Provided is an improved method for forming a battery comprising a cathode and electrolyte. The method of forming the cathode comprises forming a first solution comprising a digestible feedstock of a first metal suitable for formation of a cathode oxide precursor and a multi-carboxylic acid. The digestible feedstock is digested to form a first metal salt in solution wherein the first metal salt precipitates as a salt of deprotonated multi-carboxylic acid thereby forming an oxide precursor and a coating metal is added to the oxide precursor. The oxide precursor is heated to form the coated lithium ion cathode material. The electrolyte is void of salts and additives.

VO.sub.2 and V.sub.2O.sub.5 nano- or micro-materials. The VO.sub.2 nano-materials and micro-materials have an M1 phase structure and oxygen stoichiometry that deviates 2% or less from theoretical stoichiometry. The VO.sub.2 nano-materials and micro-materials may doped with cation dopants and/or anion dopants. The VO.sub.2 and V.sub.2O.sub.5 nano- or micro-materials can be made by hydrothermal methods starting with V.sub.3O.sub.7.H.sub.2O nano- or micro-material. The VO.sub.2 and V.sub.2O.sub.5 nano- or micro-materials can be used as, for example, thermochromic window coatings.

A chalcogen-containing compound of the following Chemical Formula 1, which may have decreased thermal conductivity and improved power factor in the low temperature region, and thus exhibit an excellent thermoelectric figure of merit, a method for preparing the same, and a thermoelectric element including the same:
V.sub.1Sn.sub.a−xIn.sub.xSb.sub.2Te.sub.a+3  [Chemical Formula 1]
wherein V, a and x are as defined in the specification.

Phosphors include a CaAlSiN.sub.3 family crystal phase, wherein the CaAlSiN.sub.3 family crystal phase comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mn, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb.

The present invention relates to a positive electrode active material having improved capacity characteristic and life cycle characteristic, and a method of preparing the same, and specifically, to a positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery, wherein the positive electrode active material comprises a compound represented by Formula 1 above and allowing reversible intercalation/deintercalation of lithium, and from a crystal structure analysis of the positive electrode active material by a Rietveld method in which space group R-3m is used in a crystal structure model on the basis of an X-ray diffraction analysis, the thickness of MO slab is 2.1275 Å or less, the thickness of inter slab is 2.59 Å or greater, and the cation mixing ratio between Li and Ni is 0.5% or less, and a method of preparing the same.

Single crystals of a new noncentrosymmetric polar oxysulfide SrZn.sub.2S.sub.2O (s.g. Pmn2.sub.1) grown in a eutectic KF-KCl flux with unusual wurtzite-like slabs consisting of close-packed corrugated double layers of ZnS.sub.3O tetrahedra vertically separated from each other by Sr atoms and methods of making same.

A ceramic waveguide includes: a doped metal oxide ceramic core layer; and at least one cladding layer comprising the metal oxide surrounding the core layer, such that the core layer includes an erbium dopant and at least one rare earth metal dopant being: lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, or oxides thereof, or at least one non-rare earth metal dopant comprising zirconium or oxides thereof. Also included is a quantum memory including: at least one doped polycrystalline ceramic optical device with the ceramic waveguide and a method of fabricating the ceramic waveguide.

A cathode composition includes a lithium transition metal oxide having the formula Li.sub.p□.sub.qNi.sub.xMn.sub.yCo.sub.zO.sub.2, where □ represents assumed vacancy content, p+q+x+y+z=2, 0.05<q<0.15, 0.8<p<1.02, 0.05<x<0.45, 0.05<y<0.6, 0.05<z<0.6, and 0.14<p*x<0.34. The lithium transition metal oxide has an O3 type 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.

A solid-state ion conductor includes a compound of Formula 1:

Li.sub.3a+b−(c*N)N.sub.aCl.sub.bX.sub.c  Formula 1

wherein, in Formula 1, X is an anion having an average oxidation state of n and is −3>n≤−1, and is at least one of Br, I, F, O, S, or P; and 1≤a≤4, 1≤b≤3, 0≤c≤3, and 4.8≤(a+b+c)≤5.2.