A positive electrode active material precursor has a hydroxide represented by Formula 1, wherein the positive electrode active material precursor is a secondary particle, in which a plurality of primary particles are aggregated, and includes crystallines in which major axes of the primary particles are arranged in a direction from a center of the secondary particle toward a surface thereof and a (001) plane of the primary particle is arranged parallel to the major axis of the primary particle. A method of preparing the positive electrode active material precursor, and a positive electrode active material prepared by using the positive electrode active material precursor are also provided.

Provided is an aluminum nitride powder useful as a raw material when an aluminum nitride sintered body excellent as an insulating high thermal conductive member is manufactured, particularly, by press molding.

An aluminum nitride powder includes particles having a sphericity of 0.8 or more, in which a median size D.sub.50 obtained by a laser diffraction method is 0.5 to 1.5 μm, a ratio D.sub.90/D.sub.50 of a particle size D.sub.90 corresponding to a cumulative undersize distribution of 90% to the D.sub.50 is 2.2 or less, a BET specific surface area is 2 to 4 m.sup.2/g, and a total oxygen concentration is 0.6 to 1.2% by mass.

Provided are a cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery, a method of preparing the same, and a lithium secondary battery containing a cathode including the cathode active material, in which the cathode active material includes nickel-based lithium metal oxide containing single-crystal particles, and a particle size of the single-crystal particles is about 1 μm to about 8 μm, and a particle size distribution of the single-crystal particles expressed by (D90-D10)/D50 is 1.4 or less.

A positive electrode active material and a method for producing the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a positive electrode active material includes a lithium-nickel-based oxide in the form of at least one of single particles or a pseudo-single particles, wherein each single particle consists of one nodule, wherein each pseudo-primary particles is a composite of 30 or fewer nodules, wherein on the surface of the lithium-nickel-based oxide, a number of nickel ions having an oxidation number of +3 or higher is greater than a number of nickel ions having an oxidation number less than +3.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods from processing flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum feedstock and ash feedstocks, either separately or together. FGD gypsum conversion comprises reacting FGD gypsum (calcium sulfate) feedstock or phosphogypsum, in either batch or continuous mode, with ammonium carbonate reagent to produce commercial products comprising ammonium sulfate and calcium carbonate. A process to separate the impurities and convert the calcium carbonate to a pure precipitated calcium carbonate is disclosed. These impurities include a concentrate of valuable Rare Earth Elements, and radioactive thorium and uranium. A process to convert calcium sulfite to calcium sulfate using oxygen and a catalyst is also disclosed. Ash conversion comprises a leach process followed by a sequential precipitation process to selectively precipitate products at predetermined pHs resulting in metal hydroxides which may be converted to oxides or carbonates. The processes may be controlled by use of one or more processors.

The present invention provides a composite oxide that can achieve a high low-temperature output characteristic, a method for manufacturing the same, and a positive electrode active material in which the generation of soluble lithium is suppressed and a problem of gelation is not caused during the paste preparation. A positive electrode active material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries, including a lithium-metal composite oxide powder including a secondary particle configured by aggregating primary particles containing lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt, or a lithium-metal composite oxide powder including both the primary particles and the secondary particle. The secondary particle has a porous structure inside as a main inside structure, the slurry pH is 11.5 or less, the soluble lithium content rate is 0.5[% by mass] or less, the specific surface area is 3.0 to 4.0 [m.sup.2/g], and the porosity is more than 50 to 80[%].

Provided is a silica that exhibits a high matting property when utilized as a matting agent for a paint, and can also suppress the occurrence of cloudiness. The silica has an aggregated structure in which primary particles are aggregated, has a particle diameter ratio R represented by the following equation (1) of from 4.3 to 5.2, has an absorbance of 0.6 or less for light having a wavelength of 700 nm as an aqueous dispersion having a concentration of 1.48 mass %, and has a particle density measured with a He pycnometer of 2.18 g/cm.sup.3 or more: Equation (1) R=.sup.LD50/.sup.CD50 (in the equation (1), .sup.LD50 represents a volume-based 50% cumulative particle diameter (μm) of the silica measured based on a laser diffraction/scattering method, and .sup.CD50 represents a volume-based 50% cumulative particle diameter (μm) of the silica measured based on a Coulter counter method).

A nanoparticle cluster reduction method yields a new composition of matter including a large percentage (e.g., 75% or higher percentage) of primary nanoparticles in the new composition of matter. The particle reduction method reduces the size of nanoparticle clusters in material of the new composition of matter, allows particle reduction of specific nanoparticle cluster sizes, and allows particle reduction to primary nanoparticles. This new composition of matter can include a high permittivity and high resistivity dielectric compound. This new composition of matter, according to certain examples, has high permittivity, high resistivity, and low leakage current. In certain examples, the new composition of matter constitutes a dielectric energy storage device that is a battery with very high energy density, high operating voltage per cell, and an extended battery life cycle. An example method can include a controlled gas evolution reaction to reduce the size of nanoparticle clusters.

A method for producing an aggregated boron nitride particle, containing: a nitriding step of nitriding a particle containing boron carbide to obtain a particle containing boron carbonitride; and a decarburizing step of decarburizing the particle containing boron carbonitride to obtain an aggregated boron nitride particle, wherein, in the nitriding step, nitriding is performed so that boron carbide remains inside the particle containing boron carbonitride, and wherein, in the decarburizing step, the boron carbide remaining inside the particle containing boron carbonitride is removed.

A zirconia-based porous body including an oxide of a rare earth element, in which when a pore volume in a pore distribution range of 30 nm or more and 200 nm or less after heating at 1150° C. for 12 hours under atmospheric pressure is defined as pore volume A and a pore volume in a pore distribution range of 30 nm or more and 200 nm or less before heating is defined as pore volume B, the pore volume A is 0.10 ml/g or more and 0.40 ml/g or less, and a pore volume retention ratio X in a pore distribution range of 30 nm or more and 200 nm or less represented by a formula [[(pore volume A)/(pore volume B)]×100] is 25% or more and 95% or less.