Disclosed is a lithium complex oxide and method of manufacturing the same, more particularly, a lithium complex oxide effective in improving the characteristics of capacity, resistance, and lifetime with reduced residual lithium and with different interplanar distances of crystalline structure between a primary particle locating in a internal part of secondary particle and a primary particle locating on the surface part of the secondary particle, and a method of preparing the same.

A method of synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) nanoflakes comprises the cutting of prefabricated nanoparticles. The method allows high control over the shape, size and composition of the 2D nanoflakes, and can be used to produce material with uniform properties in large quantities. Van der Waals heterostructure devices are prepared by fabricating nanoparticles, chemically cutting the nanoparticles to form nanoflakes, dispersing the nanoflakes in a solvent to form an ink, and depositing the ink to form a thin film.

This invention relates to particulate electroactive materials consisting of a plurality of composite particles, wherein the composite particles comprise a plurality of silicon nanoparticles dispersed within a conductive carbon matrix. The particulate material comprises 40 to 65 wt % silicon, at least 6 wt % and less than 20% oxygen, and has a weight ratio of the total amount of oxygen and nitrogen to silicon in the range of from 0.1 to 0.45 and a weight ratio of carbon to silicon in the range of from 0.1 to 1. The particulate electroactive materials are useful as an active component of an anode in a metal ion battery.

Controlled height carbon nanotube arrays including catalysts and synthesis methods relating thereto are disclosed. Such nanotube arrays can be prepared from catalyst particles having an Fe:Co:Ni molar ratio impregnated in an exfoliated layered mineral to grow carbon nanotube arrays where the Fe:Co:Ni molar ratio of the catalyst is used to control the height of the array.

A method for producing a semiconducting SWCNT dispersion of the present invention comprises: a step A of preparing a to-be-separated SWCNT dispersion that includes a SWCNT mixture, an aqueous medium, and a polymer including a structural unit A derived from a monomer represented by Formula (1), and a step B of centrifuging the to-be-separated SWCNT dispersion and subsequently collecting a supernatant including the semiconducting SWCNT from the centrifuged to-be-separated SWCNT dispersion. The weight-average molecular weight of the polymer is 1,000 or more and 100,000 or less. ##STR00001##

The present application discloses a composite graphite material, a secondary battery, an apparatus and a preparation method thereof. The composite graphite material includes a core material and a coating layer coating at least a part of the surface of the core material, the core material including graphite; wherein the absolute value K of zeta potential of the composite graphite material in deionized water with a pH of 7 is at least 20 mV. The use of the composite graphite material provided by the present application can improve the cohesion and bonding force of the negative electrode plate, thereby reducing the cyclic expansion of the secondary battery.

The present invention concerns a new solid material according to general formula (I) as follows: Li.sub.4−2xZn.sub.xP.sub.2S.sub.6 (I) wherein 0<x≤1. The invention also refers to a method for producing a solid material comprising at least bringing at least lithium sulfide, phosphorous sulfide, and a zinc compound, optionally in one or more solvents. The invention also refers to said solid materials and their use as solid electrolytes notably for electrochemical devices.

The present invention relates to a positive electrode active material containing a spinel composite solid solution oxide, a method for manufacturing same, and a lithium secondary battery including the same. The spinel composite solid solution oxide contains cubic (P4.sub.332) and face-centered cubic (Fd-3m) in an optimized solid solution ratio in the crystal, and a low content of lithium nickel oxide (Li.sub.zNi.sub.1−zO) is combined. A positive electrode active material containing the spinel composite solid solution oxide provides excellent output characteristics while having stable cycle-life characteristics according to the type and content of doping elements replacing transition metals, the synthesis temperature, and the amount of impurities generated.

An object of the present invention is to provide carbon-coated Si—C composite particles capable of maintaining a high Si utilization rate and suppressing deterioration of initial coulombic efficiency due to oxidation over time of a lithium-ion secondary battery.

The carbon-coated Si—C composite particles of the present invention includes Si—C composite particles containing a carbon material and silicon; and a carbonaceous layer present on surfaces of the Si—C composite particles, wherein the carbon coverage thereof is 70% or more, wherein the BET specific surface area is 200 m.sup.2/g or less; wherein R value (I.sub.D/I.sub.G) is 0.30 or more and 1.10 or less and I.sub.Si/I.sub.G is 0.15 or less, when the peak attributed to Si is present at 450 to 495 cm.sup.−1 and the intensity of the peak is defined as I.sub.Si, in Raman spectrum of the carbon-coated Si—C composite particles: and wherein the full width at half maximum of the peak of a 111 plane of Si is 3.00 deg. or more, and (peak intensity of a 111 plane of SiC)/(peak intensity of the 111 plane of Si) is 0.01 or less, in the XRD pattern measured by powder XRD using a Cu-Kα ray of the carbon-coated Si—C composite particles.

A stable form which uses a carbon material having electrical conductivity as a raw material and that the electrical conductivity of the carbon material is retained and/or improved, and which improves the electricity generation properties when used in a catalyst layer for a fuel cell. The present invention is directed to, e.g., a calcined material of a mixture of an aromatic compound having a phenolic hydroxyl group and a carbon material having electrical conductivity.