To provide a crystalline oxide semiconductor film, an ion is made to collide with a target including a crystalline In—Ga—Zn oxide, thereby separating a flat-plate-like In—Ga—Zn oxide in which a first layer including a gallium atom, a zinc atom, and an oxygen atom, a second layer including an indium atom and an oxygen atom, and a third layer including a gallium atom, a zinc atom, and an oxygen atom are stacked in this order; and the flat-plate-like In—Ga—Zn oxide is irregularly deposited over a substrate while the crystallinity is maintained.

A positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a lithium transition metal composite oxide and doping metals doped in the lithium-transition metal composite oxide, wherein the doping metals includes at least two kinds and the average oxidation number of the doping metals is greater than 3.5.

A positive electrode active material has a small difference in a crystal structure between the charged state and the discharged state. For example, the crystal structure and volume of the positive electrode active material, which has a layered rock-salt crystal structure in the discharged state and a pseudo-spinel crystal structure in the charged state at a high voltage of approximately 4.6 V, are less likely to be changed by charging and discharging as compared with those of a known positive electrode active material. In order to form the positive electrode active material having the pseudo-spinel crystal structure in the charged state, it is preferable that a halogen source such as a fluorine and a magnesium source be mixed with particles of a composite oxide containing lithium, a transition metal, and oxygen, which is synthesized in advance, and then the mixture be heated at an appropriate temperature for an appropriate time.

A nonlinear optical crystal has a chemical formula Li.sub.2X.sub.4TiOSi.sub.4O.sub.12, wherein X=K or Rb. The nonlinear optical crystal belongs to tetragonal system with space group P4nc and Z=2. The unit cell parameters of Li.sub.2K.sub.4TiOSi.sub.4O.sub.12 are a=b=11.3336(5) Å, c=5.0017(2) Å; and the unit cell parameters of Li.sub.2Rb.sub.4TiOSi.sub.4O.sub.12 are a=b=11.5038(6) Å, c=5.1435(3) Å. The two crystals are thermally stable and show strong second harmonic generation with high laser damage threshold.

Disclosed herein are compounds, methods, and tools which comprise tungsten borides and mixed transition metal borides.

A positive electrode active material comprising a lithium metal composite oxide having a layered crystal structure provides a novel lithium metal composite oxide powder which can suppress the reaction with an electrolytic solution and raise the charge-discharge cycle ability of a battery, and can improve the output characteristics of a battery. A lithium metal composite oxide powder comprises a particle having a surface portion where one or a combination of two or more (“surface element A”) of the group consisting of Al, Ti and Zr is present, on the surface of a particle comprising a lithium metal composite oxide having a layered crystal structure, wherein the amount of surface LiOH is smaller than 0.10% by weight, and the amount of surface Li.sub.2CO.sub.3 is smaller than 0.25% by weight; in an X-ray diffraction pattern, the ratio of an integral intensity of the (003) plane of the lithium metal composite oxide to that of the (104) plane thereof is higher than 1.15; and the amount of S obtained by a measurement using ICP is smaller than 0.10% by weight of the lithium metal composite oxide powder (100% by weight).

A novel process provides for the preparation of the chlorinated, uncharged substance tetrakis(trichlorosilyl)germane, and for the use thereof.

The present disclosure provides a thermoelectric conversion material having a composition represented by a chemical formula of Li.sub.2−a+bMg.sub.1−bSi. In this thermoelectric conversion material, either requirement (i) in which 0≤a≤0.0001 and 0.0001≤b≤0.25-a or requirement (ii) in which 0.0001≤a≤0.25 and 0≤b≤0.25-a is satisfied. The thermoelectric conversion material has an Li.sub.8Al.sub.3Si.sub.5 type crystalline structure.

Na-rich electrolyte compositions provided herein can be used in a variety of devices, such as sodium ionic batteries, capacitors and other electrochemical devices. Na-rich electrolyte compositions provided herein can have a chemical formula of Na.sub.3OX, Na.sub.3SX, Na .sub.(3-δ) M.sub.δ/2OX and Na .sub.(3-δ) M.sub.δ/2SX wherein 0<δ<0.8, wherein X is a monovalent anion selected from fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, H.sup.−, CN.sup.−, BF.sub.4.sup.−, BH.sub.4.sup.−, ClO.sub.4.sup.−, CH.sub.3.sup.−, NO.sub.2.sup.−, NH.sub.2.sup.− and mixtures thereof, and wherein M is a divalent metal selected from the group consisting of magnesium, calcium, barium, strontium and mixtures thereof. Na-rich electrolyte compositions provided herein can have a chemical formula of Na .sub.(3-δ) M.sub.δ/3OX and/or Na .sub.(3-δ) M.sub.δ/3SX; wherein 0<δ<0.5, wherein M is a trivalent cation M.sup.3, and wherein X is selected from fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, H.sup.−, CN.sup.−, BF.sub.4.sup.−, BH.sub.4.sup.−, ClO.sub.4.sup.−, CH.sub.3.sup.−, NO.sub.2.sup.−, NH.sup.2− and mixtures thereof. Synthesis and processing methods of NaRAP compositions for battery, capacitor, and other electrochemical applications are also provided.

Processes for preparing a niobate material include the following steps: (i) providing a niobium-containing source; (ii) providing a transitional metal source (TMS), a post-transitional metal source (PTMS), or both; (iii) dissolving (a) the niobium-containing source, and (b) the TMS, the PTMS, or both in an aqueous medium to form an intermediate solution; (iv) forming an intermediate paste by admixing an inert support material with the intermediate solution; (v) optionally coating the intermediate paste on a support substrate; and (vi) removing the inert support material by subjecting the intermediate paste to a calcination process and providing a transition-metal-niobate (TMN) and/or a post-transition-metal-niobate (PTMN). Anodes including a TMN and/or PTMN are also provided.