A positive electrode active material includes: a composite particle that includes a particle containing a lithium transition metal composite oxide of Li and Co and a layer that is provided on a surface of the particle and includes an oxide of Li, Ni and Mn. Ni and Mn have a concentration distribution centered on the center from a surface of the composite particle, in a depth range in which a ratio d (%) satisfies 0.04%d0.20%, a mole fraction r.sub.n of Ni and a mole fraction r.sub.m of Mn are within ranges of 0.05r.sub.n and 0.05r.sub.m, respectively, and a ratio r.sub.n2/r.sub.n1 and a ratio r.sub.m2/r.sub.m1 are within ranges of 0.85r.sub.n2/r.sub.n11.0 and 0.85r.sub.m2/r.sub.m11.0, respectively.

A method of fabricating porous carbon foam includes mixing equal masses of SiO.sub.2 particle dispersion with a chitosan solution, dropwise adding a glutaraldehyde aqueous solution into the mixture and solidifying it in air forming a room temperature hydrogel, lyophilizing the hydrogel to form a sponge-like SiO.sub.2-embedded aerogel, carbonizing in a furnace the aerogel to form a SiO.sub.2-embedded carbon foam, soaking the embedded carbon foam in NaOH to dissolve the SiO.sub.2 particles to form a carbon foam having carbon sheets with sub-micron cavities, immersing the carbon sheets in de-ionized water to remove any NaOH residuals followed by drying, placing the carbon foam in KOH solution followed by drying, annealing in nitrogen atmosphere the dried carbon foam to synthesize a carbon foam with a multi-dimensional porous system, immersing the synthesized carbon foam in de-ionized water to prevent self-burning in air, and rinsing the carbon foam in HCl and water, then oven drying.

With respect to a plate-shaped hydrotalcite in which the average width of primary particles is increased, (1) the aspect ratio of secondary particles is increased by suppressing aggregation of primary particles by relatively reducing the average thickness thereof, and 2) the formation of a by-product that impairs the transparency of a resin is suppressed. Provided is a plate-shaped hydrotalcite represented by a formula (1) below:

(M.sup.2+).sub.1x(M.sup.3+).sub.x(OH).sub.2(A.sup.n).sub.x/n.mH.sub.2O(1) where M.sup.2+ indicates at least one divalent metal, M.sup.3+ indicates at least one trivalent metal, A.sup.n indicates an n-valent anion, n indicates an integer of 1 to 6, and x and m are within respective ranges of 0.1x0.33 and 0m10, the formula (1) satisfying (A) to (D) below: (A) the average width of primary particles as measured using an SEM method is 1 m or greater; (B) the average thickness of primary particles as measured using an SEM method is 80 nm or less; (C) the degree of monodispersity of width is 50% or greater; and (D) the degree of monodispersity of thickness is 50% or greater.

The present invention is directed to a process for producing inorganic particulate material, the material obtainable by such process, a modified release delivery system comprising the material and the use of the material for the administration of a bioactive agent.

A carbon material for a catalyst carrier of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell a porous carbon material with a three-dimensionally branched three-dimensional dendritic structure, has a branch diameter of 81 nm or less, and simultaneously satisfies conditions (A) and (B) whereby: (A) a BET specific surface area S.sub.BET is from 400 to 1500 m.sup.2/g; and (B) with respect to a relationship between a mercury pressure P.sub.Hg and a mercury absorption amount V.sub.Hg measured by mercury porosimetry, an increment V.sub.Hg:4.3-4.8 of the measured mercury absorption amount V.sub.Hg is from 0.82 to 1.50 cc/g in a case in which the common logarithm Log P.sub.Hg of the mercury pressure P.sub.Hg has increased from 4.3 to 4.8. A method of producing this kind of a carbon material for a catalyst carrier is also provided.

The present invention is a carbon material for a catalyst carrier of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, which has a three-dimensional dendritic structure, and simultaneously satisfies the following (A), (B), and (C). (A) By a laser Raman spectroscopic analysis with a wavelength of 532 nm, a standard deviation (R) of an intensity ratio (R value) of an intensity of a D-band (near 1360 cm.sup.1) to an intensity of a G-band (near 1580 cm.sup.1) measured with a beam diameter of 1 m at 50 measurement points is from 0.01 to 0.07. (B) A BET specific surface area S.sub.BET is from 400 to 1520 m.sup.2/g. (C) A nitrogen gas adsorption amount V.sub.N:0.4-0.8 during a relative pressure (p/p.sub.0) from 0.4 to 0.8 is from 100 to 300 cc(STP)/g. A method of producing such a carbon material for a catalyst carrier is also included.

The present disclosure provides a sound absorbing material. The sound absorbing material includes a sound absorbing material comprising an MFL-structural-type molecular sieve, the MFL-structural-type molecular sieve comprising a skeleton, the skeleton comprising SiO.sub.2 and Ga.sub.2O.sub.3, and the molar ratio of Si/Ga atoms in the skeleton is between 100 and 600. The invention also provides a method for preparing a sound absorbing material and a speaker box using the same. The sound absorbing material provided by the invention, the preparation method thereof and the speaker box using the sound absorbing material can further improve the performance of the speaker box, reduce the failure of the molecular sieve, and improve the performance stability of the lifting speaker box.

A method of fabricating porous carbon foam includes mixing equal masses of SiO.sub.2 particle dispersion with a chitosan solution, dropwise adding a glutaraldehyde aqueous solution into the mixture and solidifying it in air forming a room temperature hydrogel, lyophilizing the hydrogel to form a sponge-like SiO.sub.2-embedded aerogel, carbonizing in a furnace the aerogel to form a SiO.sub.2-embedded carbon foam, soaking the embedded carbon foam in NaOH to dissolve the SiO.sub.2 particles to form a carbon foam having carbon sheets with sub-micron cavities, immersing the carbon sheets in de-ionized water to remove any NaOH residuals followed by drying, placing the carbon foam in KOH solution followed by drying, annealing in nitrogen atmosphere the dried carbon foam to synthesize a carbon foam with a multi-dimensional porous system, immersing the synthesized carbon foam in de-ionized water to prevent self-burning in air, and rinsing the carbon foam in HCl and water, then oven drying.

Milling methods that use grinding media particles formed of a ceramic material having an interlamellar spacing of less than 1250 nm.

A hydrothermal method of preparing uniform, monodisperse ceramic lanthanum hydroxyl carbonate (LaCO.sub.3OH) having cherry-blossom-like nanogears and/or nanocubes is described. The method produced a hexagonal crystal with a crystal lattice in which at least on lanthanum ion is substituted with calcium ion. The ceramic nanoparticles produced by the method are good catalyst for the reduction of nitrogen oxides with a hydrocarbon. A method of reducing exhaust gases is described.