Provided is a mercury adsorbent that can efficiently adsorb and remove mercury and/or a mercury compound contained in a liquid hydrocarbon and can suppress corrosive action even when used for a long time. The mercury adsorbent comprises an activated carbon including a mineral acid supported thereon, the activated carbon having a specific surface area of 1000 m.sup.2/g or larger and a volume of micropores of 80 cm.sup.3/g or larger, each of the micropores having a pore radius of 8 Å or smaller, and the mercury adsorbent has a moisture content of from 0.1 to 3 wt %.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a plasma spraying material with which it is possible to form an HAp film that has high hardness and is not susceptible to abrasion, even under conditions involving plasma spraying with low flame energy. In the present invention, an HAp powder having an average particle diameter (D.sub.50) of 15-40 μm and a pore volume of 0.01-0.30 cc/g at a pore diameter of 2000 nm or less as measured through mercury intrusion makes it possible to form an HAp film that has high hardness, is not susceptible to abrasion, and can be subjected to plasma spraying, even under conditions involving plasma spraying with low flame energy.

An object of the present invention is to provide a calcium phosphate powder that enables the preparation of a slurry for additive manufacturing with excellent dispersion stability, and enables the production of a three-dimensional additive manufacturing article with high strength, in additive manufacturing. Provided is a calcium phosphate powder, having an average particle size (D.sub.50) of 0.1 to 5.0 μm, and having a pore volume of mesopores (pore size: 2 to 50 nm) of 0.01 to 0.06 cc/g as measured by a gas adsorption method. The calcium phosphate powder has excellent dispersion stability in a slurry for additive manufacturing, and, by performing additive manufacturing using a slurry for additive manufacturing containing the calcium phosphate, it is possible to produce a three-dimensional additive manufacturing article with high strength, which is useful as an implant, such as an artificial bone.

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.

A method of making Cu—Ag.sub.3PO.sub.4 nanoparticles is provided. The method includes forming a mixture of at least one silver salt, at least one phosphate salt, and at least one copper (II) salt. The method further includes dissolving the mixture in water. The method further includes sonicating the mixture. The method further includes precipitating the Cu—Ag.sub.3PO.sub.4 nanoparticles or “nanoparticles”. The copper is present in the nanoparticles in an amount of 2 to 23 weight percent (wt.%) based on the total weight of the Cu—Ag.sub.3PO.sub.4. The nanoparticles of the present disclosure find application in treating cervical cancer, and colorectal cancer. The nanoparticles may also be used in photodegrading environmental pollutants.

Composite carbon particles including a porous carbon material and a silicon component, the composite carbon particle having an average aspect ratio of 1.25 or less, and a ratio (I.sub.Si/I.sub.G) of a peak intensity (I.sub.Si) in the vicinity of 470 cm.sup.−1 to a peak intensity (I.sub.G) in the vicinity of 1580 cm.sup.−1 as measured by Raman spectroscopy of 0.30 or less, wherein the porous carbon material satisfies V.sub.1/V.sub.0>0.80 and V.sub.2/V.sub.0<0.10, when a total pore volume at a maximum value of a relative pressure P/P.sub.0 is defined as V.sub.0 and P.sub.0 is a saturated vapor pressure, a cumulative pore volume at a relative pressure P/P.sub.0=0.1 is defined as V.sub.1, a cumulative pore volume at a relative pressure P/P.sub.0=10.sup.−7 is defined as V.sub.2 in a nitrogen adsorption test, and has a BET specific surface area of 800 m.sup.2/g or more.

A method of producing a porous carbon is provided that can change type of functional groups, amount of functional groups, or ratio of functional groups while inhibiting its pore structure from changing. A method of producing a porous carbon includes: a first step of carbonizing a material containing a carbon source and a template source, to prepare a carbonized product; and a second step of immersing the carbonized product into a template removing solution, to remove a template from the carbonized product, and the method is characterized by changing at least two or more of the following conditions: type of the material, ratio of the carbon source and the template source, size of the template, and type of the template removal solution, to thereby control type, amount, or ratio of functional groups that are present in the porous carbon.

A method of fabricating polyacrylonitrile (PACN) nanostructured carbon superstructure shapes is provided that includes forming a PACN polymer superstructure shape by using as a monomer, an initiator, and a solvent or incorporation of a different co-monomer for free radical polymerization, and converting the PACN polymer superstructure shape to a nanostructured carbon superstructure analogue using stabilization and carbonization of the PACN polymer superstructure shape, where the stabilization includes heating the PACN polymer superstructure shape to a temperature that is adequate to form a stabilization reaction, where the carbonization includes using a heat treatment.

Methods of synthesizing Bi.sub.2S.sub.3—CdS particles in the form of spheres as well as properties of these Bi.sub.2S.sub.3—CdS particles are described. Methods of photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants employing these Bi.sub.2S.sub.3—CdS particles and methods of preventing or reducing microbial growth on a surface by applying these Bi.sub.2S.sub.3—CdS particles in the form of a solution or an antimicrobial product onto the surface are also specified.

Porous carbon particles, and a positive electrode active material and a lithium secondary battery including the same. This may improve the energy density of the lithium secondary battery by applying a porous electrode containing micropores and mesopores and having a uniform size distribution and shape as a positive electrode material.