A method of producing barium titanate that includes making a slurry by dispersing barium titanate powder in a solvent such as ethanol. Then, in a high-pressure vessel, substituting supercritical fluid including carbon dioxide gas, for example, for the solvent in the slurry. Then, separating the barium titanate powder from the supercritical fluid by gasifying the supercritical fluid. Then, performing a heat treatment on the separated barium titanate powders to produce the barium titanate.

A manufacturing method of ceramic powder includes mixing a barium carbonate having a specific surface are of 15 m.sup.2/g or more, a titanium dioxide having a specific surface area of 20 m.sup.2/g or more, a first compound of a donor element having a larger valence than Ti, and a second compound of an acceptor element having a smaller valence than Ti and having a larger ion radium than Ti and the donor element, and synthesizing barium titanate powder by calcining the barium carbonate, the titanium dioxide, the first compound and the second compound until a specific surface area of the barium titanate powder becomes 4 m.sup.2/g or more and 25 m.sup.2/g or less.

A method for producing a thin film according to the present disclosure comprises a step of forming the thin film on a substrate using a target. The target is formed of a mixture containing a first material and a second material. The first material has a composition represented by ATiO.sub.3 (where A is at least one selected from the group consisting of Ba and Sr). The second material has a composition represented by EH.sub.2 (where E is at least one selected from the group consisting of Ti and Zr). The thin film is formed of a first oxide containing A, Ti, and O. Some of oxide ions contained in the first oxide have been replaced by hydride ions.

A method of arranging nanocrystals is provided, which includes a first process of putting barium titanate nanocrystals and/or strontium titanate nanocrystals, and a nonpolar solvent into a container, a second process of collecting a supernatant liquid including the barium titanate nanocrystals and/or the strontium titanate nanocrystals from the container, and a third process of immersing a substrate having an uneven structure into the supernatant liquid, and pulling up the substrate so as to coat the surface of the uneven structure with the supernatant liquid by using a capillary phenomenon, and to arrange the nanocrystals on the uneven structure.

A negative electrode active material according to one embodiment includes a titanium oxide compound having a crystal structure of monoclinic system titanium dioxide. The titanium oxide compound is modified by at least one kind of ion selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal cation, an alkali earth metal cation, a transition metal cation, a sulfide ion, a sulfuric acid ion and a chloride ion.

The present disclosure is directed to new materials, to processes, products, and apparatus for controlling the production of new materials with enhanced properties. Processing, including layering, Nano-infusion, and other methods for combining spider silk proteins with ceramics, metals, graphene, and/or other stiff materials is now feasible using current technologies to provide new materials and/or products with enhanced and controlled properties. Products may be fabricated to control the flexibility of ceramics, metals, graphene, or other materials to specifications not previously attainable based on the presence of proteins, such as man-made spider silk proteins or webbing. Nanoparticles of one or more types of materials and spider silk proteins or webbing, such as nanoparticles of Barium Titanium Oxide (BaTiO.sub.3), aluminum, titanium, graphene, steel, and compounds that include proteins may be combined to create new materials and products via processes that may include heating and/or pressurization at conditions that do not degrade the proteins.

The invention provides a method for producing barium titanate powder comprising the steps of: adding an aqueous slurry of anatase hydrous titanium oxide having a BET specific surface area in the range of 200 m.sup.2/g to 400 m.sup.2/g and a half width of diffraction peak of (101) plane in the range of 2.3° to 5.0° as measured by X-ray diffraction to an aqueous solution of barium hydroxide while maintaining the aqueous solution of barium hydroxide at a temperature in the range from 80° C. to the boiling point thereof under normal pressure to cause a reaction of the barium hydroxide with the hydrous titanium oxide to provide an aqueous slurry of barium titanate precursor; and subjecting the barium titanate precursor thus obtained to hydrothermal treatment over a period of not less than 24 hours to provide barium titanate particles.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a ceramic body including dielectric layers and first and second internal electrodes disposed to face each other with respective dielectric layers interposed therebetween; and first and second external electrodes disposed on outer surfaces of the ceramic body, wherein the dielectric layer contains zirconium (Zr), a Zr content is 2×Zr/(Ba+Ca+Ti+Zr) based on an atomic ratio, a first crystal grain is composed of a core part having a Zr content of 3.0 at % or less and a shell part having a Zr content of 4.0 to 15.0 at %, and a number fraction of the first crystal grain to all crystal grains in the dielectric layer is 4% or more.

Disclosed is a visible light responsive photocatalyst that simultaneously realizes high crystallinity and refinement of primary particles. Also disclosed is a photocatalyst composed of secondary particles that have a high porosity and are aggregates of fine primary particles. Rhodium-doped strontium titanate that is a visible light responsive photocatalyst of the present invention has a primary particle diameter of not more than 70 nm and has a absorbance at a wavelength of 570 nm of not less than 0.6 and a absorbance at a wavelength of 1800 nm of not more than 0.7, each absorbance determining by measuring a diffuse reflection spectrum, the rhodium-doped strontium titanate having a high water-splitting activity as a photocatalyst.

A positive active material for a rechargeable lithium battery includes a first oxide particle having a layered structure and a second oxide layer located in a surface of the first oxide particle and including a second oxide represented by the following Chemical Formula 1: M.sub.aL.sub.bO.sub.c, wherein in Chemical Formula 1, 0<a≦3, 1≦b≦2, 3.8≦c≦4.2, M is at least one element selected from the group of Mg, Al, Ga, and combinations thereof, and L is at least one element selected from of group Ti, Zr, and combinations thereof.