Titanium dioxide and an electro-conductive titanium oxide which each includes particles having a large major-axis length in a large proportion and comprises columnar particles having a satisfactory particle size distribution. A titanium compound, an alkali metal compound, and an oxyphosphorus compound are heated/fired in the presence of titanium dioxide nucleus crystals having an aspect ratio of 2 or higher to grow the titanium dioxide nucleus crystals. Subsequently, a titanium compound, an alkali metal compound, and an oxyphosphorus compound are further added and heated/fired in the presence of the grown titanium dioxide nucleus crystals. Thus, titanium dioxide is produced which comprises columnar particles having a weight-average major-axis length of 7.0-15.0 μm and in which particles having a major-axis length of 10 μm or longer account for 15 wt. % or more of all the particles. A solution of a tin compound and a solution of compounds of antimony, phosphorus, etc. are added to a suspension obtained by suspending the titanium dioxide. The particles are sedimented. Subsequently, the product obtained is heated/fired to produce an electro-conductive titanium oxide which comprises the titanium dioxide and an electro-conductive coating formed on the surface thereof.

Despite significant progress in the synthesis of nanocomposite materials, integration of several components with various functions remains a big challenge, which significantly limits control over nanocomposite properties. The disclosure provides a multifunctional micro particle based on incorporation of titania nanoparticles combined into a porous polylactic acid (PLA) matrix. PLA is used as a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer and titania nanoparticles represent photocatalytically active nanofillers capable of degradation of organic compounds under solar irradiation. Titania nanoparticles are integrated with PLA by using ‘mixed’ and ‘in situ grown’ approaches. The hybrid systems effectively absorbed and degraded organic impurities from water. The sorption capacity, dye degradability, and PLA disintegration were controlled by varying the concentration of incorporated titania. The hybrid degradable systems can be applied as novel non-toxic photocatalytic materials for such as environmental cleanup of contaminated waters.

Despite significant progress in the synthesis of nanocomposite materials, integration of several components with various functions remains a big challenge, which significantly limits control over nanocomposite properties. The disclosure provides a multifunctional micro particle based on incorporation of titania nanoparticles combined into a porous polylactic acid (PLA) matrix. PLA is used as a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer and titania nanoparticles represent photocatalytically active nanofillers capable of degradation of organic compounds under solar irradiation. Titania nanoparticles are integrated with PLA by using ‘mixed’ and ‘in situ grown’ approaches. The hybrid systems effectively absorbed and degraded organic impurities from water. The sorption capacity, dye degradability, and PLA disintegration were controlled by varying the concentration of incorporated titania. The hybrid degradable systems can be applied as novel non-toxic photocatalytic materials for such as environmental cleanup of contaminated waters.

A mesoporous metal oxide materials with a chiral organization; and a method for producing it, in the method a polymerizable metal oxide precursor is condensed inside the pores of chiral nematic mesoporous silica by the so-called “hard templating” method. As a specific example, mesoporous titanium dioxide is formed inside of a chiral nematic silica film templated by nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). After removing the silica template such as by dissolving the silica in concentrated aqueous base, the resulting product is a mesoporous titania with a high surface area. These mesoporous metal oxide materials with high surface area and chiral nematic structures that lead to photonic properties may be useful for photonic applications as well as enantioselective catalysis, photocatalysis, photovoltaics, UV filters, batteries, and sensors.

A mesoporous metal oxide materials with a chiral organization; and a method for producing it, in the method a polymerizable metal oxide precursor is condensed inside the pores of chiral nematic mesoporous silica by the so-called “hard templating” method. As a specific example, mesoporous titanium dioxide is formed inside of a chiral nematic silica film templated by nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). After removing the silica template such as by dissolving the silica in concentrated aqueous base, the resulting product is a mesoporous titania with a high surface area. These mesoporous metal oxide materials with high surface area and chiral nematic structures that lead to photonic properties may be useful for photonic applications as well as enantioselective catalysis, photocatalysis, photovoltaics, UV filters, batteries, and sensors.

A method for upgrading an ilmenite ore for yielding a high-TiO.sub.2-content titanium source by separating and removing an iron component from ilmenite (FeTiO.sub.3), which includes an oxidation step of oxidizing a starting ilmenite; after the oxidation step, a reduction step of reducing the treated ilmenite; and after the reduction step, an extraction step of dissolving the iron component with an acid, to thereby remove the iron component. Also disclosed is a production method for producing a high-TiO.sub.2-content titanium source, which includes upgrading an ilmenite ore as described above, and a high-TiO.sub.2-content titanium source produced through the production method.

The invention relates to a class of electrochemical energy storage materials and a preparation method and application thereof. A porous metal oxide-based electrochemical energy storage material at least comprises a host metal oxide with a hierarchical pore structure; wherein, the host metal oxide is a single crystal, quasicrystal, or twin crystal structure with ordered atomic lattice arrangement, the crystal is rich in oxygen atom vacancy defects, the structural general formula is M.sub.xO.sub.y−z, wherein M is selected from one or more combinations of niobium element, molybdenum element, titanium element, vanadium element, manganese element, iron element, cobalt element, nickel element, copper element, zinc element, tungsten element, tantalum element, and zirconium element; and 1≤x≤2, 1≤y≤5, and 0.1≤z≤0.9, preferably Nb.sub.2O.sub.5−z.

There are described a new type of sample holder for performing analyses of biological samples with mass spectrometry in MALDI mode, the process for its production and some protocols for the use of the sample holder in said technique. The sample holder, in its simplest embodiment (10), consists of a support (11) on a face (12) of which there is at least one porous deposit (13) consisting of nanoparticles of an oxide of a Group 4 metal.

There are described a new type of sample holder for performing analyses of biological samples with mass spectrometry in MALDI mode, the process for its production and some protocols for the use of the sample holder in said technique. The sample holder, in its simplest embodiment (10), consists of a support (11) on a face (12) of which there is at least one porous deposit (13) consisting of nanoparticles of an oxide of a Group 4 metal.

Provided are surface-coated inorganic particles and a method for manufacturing the same, whereby the dispersibility of inorganic particles in an organic solvent can be improved, and a function or performance of the inorganic particles can thereby be adequately demonstrated. In the present invention, surfaces of inorganic particles of titanium oxide or the like are coated with a reaction product of a silicate compound having an amino group, and/or a hydrolysis product thereof, and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a carboxylic acid, a carboxylic acid halide, an acid anhydride, a sulfonic acid halide, and an isocyanate. The reaction product forming the coating is preferably a silicate compound having at least one bond selected from the group consisting of an amide bond, a sulfonamide bond, a urethane bond, and a urea bond, and/or a hydrolysis product thereof.