A metal-supported material including a transition metal excluding Group 4 elements supported on a binary composite oxide. The composite oxide includes a metal element expressed by A.sub.nX.sub.y, where A represents a lanthanoid that is in a partially or entirely trivalent state, X represents an element that is a Group-2 element in a periodic table selected from the group consisting of Ca, Sr, and Ba, or a lanthanoid, and that is different from A, n satisfies 0<n<1, y satisfies 0<y<1, m satisfies 0?m<1, and n+y=1. The composite oxide includes a solid solution that is a tetragonal crystal or a cubic crystal, and a ratio of a value (D.sub.ads) of a dispersion degree of the transition metal obtained by an H.sub.2 pulse chemical adsorption method to a value (D.sub.TEM) of the dispersion degree predicted from an average particle diameter of particles of the transition metal obtained from a TEM image satisfies 0<D.sub.ads/D.sub.TEM<1.

A composite cathode active material, a cathode and a lithium battery each including the composite cathode active material, and a method of manufacturing the composite cathode active material. The composite cathode active material includes a core including a plurality of primary particles, and a shell disposed on the core, wherein a primary particle of the plurality of primary particles includes a lithium nickel transition metal oxide, the shell includes a first composition and a second composition, wherein the first composition contains a first metal and the second composition contains a second metal, wherein the first metal includes a metal of Groups 2, 4, 5, and 7 to 15, the second metal includes a metal of Group 3, and the first composition includes a first phase and the second composition includes a second phase that is distinguishable from the first phase.

A mesoporous ozonation catalyst including a cerium-titanium-zirconium composite oxide. The catalyst is in the form of a solid spherical particle having a diameter of between 0.7 and 1.2 mm. The solid spherical particle exhibits lattice fringes under transmission electron microscope, and the lattice fringes have a spacing between 0.332 and 0.339 nm.

Provided are novel titanium oxide crystalline body and applications which do not need a conductive aid or minimize the conductive aid. A novel titanium oxide crystalline body 1 has a magneli phase 1a on a part of a surface. A titanium oxide forming a crystalline body 1 is titanium oxide represented by the general formula that is Ti.sub.nO.sub.2n, and a titanium oxide compound represented by the general or that is M.sub.Ti.sub.O.sub.. M indicates a metal. The magneli phase 1a is a titanium oxide represented by the general formula that is Ti.sub.nO.sub.2n1 (where 3n10). This titanium oxide crystalline body 1 also has the characteristics of the magneli phase 1a without deteriorating the characteristics of base material that is the titanium oxide.

Provided are a magnetic recording medium including: a non-magnetic support; and a magnetic layer which is provided on at least one surface of the non-magnetic support and includes particles of epsilon type iron oxide-based compound, and a binding agent, in which a contact angle measured regarding a surface of the magnetic layer is equal to or greater than 30.0 and smaller than 45.0 with respect to 1-bromonaphthalene and 80.0 to 95.0 with respect to water, a manufacturing method of particles of an epsilon iron oxide-based compound, and a manufacturing method of a magnetic recording medium.

The epsilon polymorph of vanadyl phosphate, -VOPO.sub.4, made from the solvothermally synthesized H.sub.2VOPO.sub.4, is a high density cathode material for lithium-ion batteries optimized to reversibly intercalate two Li-ions to reach the full theoretical capacity at least 50 cycles with a coulombic efficiency of 98%. This material adopts a stable 3D tunnel structure and can extract two Li-ions per vanadium ion, giving a theoretical capacity of 305 mAh/g, with an upper charge/discharge plateau at around 4.0 V, and one lower at around 2.5 V.

An object of the present invention is to provide an alumina used for a slurry for reducing unevenness in a surface of a porous membrane. The present invention is an ?-alumina wherein a crystallite size obtained by a Rietveld analysis is not greater than 95 nm, and a lattice strain obtained by the Rietveld analysis is not greater than 0.0020. A BET specific surface area by a nitrogen adsorption method of the ?-alumina is preferably not greater than 10 m.sup.2/g. A particle diameter D50 equivalent to 50% cumulative percentage by volume of the ?-alumina is also preferably not greater than 2 ?m.

An electrochromic device comprising a substrate, a set of electrodes disposed on or within the substrate, and a layer comprising ?-WO.sub.3 disposed in electrical communication with the set of electrodes, wherein the layer of ?-WO.sub.3 exhibits polarization switching are described. Methods of making and using the electrochromic devices are also described. The electrochromic devices are used for detecting acetone in a fluid. The observed change in color of the ?-WO.sub.3 layer can be correlated with a subject's medical condition, such as diabetes.

Methods for making metastable lead-free piezoelectric materials are presented herein.

A pigmentary particulate material selected from the group consisting of titanium dioxide, doped titanium dioxide, and a mixture of titanium dioxide and doped titanium dioxide. The pigmentary particulate material has a mean crystal size of from 0.3 to 0.5 microns, a crystal size distribution such that 40 wt.-% of the pigmentary particulate material has a crystal size of from 0.3 to 0.5 microns, and a ratio of a mean particle size to the mean crystal size of 1.25.