A titanium-niobium oxide achieves suppressed adulteration with TiO.sub.2 and Ti.sub.2Nb.sub.10O.sub.29 and suppressed growth of crystal grains, and an electrode and a lithium-ion secondary cell include such a titanium-niobium oxide. The titanium-niobium oxide contains less than 0.30 at % of an alkali metal element and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Y, La, Ce, Pr, and Sm. A ratio of thea total atomic weight of Al, Y, La, Ce, Pr, and Sm to thea total atomic weight of Ti and Nb is equal to or more than 0.001.

Provided is a white pigment for cosmetics capable of giving a cosmetic that gives a coating film having less stickiness and higher long-lasting properties. A white pigment for cosmetics of the present invention includes a titanium phosphate powder, the titanium phosphate powder includes crystal particles of titanium phosphate, and a ratio (oil absorption value/specific surface area) of an oil absorption value (ml/100 g) to a specific surface area (m.sup.2/g) of the crystal particles is 2.0 or more.

The present invention addresses the problem of evaluating the hydrophobicity of a powder. According to the present invention, a powder is charged into a mixed solvent composed of a lipophilic solvent and a hydrophilic solvent, the voltage rate R of the mixed solvent is measured at predetermined time intervals while adding a lipophilic solvent to the mixed solvent charged with the powder, a parameter x correlating with the concentration of powder is defined for an arbitrary voltage rate R, a continuous function HP(x) of the ratio of a lipophilic solvent corresponding to x is defined, and HP(x) for required x is set as a representative value of a lipophilic solvent ratio distribution and used as an index of hydrophobicity.

The present invention addresses the problem of evaluating the hydrophobicity of a powder. According to the present invention, a powder is charged into a mixed solvent composed of a lipophilic solvent and a hydrophilic solvent, the voltage rate R of the mixed solvent is measured at predetermined time intervals while adding a lipophilic solvent to the mixed solvent charged with the powder, a parameter x correlating with the concentration of powder is defined for an arbitrary voltage rate R, a continuous function HP(x) of the ratio of a lipophilic solvent corresponding to x is defined, and HP(x) for required x is set as a representative value of a lipophilic solvent ratio distribution and used as an index of hydrophobicity.

The present invention relates to transparent, electrically semiconducting interference pigments having high color strength, and in particular to flake-form interference pigments which comprise an oxygen-deficient layer of TiO.sub.2-x, to a process for the preparation of such pigments, and to the use of the pigments prepared in this way.

The present invention relates to transparent, electrically semiconducting interference pigments having high color strength, and in particular to flake-form interference pigments which comprise an oxygen-deficient layer of TiO.sub.2-x, to a process for the preparation of such pigments, and to the use of the pigments prepared in this way.

The present disclosure provides white pigment dispersions, which can include an aqueous liquid vehicle, and from 5 wt % to 70 wt % of a white metal oxide pigment dispersed by two co-dispersants. The metal oxide pigment can have an average particulate size from 100 nm to 1 μm, and the co-dispersants can include both i) a short-chain anionic dispersant having a weight average molecular weight ranging from 1,000 Mw to 30,000 Mw, and ii) a non-ionic or predominantly non-ionic dispersant.

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.

Photocatalytic roofing granules include a binder and inert mineral particles, with photocatalytic particles dispersed in the binder.

Provided are titanium oxide fine particles which are excellent in transparency and are less photocatalytically active while maintaining a high refractive index, a dispersion of such fine particles, and a method for producing such a dispersion. The method for producing a dispersion of iron-containing rutile titanium oxide fine particles including a step (1) of neutralizing an aqueous metal mineral acid salt solution containing Ti and Fe in Fe.sub.2O.sub.3/(TiO.sub.2+Fe.sub.2O.sub.3)=0.001 to 0.010 to form an iron-containing hydrous titanic acid; a step (2) of adding an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution to form an aqueous solution of iron-containing peroxotitanic acid having an average particle size of 15 to 50 nm; a step (3) of adding a tin compound so as to satisfy TiO.sub.2/SnO.sub.2=6 to 16; a step (4) of adding a sol of silica-based fine particles which contain Si and a metal element M in SiO.sub.2/MO.sub.x/2=99.9/0.1 to 80/20, the addition being made so as to satisfy SiO.sub.2/(oxides of the other elements)=0.08 to 0.22; and a step (5) of hydrothermally treating the solution obtained in the step (4).