This disclosure provides for Olivine-type compounds, their preparation and use in cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries. The olivine-type compounds of the invention are obtained by a direct synthesis embodying a hydrothermal method.

A nickel-based active material for a lithium secondary battery, a method of preparing the nickel-based active material, and a lithium secondary battery including a positive electrode including the nickel-based active material, the nickel-based active material comprising a secondary particle having an outer portion with a radially arranged structure and an inner portion with an irregular porous structure, wherein the inner portion of the secondary particle has a larger pore size than the outer portion of the secondary particle.

Provided is an alkali metal titanate which, when used as a constituent material of a friction material, is excellent in heat resistance and friction force and capable of effectively suppressing wear of a mating material disposed to face the friction material. The alkali metal titanate includes a sodium atom and a silicon atom. The content of the sodium atom is 2.0 to 8.5 mass %. The content of the silicon atom is 0.2 to 2.5 mass %. The ratio of the content of an alkali metal atom other than the sodium atom to the content of the sodium atom is 0 to 6.

The invention relates to a process for performing a aqueous synthesis of titanium phosphates (TiP) having solely —H2PO4 groups, which process is characterised by the following steps: providing titanium (IV) oxysulphate, TiOSO4, in an aqueous solution or in a powder and H2SO4, substantially without transition divalent metal ions, including cobalt (II) and copper (II), heating of the thus formed aqueous solution to above 50° C., but below 85° C. for at least 30 minutes, providing a controlled amount of H3PO4 to said aqueous solution, to form an aqueous solution containing a molar ratio between TIO2 and P2Os being controlled to about 1:1, not above 1:1.5 and not below 1:0.7, stirring the thus formed aqueous solution for at least 3 hours to form precipitates of titanium phosphate, and allowing ageing of said solution, without stirring, acidic washing of the formed precipitate using HCI or other acids to obtain TiO(OH)(H2PO4)-H2O having solely —H2PO4 ion-exchange chemical groups and allowing said precipitates to dry to a powder product, substituting protons in the powder product TiO(OH)(H2PO4)-H2O to sodium cations by treatment of the latter with solutions of sodium carbonate and allowing the thus formed powder of Na—TiP1 to dry.

A cathode material, containing a crystal with a superlattice structure, is provided. A chemical formula of the crystal is xLi.sub.2MO.sub.3.(1-x)LiNi.sub.aCo.sub.bMn.sub.(1-a-b)O.sub.2, where 0<x≤0.1, 0.8≤a<1, b≤0.1, and M is selected from one or more of Mn, Co, and Ni. A preparation method of the cathode material and a battery or a capacitor containing the cathode material are also provided.

The epsilon polymorph of vanadyl phosphate, ε-VOPO.sub.4, made from the solvothermally synthesized H.sub.2VOPO.sub.4, is a high density cathode material for lithium-ion batteries optimized to reversibly intercalate two Li-ions to reach the full theoretical capacity at least 50 cycles with a coulombic efficiency of 98%. This material adopts a stable 3D tunnel structure and can extract two Li-ions per vanadium ion, giving a theoretical capacity of 305 mAh/g, with an upper charge/discharge plateau at around 4.0 V, and one lower at around 2.5 V.

Provided are self-binding suspensions and coated substrates prepared using self-binding suspensions. Also provided are methods of preparing self-binding suspensions. Methods may include preparing a binder solution; preparing a titanium dioxide-zinc oxide suspension using ultrasonication; mixing the binder solution with the titanium dioxide-zinc oxide suspension and a surfactant to form a self-binding suspension composition; and coating a glass substrate with the self-binding suspension composition to form a coated glass substrate.

An improved process for forming a lithium metal phosphate cathode material is provided. The process comprises reacting a metal source, a phosphate containing acid such as phosphoric acid, and an organic acid in solvent to form a metal phosphate. A lithium source is added to the solvent and a precipitate is allowed to form. The precipitate is dried and calcined thereby forming lithium iron phosphate cathode material wherein the lithium iron phosphate cathode material comprises up to 3 wt % carbon.

The present invention relates to a novel method for preparing lithium oxide. In the present invention, the particle size and shape of lithium oxide may be controlled during the preparing process. In addition, the present invention relates to lithium oxide with controlled particle size and shape prepared by this preparing method.

A solid electrolyte material according to the present disclosure is represented by the following composition formula (1), Li.sub.aAl.sub.bO.sub.cX.sub.d . . . Formula (1) where values a, b, c, and d are each greater than 0, and X is at least one selected from the group consisting of CI and Br. A battery according to the present disclosure includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode and an electrolyte layer disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. At least one selected from the group consisting of the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the electrolyte layer includes the solid electrolyte material according to the present disclosure.