Synthesizing upconverting nanoparticles includes heating a precursor solution comprising one or more rare earth salts, an alkali metal salt or alkaline earth salt, and a solvent comprising a plasticizer in a microwave reactor to yield a product mixture, and cooling the product mixture to yield the upconverting nanoparticles. Core-shell upconverting nanoparticles are synthesized by combining the upconverting nanoparticles with a precursor solution comprising one or more rare earth salts, an alkali metal salt or alkaline earth salt, and a solvent comprising a plasticizer to yield a nanoparticle mixture, heating the nanoparticle mixture in a microwave reactor to yield a product mixture, and cooling the product mixture to yield the core-shell upconverting nanoparticles.

A piezoelectric stack, including: a substrate; an electrode film; and a piezoelectric film comprising an alkali niobium oxide of a perovskite structure represented by a composition formula of (K.sub.1-xNa.sub.x)NbO.sub.3 (0<x<1), wherein an average light transmittance through the piezoelectric film in a wavelength region of visible light and near-infrared ray is 65% or more.

A method for producing lithium sulfide includes: a preparation process (step S12) at which a raw material and a reducing agent are charged into a furnace, the raw material being mainly composed of lithium sulfate having a property of weight loss of 5% or more to 25% or less upon heating to 120° C.; and a temperature raising process (step S14) at which the raw material and the reducing agent are heated in the furnace to raise the temperature.

A system for creating targeted vanadium oxide (VO.sub.2) nanoparticle compositions comprising a stock reaction mixture that is a fluid combination of at least one vanadium source combined with at least one dopant source. Each dopant source contains at least one target dopant element. The ratio of the number of vanadium atoms in the vanadium source to the number of target dopant element atoms in the dopant source is less than or equal to 10:1. A solvent that is compatible with said stock reaction mixture is selected. A pressure regulator increases the pressure of the solvent and the stock reaction mixture to between 0 and 5,000 psi. A heating element increases the temperature of the solvent to between 50 and 500° C. A mixing unit receives and mixes a continuous flow of stock reaction mixture with solvent to heat the stock reaction mixture and initiate formation of the targeted vanadium oxide (VO.sub.2) nanoparticle composition.

A process for converting natural calcium carbonate into precipitated calcium carbonate, involving treating the natural calcium carbonate with a sulfate to produce a gypsum and reacting the gypsum with at least one carbonate source to produce precipitated calcium carbonate. The crystalline polymorph, particle size, and various other characteristics of the precipitated calcium carbonate are controlled by varying conditions during the reacting. Since the natural calcium carbonate is not calcined, the process relates to a low energy method of producing precipitated calcium carbonate of controlled polymorph and particle size with limestone, marble, or chalk as the calcium source.

A method for producing a purified, stable, dioxytetrahydride compressible gas from water. The gas is suitable for a variety of uses and may also be infused into water which itself is useful for a variety of purposes.

Quantum dot semiconductor nanoparticle compositions that incorporate ions such as zinc, aluminum, calcium, or magnesium into the quantum dot core have been found to be more stable to Ostwald ripening. A core-shell quantum dot may have a core of a semiconductor material that includes indium, magnesium, and phosphorus ions. Ions such as zinc, calcium, and/or aluminum may be included in addition to, or in place of, magnesium. The core may further include other ions, such as selenium, and/or sulfur. The core may be coated with one (or more) shells of semiconductor material. Example shell semiconductor materials include semiconductors containing zinc, sulfur, selenium, iron and/or oxygen ions.

The present invention provides a method for producing a carbon nanotube sheet that is excellent in light transmittance and conductivity, and the carbon nanotube sheet. The method includes firstly modifying of modifying a free-standing unmodified carbon nanotube sheet in which a plurality of carbon nanotubes are aligned in a predetermined direction. The firstly modifying includes performing a densification process of bringing the unmodified carbon nanotube sheet into contact with either one of or both of vapor and liquid particles of a liquid substance to produce a modified carbon nanotube sheet that contains the carbon nanotubes which are mainly aligned in a predetermined direction, and that includes a high density portion where the carbon nanotubes are assembled together and a low density portion where density of the carbon nanotubes is relatively lower than density in the high density portion.

The present invention relates to a coating of the surface of an electrical household appliance comprising a decoration (a) comprising a pigmentary compound B1VO4 having a ΔE* in the coating greater than or equal to 11 between ambient temperature and 150° C., ΔE* being defined by the formula CIE1976 in the CIELAB colour space: Formula (I): L1*, a1* and b1* characterising the values L*a*b* of said compound at ambient temperature; L2*, a2* and b2* characterising the values L*a*b* of said compound at 150° C.

The invention relates to polymer compositions containing inorganic or organic particles which either have been surface-treated before the production of the compositions or are dispersed by special polyether-modified siloxanes through the production of the compositions.