This particle contains at least one titanium compound crystal grain, and satisfies requirements 1 and 2. Requirement 1: |dA(T)/dT| of the titanium compound crystal grain satisfies 10 ppm/° C. or more at at least one temperature T1 in a range of −200° C. to 1200° C. A is (a-axis (shorter axis) lattice constant of the titanium compound crystal grain)/(c-axis (longer axis) lattice constant of the titanium compound crystal grain), and each of the lattice constants is obtained by X-ray diffractometry of the titanium compound crystal grain. Requirement 2: the particle contains a pore, and in a cross section of the particle, the pore has an average equivalent circle diameter of 0.8 μm or more and 30 μm or less, and the titanium compound crystal grain has an average equivalent circle diameter of 1 μm or more and 70 μm or less.

Porous amorphous silica can be obtained from siliceous plant matter containing non-siliceous inorganic substances. The siliceous plant matter is soaked in an aqueous solution which includes a chelating agent. The chelating agent is present in an amount which helps to extract at least some of the non-siliceous inorganic matter. The aqueous solution is then separated from the siliceous plant matter. Beneficial properties are imparted to the siliceous plant matter by controlling the amount of at least one preselected non-siliceous inorganic substance in the siliceous plant matter. At the end of the process, the siliceous plant matter is heat treated in the presence of oxygen at a temperature to produce the resulting amorphous silica having the beneficial properties.

The present invention provides a porous carbon fiber which has an excellent permeation amount and excellent pressure resistance, which is prevented from the occurrence of detachment or cracking at an interface, and which can exhibit excellent properties needed for use as a support for a fluid separation membrane. The present invention is a porous carbon fiber having a bicontinuous porous structure, wherein the average value R.sub.ave of the R value of the outer surface and the R value of the inside is 1.0 or more and 1.8 or less, the absolute value ΔR of the difference between the R value of the outer surface and the R value of the inside is 0.05 or less, and R value is a carbonization progression degree calculated from a Raman spectrum in accordance with the following formula:
R value=(intensity of scattering spectrum at 1360 cm.sup.−1)/(intensity of scattering spectrum at 1600 cm.sup.−1).

The present invention relates, in general terms, to methods of forming activated carbon. The method of forming activated carbon comprises mixing carbon black with an activation catalyst and heating the carbon black in order to form the activated carbon. The present invention also relates to applications of activated carbon as disclosed herein. In a preferred embodiment, the activation catalyst is selected from ammonium persulfate, sodium persulfate, potassium persulfate or a combination thereof.

Silica particles include a nitrogen-containing compound. When the volumes of pores having a diameter of 1 nm or more and 50 nm or less, the volumes being determined from a pore size distribution curve of the silica particles before and after the silica particles are baked at 350° C., the pore size distribution curve being obtained by nitrogen gas adsorption, are defined as A and B, respectively, B/A is 1.2 or more and 5 or less and B is 0.2 cm.sup.3/g or more and 3 cm.sup.3/g or less.

The hybrid aerogel of the present invention includes an aerogel having a network structure created by bonded secondary particles of a metal oxide with pores formed among the secondary particles; and nano-size hollow particles of 30 nm or more and 360 nm or less in outer diameter and mixed into the aerogel. Gas flow paths formed by the communication of the pores in the aerogel are blocked by the shells of the nano-size hollow particles. Provided is a solid thermal insulation material with highly thermal insulation performance comparable to vacuum insulation and not collapsing even when atmospheric pressure acts thereon.

A silicon material can include a composition with at least about 50% silicon, at most about 45% carbon, and at most about 10% oxygen. The silicon material can have an external expansion that is less than about 40%. The silicon material can include silicon nanoparticles, which can cooperatively form clusters. The silicon nanoparticles can be porous.

The disclosure relates to porous garnet ribbons and methods of making such porous garnet ribbons.

A supported catalyst for decomposing an organic substance that includes a support and a catalyst particle supported on the support. The catalyst particle contains a perovskite-type composite oxide represented by A.sub.xB.sub.yM.sub.zO.sub.w, where the A contains at least one selected from Ba and Sr, the B contains Zr, the M is at least one selected from Mn, Co, Ni and Fe, y+z=1, x≥0.995, z≤0.4, and w is a positive value satisfying electrical neutrality. A film thickness of a catalyst-supporting film supported on the support and containing the catalyst particle is 5 μm or more, or a supported amount as determined by normalizing a mass of the catalyst particle supported on the support by a volume of the support is 45 g/L or more.

A process comprising a heterogenous reaction between a solid metal organic framework supported heteropolyacid catalyst and a hydrocarbon feed to form a modified hydrocarbon stream. The modified hydrocarbon stream comprises essentially of C6+ hydrocarbons.