Single-phase manganese oxide particles having a wurtzite crystal structure. The particles can be obtained by thermally decomposing a compound containing manganese. In this procedure, a reducing agent consisting of at least one of a polyol-based material and an ethylene glycol stearate-based material is added as an additive to the reaction system. It is heated at a first temperature (200° C. or lower) under a reduced pressure atmosphere, then the temperature is raised, and the product is heated at a temperature higher than the first temperature under an inert gas atmosphere.

A composite cathode active material, a method of preparing the composite cathode active material, and a lithium secondary battery including a cathode including the composite cathode active material are provided. The composite cathode active material includes: a nickel-based active material including about 60 mol % or more of nickel; and a coating layer on a surface of the nickel-based active material, the coating layer including a lanthanide composite. The composite cathode active material includes or is in the form of single crystal particles having an average particle diameter in a range of about 2 μm to about 8 μm.

Soft magnetic materials, and related techniques for manufacturing such soft magnetic materials, are disclosed herein. Such magnetic materials can be based on iron nitride, iron oxynitride, iron boronitride and/or iron carbonitiride. The techniques disclosed herein for manufacturing ferromagnetic particles can be used to control functional magnetic and electrical properties of the manufactured particles. Some techniques disclosed herein can be used to form a coating on a particle, with the coating having a thickness of 0.05 to 1.00 μm. These magnetic materials manufactured via one or more of the techniques disclosed herein can have both relatively high magnetic induction and relatively high electrical resistivity.

A method of preparing iron oxide nanoparticles using an herbal mixture comprising Capparis spinosa, Cichorium intybus, Solanum nigrum, Cassia occidentalis, Terminalia arjuna, Achillea millefolium, and Tamarix gallica. The method produces crystalline γ-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 nanoparticles which are superparamagnetic. The iron oxide nanoparticles are used in a method of killing or inhibiting the growth of a bacteria and/or fungus, particularly in the form of a biofilm. The nanoparticles are also used in a method of treating colon cancer.

The invention provides a positive electrode active material for a lithium ion battery, comprising a lithium transition metal-based oxide powder, the powder comprising single crystal monolithic particles comprising Ni and Co and having a general formula Li.sub.1+a ((Ni.sub.z (Ni.sub.1/2 Mn.sub.1/2).sub.y Co.sub.x).sub.1−kA.sub.k).sub.1-a 02, wherein A is a dopant, −0.02<a≤0.06, 0.10≤x≤0.35, 0≤z≤0.90, x+y+z=1 and k≤0.01, the particles having a cobalt concentration gradient wherein the particle surface has a higher Co content than the particle center.

Silicon materials suitable for use as an anode material and associated method of production are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a silicon material includes crystalline silicon in a matrix and macro-scale pores distributed in the matrix of the crystalline silicon. The macro-scale pores can have a size greater than 100 nanometers, and surfaces of crystalline silicon in the macro-scale pores are coated with carbon.

The present invention relates to an anode active material, a nonaqueous lithium secondary battery comprising the same, and a preparation method therefor, and the purpose of the present invention is to improve high-rate charging characteristics without deterioration of charging and discharging efficiency and lifetime characteristics when applying an amorphous carbon coating layer as the anode active material of the nonaqueous lithium secondary battery, wherein the amorphous carbon coating layer comprising MoPx particles composed of MoP and MoP.sub.2 is formed on the surface of a carbon-based material, thereby reducing resistance when intercalating lithium ions into the surface of the carbon-based material, and improving reactivity and structural stability of the surface. The anode active material according to the present invention comprises a carbon-based material, and an amorphous carbon coating layer comprising MoPx particles composed of MoP and MoP.sub.2 formed on the surface of the carbon-based material.

A positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that includes a lithium transition metal composite oxide having a spinel structure and containing nickel and manganese is provided. The positive electrode active material includes a first surface region having a chemical composition with a molar ratio of nickel to manganese of 0.1 or less on the surface of the lithium transition metal composite oxide.

In general, the present disclosure is directed to methods for synthesizing vanadium oxide nanobelts, as well as the corresponding chemical composition of the vanadium oxide nanobelts. Also described are materials which can incorporate the vanadium oxide nanobelts, such as including the vanadium oxide nanobelts as a cathode material for use in energy storage applications (e.g., batteries). The vanadium oxide nanobelts described herein display structural characteristics that may provide improved diffusion and/or charge transfer between ions. Thus, batteries incorporating implementations of the current disclosure may demonstrate improved properties such as higher capacity retention over charge discharge cycling.

An ionic conductor includes an inorganic oxychloride compound with a chemical composition of (Fe.sub.1-xM.sub.x)O.sub.1-y(OH).sub.yCl.sub.1-x where M is selected from at least one of Mg and Ca, and x is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.25, y is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 0.25. The inorganic oxychloride compound has a thermal decomposition start temperature of about 410° C. and x-ray diffraction peaks (2θ) between about 20.79° and about 22.79°, between about 30.03° and about 32.03°, between about 39.47° and about 41.47°, and between about 76.44° and about 78.44°.