A copper oxide crystallite having an average particle size that is greater than or equal to 5 nm and less than or equal to 15 nm, a ratio of (−111)/(111) greater than or equal to 0.5 and less than or equal to 1.5, and a blackness My greater than or equal to 130 and less than or equal to 170. The copper oxide crystallite has a reflectivity in the visible spectrum of electromagnetic radiation that is less than or equal to 10.0%, and a reflectivity in the near-IR and LiDAR spectrum of electromagnetic radiation that is greater than or equal to 10%.

Provided are bismuth sulfide particles having a high degree of blackness.

Bismuth sulfide particles having a high degree of blackness with an L* value of 22.0 or lower in the L*a*b* color system, and having a high infrared reflectance with a reflectance at a wavelength of 1200 nm of 30.0% or higher. The bismuth sulfide particles are produced by mixing a bismuth compound and a sulfur compound in an aqueous dispersion medium so that the ratio (S/Bi molar ratio) of the number of mol of sulfur atoms to the number of mol of bismuth atoms is 3.5-20 inclusive, and then heating. The heating temperature is preferably 30-145° C. inclusive.

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 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.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) have been proven to exhibit antioxidant properties attributed to its surface oxidation states (Ce4+ to Ce3+ and vice versa) mediated at the oxygen vacancies on the surface of CNPs. Different anions in precursor cerium salts were used to prepare CNPs resulting in disclosed CNPs with varying physicochemical properties such as dispersion stability, hydrodynamic size, and the signature surface chemistry. The antioxidant catalytic activity and oxidation potentials of different CNPs have been significantly altered with the change of anions in the precursor salts. For one, CNPs prepared using precursor salts containing NO.sub.3.sup.− and Cl.sup.− ions exhibited increased antioxidant activity than previously thought possible. The change in oxidation potentials of CNPs with the change in concentration of the nitrate and chloride ions indicates the disclosed CNP's have different surface chemistry and antioxidant properties. These compositions and methods of their synthesis are disclosed.

In a method for producing nanoparticles of copper selenide, a flowable copper precursor is formed by combining a copper starting material and a ligand, and a flowable selenium precursor is formed by suspending a selenium starting material in a liquid. Then a flowable copper-selenium mixture including a lower-polarity solvent is formed by combining the flowable copper precursor and the flowable selenium precursor. The flowable copper-selenium mixture is conducted through at least one heating unit, and the nanoparticles of copper selenide are isolated in an oxygen-depleted environment. The isolation includes combining a solution containing the nanoparticles of copper selenide and a deoxygenated, higher-polarity solvent to precipitate the nanoparticles.

An iron-containing Chevrel phase material, contains iron and Mo.sub.6S.sub.8 clusters, in particular an iron-containing Chevrel phase material having a formula Fe.sub.xMo.sub.6S.sub.8, wherein 2≤x≤4. The iron-containing Chevrel phase provides an efficient catalyst for the electrochemical production of ammonia from water and nitrogen gas.

The object of the present invention is to provide silicon doped metal oxide particles for UV absorption, which average molar absorption coefficient in the wavelength range of 200 nm to 380 nm, is enhanced. Provided is silicon doped metal oxide particles in which the metal oxide particles are doped with silicon, wherein an average molar absorption coefficient in the wavelength range of 200 nm to 380 nm, of a dispersion in which the silicon doped metal oxide particles are dispersed in a dispersion medium, is improved as compared with similar metal oxide particles not doped with silicon.

Methods for making nanocomposites are provided. In an embodiment, such a method comprises combining a first type of nanostructure with a bulk material in water or an aqueous solution, the first type of nanostructure functionalized with a functional group capable of undergoing van der Waals interactions with the bulk material, whereby the first type of nanostructure induces exfoliation of the bulk material to provide a second, different type of nanostructure while inducing association between the first and second types of nanostructures to form the nanocomposite.

Disclosed herein are multifunctional nanoparticle compositions. The compositions can be useful for the treatment of cancer by enhancing the anti-tumor effectiveness of radiation directed to a tissue, cell or a tumor and the methods of use thereof. The multifunctional nanoparticle composition comprises a metal oxide nanoparticle core; a functional coating on the surface of the metal oxide nanoparticle core; and a matrix carrier in which the coated nanoparticle is embedded.