Provided herein are composite materials for use in an electrical energy storage system (e.g., high-capacity batteries) and methods for preparing the same. The composite materials of the present disclosure comprise a three-dimensional carbon network and optional silicon particles. The composite materials further comprise macropores, at least some of which are formed by carbonizing sacrificial particles dispersed throughout a three-dimensional network. The macropores advantageously provide a space to accommodate the strain and stress in the electrode structure due to volume changes of silicon (particles) during charging and discharging of the electrical energy storage systems.

A rare earth composite oxide particles is prepared by a method including the steps of (A) producing particles of rare earth composite compound by heating an aqueous solution that contains ions of at least one kind of rare earth element selected from the group consisting of Sc, Y, Nd, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu, either or both of Al ions and Ga ions, an organic compound having a carboxy group, and urea at not less than 80 C. and not more than a boiling point of the aqueous solution to react the organic compound, a hydrolyzed product of the urea, the ions of the rare earth element, and the either or both of Al ions and Ga ions, and (B) producing rare earth composite oxide from the rare earth composite compound.

Provided are porous silica particles having balanced appropriate disintegrability and excellent disintegration uniformity, and a method for producing the porous silica particles. The porous silica particles according to the present invention have a network structure, and are elastically deformed to the breaking point when a compressive force increasing at a rate of 0.001450 gf/sec is applied. The ratio f/d of the compressive force f (gf) to the displacement amount d (m) at the breaking point is 0.05 to 0.10. The pore volume of the porous silica particles is 0.4 to 1.3 cm.sup.3/g, the mode value of the pore diameter is 2 to 50 nm, the total pore volume of pores having a size within 25% of the mode value of the pore diameter is 40% or more of the pore volume, the average shape factor is 0.90 to 1.00, the content rate of particles having a shape factor of less than 0.80 is 3.0 number % or less, and the average compressive strength is 9.8 N/mm.sup.2 to less than 29.4 N/mm.sup.2.

A method for producing AlN crystals includes using at least one element, excluding Si, that satisfies a condition under which the element forms a compound with neither Al nor N or a condition under which the element forms a compound with any of Al and N provided that the standard free energy of formation of the compound is larger than that of AlN; melting a composition containing at least Al and the element; and reacting the Al vapor with nitrogen gas at a predetermined reaction temperature to produce AlN crystals.

A modified recycled carbon black having a N.sub.2SA of 50 m.sup.2/g or more and 250 m.sup.2/g or less, and having, in a Raman spectrum obtained by performing measurement at an excitation wavelength of 532 nm by laser Raman spectroscopy, a peak intensity of a peak having a peak top in a range of 1,58020 cm.sup.1, with the peak intensity of a peak having a peak top in a range of 1,35020 cm.sup.1 being 100, of 84 or more and 111 or less. The present invention can provide a recycled carbon black having strong bonding with rubber components and having high reinforcing properties for rubber products.

The present disclosure relates to a method and device for recycling a polyanion-based lithium cathode material for a lithium secondary battery, and more particularly, to a method and device for recycling a polyanion-based lithium cathode material capable of simply and efficiently separating high-value substances of a secondary battery cathode material without generating toxic byproducts such as acid waste.

A carbon material granulated product contains a carbon black having a particle size D.sub.50, as determined by a laser diffraction/scattering method specified in ISO 13320, of 250 m or less, a carbon nanotube having a particle size D.sub.50, as determined by the laser diffraction/scattering method specified in ISO 13320, of 50 m or less, and a solvent-soluble polymer impregnated into the carbon black and the carbon nanotube. In the carbon material granulated product, the solvent-soluble polymer is at least one selected from the group consisting of ether polymers, vinyl polymers, amine polymers, cellulose polymers, and starch polymers, and the content of the solvent-soluble polymer is in a range from 1 part by mass to 15 parts by mass relative to a total content of the carbon black and the carbon nanotube taken as 100 parts by mass.

A copper oxide-containing powder containing copper (I) oxide, wherein, when the copper oxide-containing powder is subjected to a heat treatment to 400 C., the copper oxide-containing powder comprises pyrolysis residues derived from pitch, in a mass ratio to copper (I) oxide of 0.025 to 0.060%.

This invention provides a carbon nanotube dispersion capable of achieving high electrical conductivity even with a small amount of carbon nanotube, and an electrically conductive material using the same. A carbon nanotube dispersion of the present invention contains a carbon nanotube, a dispersant, and a binder component. The carbon nanotube is preferably a single-walled carbon nanotube. The binder component is preferably an acrylic resin. An electrically conductive material of the present invention contains a carbon nanotube dispersion described above.

Zeolite-Y particles may be made by a method that includes forming a zeolite precursor solution that includes an alumina source material, a silica source material, and a solvent. The alumina source material may include aluminum nitrate, aluminum sulfate, or both. The method may further include heating the zeolite precursor solution at a temperature of from 50 C. to 120 C. to form an intermediate mixture, and heating the intermediate mixture at a temperature of from 80 C. to 120 C. to form the zeolite-Y particles. The zeolite-Y particles may have a silica to alumina molar ratio of at least 2.