Silicon-carbon composite materials and related processes are disclosed that overcome the challenges for providing amorphous nano-sized silicon entrained within porous carbon. Compared to other, inferior materials and processes described in the prior art, the materials and processes disclosed herein find superior utility in various applications, including energy storage devices such as lithium ion batteries.

A composition of chlorine-free poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide that comprises a clathrate containing oxygen gas molecules and a nutraceutical. In one embodiment, the poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide has particles having a diameter of 212 μm or less. The nutraceutical may include one or more of a protein, vitamin, fiber, mineral and electrolytes. The composition may be in a powder or fluid form.

Silicon-carbon composite matertials and related processes are disclosed that overcome the challenges for providing amorphous nano-sized silicon entrained within porous carbon. Compared to other, inferior materials and processes described in the prior art, the materials and processes disclosed herein find superior utility in various applications, including energy storage devices such as lithium ion batteries.

Particulate composite materials and devices comprising the same are provided.

A method for producing a liquid dispersion containing irregular-shaped silica particles in which two or more primary particles are linked together, by simultaneously adding a liquid A containing silane alkoxide and a liquid B containing an alkali catalyst and water to a liquid I consisting substantially of an organic solvent to cause hydrolysis and polycondensation of the silane alkoxide, wherein the period from the start of the addition until the silica concentration of the reaction system at the end of the addition reaches 70% is 20% or less of the full reaction time period.

In a process for the synthesis of a crystalline molecular sieve material having the EUO framework type, a synthesis mixture is provided suitable for the formation of an EUO framework type molecular sieve and comprising N,N,N,N′,N′,N′-hexamethylhexanediammonium, Q, cations and a colloidal suspension of seed crystals of an EUO framework type molecular sieve. The synthesis mixture is crystallized and an EUO framework type molecular sieve in the form individual crystals and/or aggregates of crystals having an average size, d.sub.50, as measured by laser scattering, of less than 15 μm is recovered from the synthesis mixture.

A novel MFI zeolite that when used as a catalyst, can be used for a selective catalytic reaction for larger molecules and provides a method for producing the MFI zeolite. The MFI zeolite includes uniform mesopores having a pore distribution curve which a peak-width thereof at half height (hw) is at most 20 nm (hw≦20 nm) and a center value (μ) of a maximum peak is 10 nm or more and 20 nm or less (10 nm≦μ≦20 nm), and having a pore volume (pv) of the uniform mesopores of at least 0.05 mL/g (0.05 mL/g≦pv); the MFI zeolite has no peak in a range of 0.1° to 3° in powder X-ray diffraction measurement with a diffraction angle represented by 2θ; and the MFI zeolite has an average particle diameter (PD) of at most 100 nm (PD≦100 nm).

A titanium oxide powder of the present invention has a BET specific surface area of 5 m.sup.2/g or more and 15 m.sup.2/g or less and contains polyhedral-shaped titanium oxide particles having eight or more faces, in which a mass reduction rate in a case of being heated at 800° C. for 1 hour in an air atmosphere is 0.03% by mass or more and 0.5% by mass or less.

A method of manufacturing the positive electrode material for a lithium ion secondary battery includes a first step of mixing Li.sub.3PO.sub.4, LiOH, H.sub.3PO.sub.4, an Fe source, a Mn source, and an M source to prepare raw material slurry, and a second step of subjecting the raw material slurry to a reaction under a high temperature and a high pressure. In the first step, mixing amounts of Li and P are set to 3.00≦Li/(Fe+Mn+M)≦3.10 and 1.00≦P/(Fe+Mn+M)≦1.10, mixing amounts of LiOH and H.sub.3PO.sub.4 are set to 0<LiOH/(Fe+Mn+M)<0.40 and 0<H.sub.3PO.sub.4/(Fe+Mn+M)<0.15, the amount of Li.sub.3PO.sub.4, LiOH, H.sub.3PO.sub.4, the Fe source, the Mn source and the M source in the raw material slurry is set to 0.5 to 1.5 mol/L in terms of LiFe.sub.xMn.sub.1-x-yM.sub.yPO.sub.4, and pH of the raw material slurry is set to 4.0 to 5.5.

The present invention relates to a particulate porous carbon material having a continuous porous structure, the particulate porous carbon material satisfying the following A to C: A: branch portions forming the continuous porous structure have an aspect ratio of 3 or higher; B: the branch portions have aggregated through joints interposed therebetween, the number of the aggregated branch portions (N) being 3 or larger; C: a ratio of the number of the aggregated branch portions (N) to the number of the joints (n), N/n, is 1.2 or larger.