The invention relates to a highly reactive, high-purity, free-flowing and dust-free lithium sulfide powder having an average particle size between 250 and 1,500 m and BET surface areas between 1 and 100 m.sup.2/g. The invention, furthermore, relates to a process for its preparation, wherein in a first step, lithium hydroxide monohydrate is heated in a temperature-controlled unit to a reaction temperature between 150 C. and 450 C. in the absence of air, and an inert gas is passed over or through it, until the residual water of crystallization content of the formed lithium hydroxide is less than 5 wt. % and in a second step, the anhydrous lithium hydroxide formed in the first step is mixed, overflowed or traversed by a gaseous sulfur source from the group consisting of hydrogen sulfide, elemental sulfur, carbon disulfide, mercaptans or sulfur nitrides.

According to the present invention, a yttrium-fluoride-based sprayed coating that has a Vickers hardness of 350 or higher, includes a YF.sub.3 crystal phase having an orthorhombic crystal system, and does not include a YF.sub.3 crystal phase having a crystal system other than an orthorhombic crystal system is produced by plasma-spraying a spray powder that includes a YF.sub.3 crystal phase having an orthorhombic crystal system and does not include a YF.sub.3 crystal phase having a crystal system other than an orthorhombic crystal system. In the present invention, it is possible to provide a yttrium-fluoride-based sprayed coating that has a high coating hardness and is such that the amount of particles generated upon exposure to a halogen-based gas plasma is low, and such a sprayed coating is exceptional as a sprayed coating formed on a member for a semiconductor-producing device that is used in a semiconductor production step.

An object of the present invention is to provide a lithium titanate powder and an active material which, in the case of being applied as an electrode material of an energy storage device, can suppress the gas generation at high temperatures and the capacity reduction in high-temperature charge and discharge cycles and besides can also suppress the resistance rise in the high-temperature charge and discharge cycles, an electrode sheet, of an energy storage device, containing these, and an energy storage device using the electrode sheet. The lithium titanate powder contains Li.sub.4Ti.sub.5O.sub.12 as a main component, wherein the powder contains secondary particles being aggregates of primary particles composed of lithium titanate, and has a D.sub.BET of 0.03 m or more and 0.6 m or less and a D50 of 3 m or more and 40 m or less where the D.sub.BET represents a specific surface area-equivalent diameter calculated from a specific surface area determined by a BET method, and the D50 represents a median particle diameter in volume, a ratio D50/D.sub.BET (m/m) of D50 to D.sub.BET of 20 or more and 350 or less, a moisture amount (25 C. to 350 C.) of 600 ppm or less as measured by Karl Fischer's method, and an average 10%-compressive strength of the secondary particles of 0.1 MPa or more and 3 MPa or less.

A positive electrode active material for batteries which comprises Li, M, and oxygen, wherein M comprises: Ni in a content a between 70.0 mol % and 95.0 mol %; Co in a content x between 0.0 mol % and 25.0 mol %; Mn in a content y between 0.0 mol % and 25.0 mol %, a dopant D in a content z between 0.0 mol % and 2.0 mol %, Al and B in a total content c between 0.1 mol % and 5.0 mol %, wherein the active material has an Al content Al.sub.A and a B content B.sub.A, wherein a, x, y, z, c, Al.sub.A and B.sub.A are measured by ICP, wherein Al.sub.A, and B.sub.A are expressed as molar fractions compared to the sum of a and x and y, wherein the positive electrode active material, when measured by XPS analysis, shows an average Al fraction Al.sub.B and an average B fraction B.sub.B, wherein the ratio Al.sub.B/Al.sub.A>1.0, wherein the ratio B.sub.B/B.sub.A>1.0, and wherein the positive electrode active material is a single-crystalline powder.

A method for the production of lithium oxide and the use of such lithium oxide is described herein. The method includes reacting lithium carbonate with elemental carbon or a carbon source forming elemental carbon under certain reaction conditions. The reaction may be carried out in containers whose product-contacting surfaces are corrosion resistant to the reactants and products. The lithium oxide obtained according to the method described herein can used for the production of pure lithium hydroxide solutions or for the production of glasses glass ceramics or crystalline ceramics, for example, lithium ion conductive ceramics.

The present invention relates to a non-spray-drying, dry-granulation process for making a ceramic particulate mixture comprising from 4 wt % to 9 wt % water, wherein at least 90 wt % of the particles have a particle size of from 80 m to 600 m, wherein the process comprises the steps of: (a) forming a precursor material; (b) subjecting the precursor material to a compaction step to form a compacted precursor material; (c) subjecting the compacted precursor material to a crushing step to form a crushed precursor material; and (d) subjecting the crushed precursor material to at least two air classification steps, wherein one air classification step removes at least a portion of the particles having a particle size of greater than 600 m from the crushed precursor material, and wherein the other air classification step removes at least a portion of the particles having a particle size of less than 80 m from the crushed precursor material.

Spherically-shaped silica can include a precipitated silica powder having a d.sub.50 particle size selected within a range of greater than 20 m and up to 80 m, a di-octyl adipate oil absorption selected within a range of from 150 ml/100 g to 500 ml/100 g, an average circularity selected within a range of from 0.70 to 1.0, and an angle of repose, of less than 30. A process of preparing spherically-shaped silica powder is also included.

A solid ice melting composition is composed of pelletized salt, the pelletized salt having a plurality of salt particles pressed together, inter-particle spaces between the salt particles inside the pelletized salt, and a deicing liquid in the inter-particle spaces. The composition is produced by pelletizing a plurality of salt particles to form pelletized salt, and introducing deicing liquid into inter-particles spaces between the salt particles in the pelletized salt by infusing the deicing liquid into the pelletized salt. The solid ice melting composition is easy to handle and spread, is longer lasting and is effective at temperatures down to about 30 C. or lower.

A process for the nitrogen doping of a material includes a set of carbon atoms in the sp.sup.2 hybridization state. The process further includes the material not being oxidized beforehand, then placing the material in contact with dinitrogen. Irradiating the material and the dinitrogen placed in contact with a beam of electrons or of light ions whose energy is greater than or equal to 0.1 MeV, to obtain a material wherein some of the carbon atoms in the sp.sup.2 hybridization state is nitrogen-doped.

A silicon dioxide powder has a uranium content of 0.8 ppb by mass or less and a sphericity of 0.80 or more. The silicon dioxide powder has a low uranium content and a high sphericity.