Agglomerated silica is obtained by mixing silica with a rosin resin to be agglomerated.

A thermal interface material under a high vacuum condition includes a graphite sheet having a thickness of from 9.6 μm to 50 nm and a thermal conductivity in an a-b surface direction at 25° C. of not less than 1000 W/mK.

The present invention provides an electrode material for an electrochemical capacitor having high surface utilization efficiency, composed of a porous carbon material capable of further contributing to higher electrostatic capacitance of the electrochemical capacitor and to development of high rate characteristics; the porous carbon material having a co-continuous structural portion in which a carbon skeleton and voids form respective continuous structures, the co-continuous structural portion having a structural period of 0.002 μm to 20 μm.

A lithium cobalt oxide sintered body having a bending strength of 100 MPa or more, and a sputtering target formed using the sintered body are provided. In particular, a cylindrical sputtering target for use in rotary sputtering is provided. The sputtering target is useful in forming a cathode material thin film in an all-solid thin film lithium ion secondary battery for use in vehicles, telecommunication equipment and household equipment.

Novel methods for processing fumed metallic oxides into globular metallic oxide agglomerates are provided. The methodology may allow for fumed metallic oxide particles, such as fumed silica and fumed alumina particles, to be processed into a globular morphology to improve handling while retaining a desirable surface area. The processes may include providing fumed metallic oxide particles, combining the particles with a liquid carrier to form a suspension, atomizing the solution of suspended particles, and subjecting the atomized droplets to a temperature range sufficient to remove the liquid carrier from the droplets, to produce metallic oxide-containing agglomerations.

Disclosed is a positive active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery containing a lithium transition metal composite oxide, in which the lithium transition metal composite oxide has an α-NaFeO.sub.2 structure, a molar ratio Li/Me of Li and a transition metal (Me) is 1<Li/Me, Ni and Mn, or Ni, Co, and Mn are included as the transition metals (Me), a molar ratio Mn/Me of Mn and Me is 0.4≤Mn/Me<0.6, when the lithium transition metal composite oxide is pressed at a pressure of 40 MPa, a density is 2.7 g/cm.sup.3 or more, the lithium transition metal composite oxide has an X-ray diffraction pattern attributable to R3-m.

The present invention is a carbon nanotube aggregate having a three-dimensional shape. The carbon nanotube aggregate having a three-dimensional shape includes a first surface, a second surface and a side surface, wherein a carbon nanotube of the first surface has a Herman orientation coefficient greater than −0.1 and smaller than 0.2, a carbon nanotube of the second surface has a Herman orientation coefficient greater than −0.1 and smaller than 0.2, and a carbon nanotube of the side surface has degree of orientation in which a Herman orientation coefficient is 0.2 or more and 0.99 or less, and the first surface and second surface are mutually arranged in parallel and the side surface is perpendicular with respect to the first surface and second surface.

Disclosed here is a method for making a monolithic rare earth oxide (REO) aerogel, comprising: preparing a reaction mixture comprising at least one rare earth metal nitrate, at least one epoxide, at least one base catalyst, and at least one organic solvent; curing the mixture to produce a wet gel; drying the wet gel to produce a dry gel; and thermally annealing the dry gel to produce the monolithic REO aerogel. Also disclosed is an REO aerogel comprising a network of REO nanostructures, wherein the REO aerogel is a monolith having at least one lateral dimension of at least 1 cm, wherein the REO aerogel has a density of about 40-500 mg/cm.sup.3 and/or a BET surface area of at least about 20 m.sup.2/g, and wherein the REO aerogel is substantially free of oxychloride.

A pot furnace low temperature calcination process may ensure that, by controlling the flame path temperature and discharge speed of the pot furnace, that the range of the temperature at which the petroleum coke is calcined in the pot is from 1150° C. to 1220° C. and that the discharge speed is 10 to 20% higher than the normal discharge speed and reaches 110˜120 kg/h, reducing the amount of desulfurization of the petroleum coke during the calcination so that the true density of the calcined coke is between 2.05 and 2.07 g/cm.sup.3.

There is provided a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride containing a cubic boron nitride at a content greater than or equal to 98.5% by volume, the polycrystalline cubic boron nitride having a dislocation density less than or equal to 8×10.sup.15/m.sup.2.