A microsphere of oxide has an opening on its surface connected to a hollow core inside, forming a cavity. The oxide the microsphere is made of is selected from the group consisting of alumina, silica, zirconia, magnesium oxide, calcium oxide and titania. The microsphere of oxide shows better mass and heat transfer characteristics, and has strength significantly higher than that of existing products with similar structures. A FT synthesis catalyst has the microsphere of oxide as a support and an active metal component disposed on the support. The active metal component is one or more selected from the group consisting of Co, Fe, and Ru.

A ceramic powder material containing a garnet-type compound containing Li, wherein the ceramic powder material has a pore volume of 0.4 mL/g or more and 1.0 mL/g or less.

A graphite anode material, an anode, a lithium ion battery and preparation methods thereof. The graphite anode material includes a natural graphite core, a carbon coating layer, and a graphitizing filler. The natural graphite core has pores. The graphitizing filler is filled in the pores inside the natural graphite core. The graphitizing filler further forms the carbon coating layer. The preparation method includes: mixing natural graphite with a filler, and then pulverizing to obtain a graphite powder body; and graphitizing the graphite powder body in a protective atmosphere to obtain a graphite anode material. The preparation method reduces material turnover and residual loss, and achieves simple process and high production efficiency. The anode and lithium ion battery prepared have high first efficiency and excellent cycling performance.

A method of forming an activated carbon sorbent from a seagrass. The method involves treating a seagrass with a base solution to form an intermediate solid, drying the intermediate solid to form a precursor, and pyrolyzing the precursor at 600 to 1000° C. to form the activated carbon sorbent. Preferably the seagrass is Halodule uninervis. The activated carbon sorbent is used in a method of removing an organic pollutant from a contaminated water. Preferred organic pollutants removed are phenols, specifically 2,4-dimethylphenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol.

A positive electrode active material is constituted by lithium transition metal-containing composite oxide particles having a layered rock salt type crystal structure and are composed of secondary particles each formed of an aggregation of primary particles. The secondary particles have a d50 of 3.0 to 7.0 μm, a BET specific surface area of 1.8 to 5.5 m.sup.2/g, a pore peak diameter of 0.01 to 0.30 μm, and a log differential pore volume [dV/d(log D)] of 0.2 to 0.6 ml/g within a range of the pore peak diameter. In each of a plurality of primary particles having a primary particle size of 0.1 to 1.0 μm, a coefficient of variation of the concentration of an additive element M is 1.5 or less.

A positive electrode active material having a core/shell structure, which includes a sulfur-carbon composite containing thermally expanded-reduced graphene oxide, a carbon material as a core, and carbon nanotubes as a shell. A method for preparing a positive electrode active material having a core/shell structure for a lithium secondary battery, including the steps of thermally expanding graphene oxide by heat treatment at a temperature in a range of 300° C. to 500° C. to prepare a thermally-expanded graphene oxide. Then, reducing the thermally-expanded graphene oxide by heat treatment at a temperature in a range of 700° C. to 1200° C. to prepare a thermally expanded-reduced graphene oxide. Next, mixing the thermally expanded-reduced graphene oxide and sulfur to prepare a sulfur-carbon composite. Last, mixing the sulfur-carbon composite and carbon nanotubes to form carbon nanotubes on a surface of the sulfur-carbon composite.

A zirconia powder in which when a stabilizer is Y.sub.2O.sub.3, a content thereof is 1.4 mol % or more and less than 2.0 mol %; when the stabilizer is Er.sub.2O.sub.3, a content thereof is 1.4 mol % or more and 1.8 mol % or less; when the stabilizer is Yb.sub.2O.sub.3, a content thereof is 1.4 mol % or more and 1.8 mol % or less; and when the stabilizer is CaO, a content thereof is 3.5 mol % or more and 4.5 mol % or less; and in a range of 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less in a pore distribution, a peak top diameter of a pore volume distribution is 20 nm or more and 120 nm or less, a pore volume is 0.2 ml/g or more and less than 0.5 ml/g, and a pore distribution width is 30 nm or more and 170 nm or less.

A zirconia powder containing a stabilizer, and having a specific surface area of 20 m.sup.2/g or more and 60 m.sup.2/g or less and a particle diameter D.sub.50 of 0.1 μm or more and 0.7 μm or less, in which in a range of 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less in a pore distribution based on a mercury intrusion method, a peak top diameter in a pore volume distribution is 20 nm or more and 85 nm or less, a pore volume is 0.2 ml/g or more and less than 0.5 ml/g, and a pore distribution width is 40 nm or more and 105 nm or less.

According to an embodiment, there is provided an electrode including an active material-containing layer. A logarithmic differential pore volume distribution curve of the active material-containing layer by a mercury intrusion method includes first and second peaks. The first peak is a local maximum value in a range where a pore size is from 0.1 μm or more to 0.5 μm or less. The second peak is a local maximum value in a range where the pore size is from 0.5 μm or more to 1.0 μm or less. An intensity A1 of the first peak and an intensity A2 of the second peak satisfy 0.1≤A2/A1≤0.3. A density of the active material-containing layer is from 2.9 g/cm.sup.3 or more to 3.3 g/cm.sup.3 or less.

Disclosed herein are methods for the preparation of porous metal oxide materials, including metal oxide xerogels and metal oxide aerogels. Methods for preparing porous metal oxide materials can comprise (i) reacting a metal alkoxide with water in the presence of a catalyst system to form a partially hydrolyzed sol, (ii) contacting the partially hydrolyzed sol with a base catalyst and a non-aqueous solvent to form a precursor gel; and (iii) drying the precursor gel to form the porous metal oxide material. The catalyst system employed in step (i) comprises a combination of a weak acid and a strong acid.