherein x is 0 to 2, y is 0.01 to 2; and the Ba can be partially replaced by at least one of Sr or Ca. In another aspect, a composite can comprise a polymer and the multiphase ferrite. In yet another aspect, a method of making a multiphase ferrite can comprise mixing and grinding a CoRu-BaM phase ferrite and a CFO phase ferrite to form a mixture; and sintering the mixture in an oxygen atmosphere to form the multiphase ferrite.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ultraviolet and/or near-infrared shielding agent composition for transparent material using silicon compound-coated silicon-doped zinc oxide particles that are controlled in properties in an ultraviolet region and/or a near-infrared region. The present invention provides an ultraviolet and/or near-infrared shielding agent composition for transparent material used for a purpose of shielding ultraviolet rays and/or near-infrared rays, the ultraviolet and/or near-infrared shielding agent composition for transparent material featuring that the ultraviolet and/or near-infrared shielding agent contains silicon compound-coated silicon-doped zinc oxide particles, with which surfaces of silicon-doped zinc oxide particles that are zinc oxide particles doped with at least silicon are at least partially coated with a silicon compound.