A process of forming an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy, comprises distributing an alloy powder on a platform; applying a uniform nanometer-scale metal oxide onto the alloy powder; applying an energy beam onto the alloy powder and the uniform nanometer-scale metal oxide; and forming an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy.

An abrasive grain is disclosed and may include a body. The body may define a length (l), a height (h), and a width (w). In a particular aspect, the length is greater than or equal to the height and the height is greater than or equal to the width. Further, in a particular aspect, the body may include a primary aspect ratio defined by the ratio of length:height of at least about 2:1. The body may also include an upright orientation probability of at least about 50%.

A crystalline Boehmite product and a method of forming said product is provided in which the crystalline Boehmite exhibits an average particle size (d50) that is less than 7,000 nanometers. This method comprises preparing an aqueous slurry by mixing together water, large aluminum oxide precursors, a highly dispersible Boehmite grade, and optionally, an organic dispersing agent; adjusting the pH of the slurry; heating the slurry for a predetermined duration of time; collecting the slurry to form a wet cake; and drying the wet cake to obtain the crystalline Boehmite product. The crystalline Boehmite product may be mixed with a plastic resin to form a flame retardant plastic mixture, which can be subjected to a conventional plastic processing method to form a flame retardant composite.

96 parts by mass of a -alumina powder, 4 parts by mass of a an AlF.sub.3 powder, and 0.17 parts by mass of an -alumina powder as a seed crystal were mixed by a pot mill. The purities of each raw material were evaluated, and it was found that the mass ratio of each impurity element other than Al, O, F, H, C, and S was 10 ppm or less. In a high-purity alumina-made sagger having a purity of 99.9 percent by mass, 300 g of the obtained mixed powder was received, and after a high-purity alumina-made lid having a purity of 99.9 percent by mass was placed on the sagger, a heat treatment was perforated at 900 C. for 3 hours in an electric furnace in an air flow atmosphere, so that an alumina powder was obtained. The value of AlF.sub.3 mass/container volume was 0.016 g/cm.sup.3.

An alumina sintered body according to the present invention includes a surface having a degree of c-plane orientation of 5% or more, the degree of c-plane orientation being determined by a Lotgering method using an X-ray diffraction profile obtained through X-ray irradiation at 2=20 to 70. The alumina sintered body contains Mg and F, a Mg/F mass ratio is 0.05 to 3500, and a Mg content is 30 to 3500 ppm by mass. The alumina sintered body has a crystal grain size of 15 to 200 m. When a field of view of 370.0 m long372.0 m wide is photographed with a 1000-fold magnification and the photograph is visually observed, a number of pores having a diameter of 0.2 to 0.6 m is 250 or less.

A positive electrode includes a lithium-based active material, a binder, a conductive filler, and discrete aluminum oxide nanomaterials. The aluminum oxide nanomaterials are mixed, as an additive, throughout the positive electrode with the lithium-based active material, the binder, and the conductive filler. The positive electrode with the discrete aluminum oxide nanomaterials may be incorporated into a lithium ion battery. The aluminum oxide nanomaterials may be formed by the following method. A solution is formed by mixing an aluminum oxide precursor and an acid. A carbon material is added to the solution, thereby forming an aqueous mixture having the carbon material therein. Hydrothermal synthesis is performed using the aqueous mixture, and precursor nanostructures are grown on the carbon material. The precursor nanostructures on the carbon material are annealed so that the carbon material is removed and aluminum oxide nanomaterials are formed.

A method for producing a transparent alumina sintered body includes (a) the step of preparing an alumina raw material powder containing a plate-like alumina powder having an aspect ratio of 3 or more so that the mass ratio R1 of F to Al in the alumina raw material powder is 5 ppm or more, and forming a compaction raw material containing the alumina raw material powder into a compact, and (b) the step of pressure-sintering the compact at a temperature at which F evaporate to yield a transparent alumina sintered body.

A supported catalyst having a calcined, predominantly aluminum, oxide support and an active phase of 5 to 65% by weight nickel with respect to the total mass of the catalyst, said active phase having no group VIB metal, the nickel particles having a diameter less than or equal to 20 nm, said catalyst having a mesopore median diameter greater than or equal to 14 nm, a mesopore volume measured by mercury porosimetry greater than or equal to 0.45 mL/g, a total pore volume measured by mercury porosimetry greater than or equal to 0.45 mL/g, a macropore volume less than 5% of the total pore volume, said catalyst being in the form of grains having an average diameter comprised between 0.5 and 10 mm. The invention also relates to the process for the preparation of said catalyst and the use thereof in a hydrogenation process.

An alumina having a multimodal particle size distribution wherein at least one of the particle sizes giving local maximum values in the particle size distribution is less than 10 m, and wherein the alumina comprises 1 to 5 wt % of at least one of La and Ba.

A process for the preparation of an amorphous mesoporous and macroporous alumina: at least once dissolving an acidic precursor of aluminium, adjusting pH by adding at least one basic precursor to the suspension obtained in a), co-precipitation of the suspension obtained from b) by adding at least one basic precursor and at least one acidic precursor to the suspension, filtration, drying, shaping and heat treatment. An amorphous mesoporous and macroporous alumina with bimodal pore structure: a specific surface area S.sub.BET more than 100 m.sup.2/g; a median mesopore diameter, by volume determined by mercury intrusion porosimetry, 18 nm or more; a median macropore diameter, by volume determined by mercury intrusion porosimetry, 100 to 1200 nm, limits included; a mesopore volume, as measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry, 0.7 mL/g or more; and a total pore volume, as measured by mercury porosimetry, 0.8 mL/g or more.