A hydrophobic coating and a method for applying such a coating to a surface of a metallic substrate. The method can include anodizing a nanoporous layer of anodic metal oxide on the surface; cathodizing yttrium oxide nanoparticles onto the surface; applying a hydrophobic ceramic coating composition to the surface by an application method selected from the group consisting of: flowing, dipping, and spraying; and heating the coated surface at a cure temperature from about 150 C. to about 300 C. for at least 2 hours.

Provided are a positive electrode active material for a secondary battery, in which, since the positive electrode active material includes a lithium-metal oxide having high-temperature stability and a metal oxide on a surface of a particle and a surface side in the particle, there is no concern about gas generation, because the occurrence of cracks on the surface of the active material is prevented during charge and discharge, and high-temperature storage stability and life characteristics may be improved when the positive electrode active material is used in the battery, and a secondary battery including the same.

Sintering is an important issue in creating crystalline metal oxides with high porosity and surface area, especially in the case of high-temperature materials such as metal aluminates. Herein we report a rationally designed synthesis of metal aluminates that diminishes the surface area loss due to sintering. Metal aluminate (e.g. MeAl.sub.2O.sub.4or MeAlO.sub.3Me=Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, La, or Ce; or mixture thereof) supported on -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 with ultralarge mesopores (up to 30 nm) was synthesized through microwave-assisted peptization of boehmite nanoparticles and their self-assembly in the presence of a triblock copolymer (Pluronic P123) and metal nitrates, followed by co-condensation and thermal treatment. The resulting materials showed the surface area up to about 410 m.sup.2.Math.g.sup.1, porosity up to about 2.5 cm.sup.3.Math.g.sup.1, and very good thermal stability. The observed enhancement in their thermomechanical resistance is associated with the faster formation of the metal aluminate phases. The nanometer scale path diffusion and highly defective interface of -alumina facilitate the counter diffusion of Me.sup.X+ and Al.sup.3+ species and further formation of the metal aluminate phase.

A method of producing a hydrophobic porous alumina by: i) providing a slurry comprising an alumina compound, the slurry having a pH equal to or greater than 7; ii) adding an organic composition comprising carboxylic acids with alkyl hydrocarbon chains having a carbon length less than 14 to the slurry to form an acidic modified slurry; the acidic modified slurry having a pH of between 3 and less than 7; iii) hydrothermally aging the acidic modified slurry to form a hydrothermally aged slurry; and iv) drying the hydrothermally aged slurry.

A colored sapphire material and methods for coloring sapphire material using lasers are disclosed. The method for coloring the sapphire material may include positioning the sapphire material over an opaque substrate material, exposing the opaque substrate material to a laser beam passing through the sapphire material to impact the substrate material, and inducing a chemical change in a portion of the sapphire material exposed to the laser beam. The method may also include creating a visible color in the portion of the sapphire material as a result of the chemical change. The colored sapphire material may include a first transparent portion, and a second, colored portion substantially surrounded by the first portion. The second, colored portion may have a chemical composition different than that of the first portion.

A hydrophobic coating and a method for applying such a coating to a surface of a metallic substrate. The method can include anodizing a nanoporous layer of anodic metal oxide on the surface; cathodizing yttrium oxide nanoparticles onto the surface; applying a hydrophobic ceramic coating composition to the surface by an application method selected from the group consisting of: flowing, dipping, and spraying; and heating the coated surface at a cure temperature from about 150 C. to about 300 C. for at least 2 hours.

Endothermic particles for a non-aqueous electrolyte rechargeable battery include at least partially modified metal hydroxide particles, wherein an amount of desorbed CH.sub.4 from about 80 C. to about 1400 C. by thermal desorption gas mass spectrometry (TDS-MS) of the metal hydroxide particles is between about 1510.sup.6 mol/g and about 300010.sup.6 mol/g, an amount of desorbed CH.sub.3OH from about 80 C. to about 1400 C. by TDS-MS is between about 1510.sup.6 mol/g and about 600010.sup.6 mol/g, an amount of desorbed H.sub.2O from about 80 C. to about 200 C. by TDS-MS is between about 3010.sup.6 mol/g and about 150010.sup.6 mol/g, and a specific surface area of the metal hydroxide particles calculated by an adsorption isotherm measured by adsorbing water vapor or nitrogen to the metal hydroxide particles is between about 8 m.sup.2/g and about 600 m.sup.2/g.

Endothermic particles for a non-aqueous electrolyte rechargeable battery include at least partially modified metal hydroxide particles, wherein an amount of desorbed CH.sub.4 from about 80 C. to about 1400 C. by thermal desorption gas mass spectrometry (TDS-MS) of the metal hydroxide particles is between about 1510.sup.6 mol/g and about 300010.sup.6 mol/g, an amount of desorbed CH.sub.3OH from about 80 C. to about 1400 C. by TDS-MS is between about 1510.sup.6 mol/g and about 600010.sup.6 mol/g, an amount of desorbed H.sub.2O from about 80 C. to about 200 C. by TDS-MS is between about 3010.sup.6 mol/g and about 150010.sup.6 mol/g, and a specific surface area of the metal hydroxide particles calculated by an adsorption isotherm measured by adsorbing water vapor or nitrogen to the metal hydroxide particles is between about 8 m.sup.2/g and about 600 m.sup.2/g.

A composite particle of the present invention includes an inorganic particle and a graphene oxide particle that coats at least a part of the inorganic particle, and the graphene oxide particle is a modified graphene oxide particle having a surface modified with a hydrocarbon group optionally having a substituent.

Alumina products containing a fine particle size component and a coarse particle size component, and with specific particle size characteristics and irregular and non-spherical particle shapes, are disclosed. These alumina products can be used in polymer formulations to produce composites having high isotropic thermal conductivity.