An object is to provide a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that can suppress gelation of a positive electrode mixture paste and can improve stability when a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is manufactured. A positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery has a hexagonal layered crystal structure, is represented by general formula (1): Li.sub.1+sNi.sub.xCo.sub.yMn.sub.zM.sub.wB.sub.tO.sub.2+, and includes a lithium-metal composite oxide containing a secondary particle with a plurality of aggregated primary particles and a lithium-boron compound present on at least a part of surfaces of the primary particles. The amount of lithium hydroxide that elutes when the positive electrode active material is dispersed in water, measured by a neutralization titration method, is 0.01% by mass or more and 0.5% by mass or less with respect to the entire positive electrode active material.

The present invention provides carbon-based clathrate compounds, including a carbon-based clathrate compound that includes a clathrate lattice with atoms of at least one element selected from the group consisting of carbon and boron as a host cage structure; guest atoms encapsulated within the clathrate lattice; and, substitution atoms that may be substituted for at least one portion of the carbon and boron atoms that constitute the clathrate lattice. In one embodiment, the invention provides a carbon-based clathrate compound of the formula LaB.sub.3C.sub.3.

An infrared-absorbing material is provided, the infrared-absorbing material including at least one kind of transition metal; and at least one kind of element selected from B, C, N, O, etc., as a ligand of the transition metal, wherein at a bottom part of a conduction band, a bottom band of the conduction band is formed, the bottom band of the conduction band being a band occupied by d orbitals of the transition metal or a band in which the d orbitals of the transition metal and p orbitals of the ligand are hybridized, at a top part of a valence band, a top band of the valence band is formed, the top band of the valence band being a band occupied by the p orbitals of the ligand or a band in which the p orbitals of the ligand and the d orbitals of the transition metal are hybridized, in two wavenumber directions or less, which are highly symmetric points in a Brillouin zone, the bottom band of the conduction band and the top band of the valence band are close to each other by less than 3.0 eV, in another wavenumber direction excluding the wavenumber direction in which the bottom band of the conduction band and the top band of the valence band are close to each other by less than 3.0 eV, a wide band gap structure, in which a band gap is 3.0 eV or more, is formed, and a plasma frequency is 2.5 eV or more and 10.0 eV or less.

An infrared-absorbing material is provided, the infrared-absorbing material including at least one kind of transition metal; and at least one kind of element selected from B, C, N, O, etc., as a ligand of the transition metal, wherein at a bottom part of a conduction band, a bottom band of the conduction band is formed, the bottom band of the conduction band being a band occupied by d orbitals of the transition metal or a band in which the d orbitals of the transition metal and p orbitals of the ligand are hybridized, at a top part of a valence band, a top band of the valence band is formed, the top band of the valence band being a band occupied by the p orbitals of the ligand or a band in which the p orbitals of the ligand and the d orbitals of the transition metal are hybridized, in two wavenumber directions or less, which are highly symmetric points in a Brillouin zone, the bottom band of the conduction band and the top band of the valence band are close to each other by less than 3.0 eV, in another wavenumber direction excluding the wavenumber direction in which the bottom band of the conduction band and the top band of the valence band are close to each other by less than 3.0 eV, a wide band gap structure, in which a band gap is 3.0 eV or more, is formed, and a plasma frequency is 2.5 eV or more and 10.0 eV or less.

A solar radiation shielding laminated structure, having high visible light transmission property and solar radiation shielding property, low haze value, and high environmental stability with inexpensive production cost, using solar radiation shielding fine particles having high visible light transmission property and excellent solar shielding property and weather resistance, and provides a solar radiation shielding laminated structure in which an interlayer is sandwiched between two laminated sheets; the interlayer having, as an intermediate film, one or more kinds selected from a resin sheet containing solar radiation shielding fine particles and a resin film containing solar radiation shielding fine particles, the laminated sheets being selected from a sheet-glass not containing solar radiation shielding fine particles and a resin board not containing solar radiation shielding fine particles; wherein the solar radiation shielding fine particles are solar radiation shielding fine particles containing calcium lanthanum boride fine particles represented by general formula CaxLa1-xBm.

A method of preparing cerium boride powder, according to the present invention, includes a first step for generating mixed powder by mixing at least one selected from among cerium chloride (CeCl.sub.3) powder and cerium oxide (CeO.sub.2) powder, at least one selected from among magnesium hydride (MgH.sub.2) powder and magnesium (Mg) powder, and boron oxide (B.sub.2O.sub.3) powder, a second step for generating composite powder including cerium boride (Ce.sub.xB.sub.y) and at least one selected from among magnesium oxide (MgO) and magnesium chloride (MgCl.sub.2), by causing reaction in the mixed powder at room temperature based on a ball milling process, and a third step for selectively depositing cerium boride powder by dispersing the composite powder in a solution.

A two-dimensional hydrogen boride-containing sheet of the present invention has a two-dimensional network that consists of (HB).sub.n (n4).

A two-dimensional hydrogen boride-containing sheet of the present invention has a two-dimensional network that consists of (HB).sub.n (n4).

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for causing sufficient deformation in precursor particles even when a soft high-purity metal is used for an outer layer material in mechanical milling, and manufacturing an MgB.sub.2 superconducting wire. A method for manufacturing an MgB.sub.2 superconducting wire in which an MgB.sub.2 filament is covered by an outer layer material, the method comprising: subjecting magnesium powder and boron powder to a shock that is insufficient for MgB.sub.2 to be clearly produced, and producing precursor particles in which boron particles are dispersed inside a magnesium matrix; filling a metal tub with the precursor particles; processing the metal tube filled with precursor particles to form a wire; and heat-treating the wire to synthesize the MgB.sub.2; wherein the method is characterized in that a portion of the wire-drawing step includes swaging.

An infrared absorbing fine particle dispersed powder, dispersion liquid containing infrared absorbing fine particle dispersed powder, ink containing infrared absorbing fine particle dispersed powder, and anti-counterfeit ink and anti-counterfeit printed matter, which are transparent in a visible light region, have excellent infrared absorption properties, and are also excellent in chemical resistance, and an infrared absorbing fine particle dispersed powder containing particles made of solid media and having an average particle size of 1 m or more and having infrared absorbing fine particles dispersed inside.