Provided is polycrystalline diamond having a diamond single phase as basic composition, in which the polycrystalline diamond includes a plurality of crystal grains and contains boron, at least either of nitrogen and silicon, and a remainder including carbon and trace impurities; the boron is dispersed in the crystal grains at an atomic level, and greater than or equal to 90 atomic % of the boron is present in an isolated substitutional type; the nitrogen and the silicon are present in an isolated substitutional type or an interstitial type in the crystal grains; each of the crystal grains has a grain size of less than or equal to 500 nm; and the polycrystalline diamond has a surface covered with a protective film.

To provide low CTE and low puffing needle coke more stably while dealing with changes in the properties of a feedstock. The low CTE and low puffing needle coke is obtained by mixing and coking a needle coke main feedstock of a coal tar-based heavy oil or petroleum-based heavy oil having a weak hydrogen donating property with a PDQI value expressed by equation (1) of less than 5.0, with a secondary feedstock having a strong hydrogen donating property with a PDQI value expressed by equation (1) of 5.0 or more, and calcining the obtained raw coke. [Equation (1)] PDQI=H %×10×(HNβ/H), wherein H % is a hydrogen amount (% by weight) obtained by elemental analysis, and HNβ/H is a ratio of β naphthenic hydrogen to total hydrogen measured by .sup.1H-NMR.

A method of forming a graphene nanoribbon includes: 1) providing monomeric precursors each including an alkyne moiety and at least one aromatic moiety bonded to the alkyne moiety; 2) polymerizing the monomeric precursors to form a polymer; and 3) converting the polymer to a graphene nanoribbon.

The epsilon polymorph of vanadyl phosphate, ε-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.

A conductive material including a first element selected from a transition metal, a platinum-group element, a rare earth element, and a combination thereof, a second element having an atomic radius which is 10 percent less than to 10 percent greater than an atomic radius of the first element, and a chalcogen element, wherein the conductive material has a layered crystal structure.

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of a pulverulent, porous crystalline metal silicate, comprising the following steps: (a) hydrothermal synthesis employing an aqueous mixture comprising (A) a silicon source, (B) a metal source, and (C) an auxiliary component, yielding an aqueous suspension of reaction product 1, comprising a raw porous crystalline metal silicate; and (b) flame spray pyrolysis of reaction product 1, wherein the aqueous suspension obtained in step (a) is sprayed into a flame generated by combustion of a fuel in the presence of oxygen to form a pulverulent, porous crystalline metal silicate; wherein the aqueous suspension comprising reaction product 1 obtained in step (a) exhibits a solids content of ≤70% by weight; and wherein the effective peak temperature, T.sub.eff, experienced by at least 90% by weight of the porous crystalline metal silicate during flame pyrolysis, is in the range T.sub.min<T.sub.eff<T.sub.max, and wherein T.sub.min is 750° C., and wherein T.sub.max is 1250° C.

A component for a plasma processing apparatus, and a plasma processing apparatus are highly resistant to plasma and are highly durable. The component includes a substrate containing a first element that is a metal element or a semimetal element, and a film located on the substrate and containing yttrium oxide as a main constituent. The film contains yttrium oxide crystal grains oriented with a deviation angle of ±10° from a {111} direction of a crystal lattice plane of yttrium oxide. The yttrium oxide crystal grains oriented with the deviation angle have an area ratio of 45% or greater.

A composite powder containing microstructured particles obtainable by means of a method in which large particles are combined with small particles, wherein the large particles have an average particle diameter within the range from 10 μm to 10 mm, the large particles comprise at least one polymer, the small particles are arranged on the surface of the large particles and/or distributed inhomogeneously within the large particles, the small particles comprise a calcium salt, the small particles have an average particle size within the range from 0.01 μm to 1.0 mm,
wherein the particles of the composite powder have an average particle size d.sub.50 within the range from 10 μm to less than 200 μm, and the fine-particle fraction of the composite powder is less than 50% by volume. Preferred application areas of the composite powder encompass its use as additive, especially as polymer additive, as additive substance or starting material for compounding, for compounding, for the production of components, for applications in medical technology and/or in microtechnology and/or for the production of foamed articles. The invention therefore also provides components obtainable by selective laser sintering of a composition comprising a composite powder according to the invention, except for implants for uses in the field of neurosurgery, oral surgery, jaw surgery, facial surgery, neck surgery, nose surgery and ear surgery as well as hand surgery, foot surgery, thorax surgery, rib surgery and shoulder surgery.

The epsilon polymorph of vanadyl phosphate, ε-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.

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