Composites of porous nano-featured silicon and various materials, such as carbon, are provided. The composites find utility in various applications, such as electrical energy storage electrodes and devices comprising the same.

A lithium metal composite oxide powder including: secondary particles that are aggregates of primary particles, and single particles that are present independently of the secondary particles, wherein the lithium metal composite oxide is represented by composition formula (I), and the single particles have an average crushing strength exceeding 80 MPa:

Li[Li.sub.x(Ni.sub.(1-y-z-w)Co.sub.yMn.sub.zM.sub.w).sub.1-x]O.sub.2(I)

wherein M is one or more metal elements selected from the group consisting of Fe, Cu, Ti, Mg, Al, W, B, Mo, Nb, Zn, Sn, Zr, Ga, La and V, 0.1x0.2, 0y0.4, 0z0.4, and 0w0.1.

The present invention provides alumina particles having a fixed card-house structure formed of three or more flat plate-like alumina particles and having an average particle diameter of 3 to 1000 m. Also, there is provided alumina particles having an average particle diameter of 3 to 1000 m and having a fixed card-house structure in which the three or more flat plate-like alumina are aggregated to be crossed each other at two or more plurality of positions, and the plane directions of the flat plates crossed each other are in a state of disordered arrangement.

A granular conductive carbon black and a preparation method thereof, belonging to the technical field of conductive carbon blacks. The method for preparing a granular conductive carbon black includes making a raw material of the conductive carbon black undergo moistening with water of a temperature of 80 C. or higher, performing wet granulation and drying in sequence. The raw material of the conductive carbon black is infiltrated by the water of a temperature of 80 C. or higher, so that the hydrophilic property of the raw material of the conductive carbon black is enhanced, the water of a temperature of 80 C. or higher enters the microporous structures of the raw material of the conductive carbon black, then a good moistening effect is achieved, and further the granular conductive acetylene carbon black with uniform particle size distribution is prepared through wet granulation and drying.

Disclosed in certain embodiments are ZSM-5 zeolite microspheres. The ZSM-5 zeolite microspheres may contain substantially no clay or calcined clay material. The ZSM-5 zeolite microspheres may have a ZSM-5 zeolite content of at least 70 wt. %. Disclosed in certain embodiments is a method of forming ZSM-5 zeolite microspheres including treating microspheres with at least one alkali solution.

Disclosed herein is a method for preparing coal-based, briquetted activated carbon. The method includes subjecting raw coal to a briquetting process, pulverizing the briquettes into particles, and performing carbonization and activation to obtain activated carbon. The briquetting process includes pulverizing raw coal to produce a feed, feeding the feed into a feed bin for degassing, adjusting the temperature and the water content of the feed in the feed bin, and feeding the feed in the feed bin into a briquetting apparatus for briquetting to form coal briquettes. The raw coal briquetting process of the preparation method is suited to a wide variety of coal, including non-caking coal. The preparation method yields a coal briquette product with a strength greater than 89% without any binder, which is beneficial to improve the strength and the like of activated carbon.

Porous silicon and methods for preparation and use of the same are disclosed. The porous silicon materials have utility either alone or in combination with other materials, for example, combined with carbon particles for energy storage applications.

The present invention relates to an eco-friendly method for preparing a porous silicon carbide structure, which is capable of preparing a porous silicon carbide structure having meso- or macro-sized pores without using a harmful phenolic resin as a carbon source.

The present invention provides titania particles which are formed by providing a titania sol and spray drying the titania sol. A morphology of the dried titania particles is controlled by producing the titania sol from a TiO.sub.2 containing slurry and controlling the pH of the slurry to be 3 pH units or more from the iso-electric point of the titania by adding a peptizing agent to reduce an extent to which the titania sol is flocculated, or by producing the titania sol from a TiO.sub.2 containing slurry and adjusting the iso-electric point to be 3 pH units or more from the pH of the slurry by adding a dispersant to reduce an extent to which the titania sol is flocculated. The titania particles have a continuous exterior convex surface, a diameter of 30 m or less, a BET specific surface area of 50 m.sup.2/g or more, and are porous.

A precipitated silica characterised by the presence of specific acid sites on its surface and a process for its manufacture.