Provided is a silica that exhibits a high matting property when utilized as a matting agent for a paint, and can also suppress the occurrence of cloudiness. The silica has an aggregated structure in which primary particles are aggregated, has a particle diameter ratio R represented by the following equation (1) of from 4.3 to 5.2, has an absorbance of 0.6 or less for light having a wavelength of 700 nm as an aqueous dispersion having a concentration of 1.48 mass %, and has a particle density measured with a He pycnometer of 2.18 g/cm.sup.3 or more: Equation (1) R=.sup.LD50/.sup.CD50 (in the equation (1), .sup.LD50 represents a volume-based 50% cumulative particle diameter (μm) of the silica measured based on a laser diffraction/scattering method, and .sup.CD50 represents a volume-based 50% cumulative particle diameter (μm) of the silica measured based on a Coulter counter method).

Described herein are methods for continuous production of an exfoliated two-dimensional (2D) material comprising passing a 2D material mixture through a convergent-divergent nozzle, the 2D material mixture comprising a 2D layered material and a compressible fluid. The method of the present disclosure employs physical compression and expansion of a flow of high-pressure gases, leaving the 2D layered material largely defect free to produce an exfoliated 2D layered in a simple, continuous, and environmentally friendly manner.

The present invention provides an iron-loaded aluminosilicate zeolite having a maximum pore opening defined by eight tetrahedral atoms and having the framework type CHA, AEI, AFX, ERI or LTA, wherein the iron (Fe) is present in a range of from about 0.5 to about 5.0 wt. % based on the total weight of the iron-loaded aluminosilicate zeolite, wherein an ultraviolet-visible absorbance spectrum of the iron-loaded synthetic aluminosilicate zeolite comprises a band at approximately 280 nm, wherein a ratio of an integral, peak-fitted ultraviolet-visible absorbance signal measured in arbitrary units (a.u.) for the band at approximately 280 nm to an integral peak-fitted ultraviolet-visible absorbance signal measured in arbitrary units (a.u.) for a band at approximately 340 nm is >about 2. The present invention further provides a method of making an metal-loaded aluminosilicate zeolite having a maximum pore opening defined by eight tetrahedral atoms from pre-existing aluminosilicate zeolite crystallites, wherein the metal is present in a range of from 0.5 to 5.0 wt. % based on the total weight of the metal-loaded aluminosilicate zeolite.

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.

Preparation of two-dimensional indium selenide, other two-dimensional materials and related compositions via surfactant-free deoxygenated co-solvent systems.

An efficient green method for the synthesis of noble metal/transition metal oxide nanocomposite comprising reducing noble metal salt and a templating metal oxide is disclosed. The method is a one-step method comprises mixing coffee seed husk extract, a noble metal precursor, and a transition metal precursor; and filtering and drying the nanocomposite. The nanocomposite prepared by the method of the invention displays all the characteristics and biocidal activity of a composite prepared by traditional methods.

A composite nanomaterial of ZnO impregnated by, e.g., a green copper phthalocyanine compound (CuPc) can be an efficient solar light photocatalyst for water remediation. The composite may include hollow shell microspheres and hollow nanospheres of CuPc-ZnO. CuPc may function as a templating and/or structure modifying agent, e.g., for forming hollow microspheres and/or nanospheres of ZnO particles. The composite can photocatalyze the degradation of organic pollutants such as crystal violet (CV) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid as well as microbes in water under solar light irradiation. The ZnO—CuPc composite can be stable and recyclable under solar irradiation.

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.

Described herein are methods for recovering uranium tetrafluoride (UF.sub.4) from uranium hexafluoride (UF.sub.6) by directly dissolving UF.sub.6 in ionic liquids and recovering UF.sub.4, which can be processed to obtain UO.sub.2 (s) or uranium metal.

The invention relates to i) a multilayer material; ii) a process for preparing said multilayer materials; iii) a cosmetic composition comprising one or more multilayer materials; iv) a process for treating keratin materials, notably human keratin materials such as the skin; v) the use of multilayer material for screening out ultraviolet (UV) rays. Said multilayer material has an odd number N of layers: .square-solid.comprising at least three layers, each layer of which consists of a material A or of a material B different from A, said successive layers A and B being alternated and two adjacent layers having different refractive indices; .square-solid.for which the thickness of each layer obeys the mathematical formula (I) below: [x/y/(αx/y).sub.a/x] in which formula (I): x is the thickness of the inner and outer layer; y is the thickness of the layer adjacent to the inner layer αx or the outer layer x; α is an integer or fraction and α=2±0 to 15%, preferably α=2±0 to 10%, more preferentially α=2±0 to 5%, the intermediate odd layers (αx) have a double thickness±0 to 15% of the thickness of said outer layers x; and a represents an integer greater than or equal to 0, connected to the number of alternated layers N such that a=(N−3)/2; it being understood that: .square-solid.preferably, x has a different thickness from y; .square-solid.when several layers are of thickness x, this means that each layer has a thickness x±0 to 15%, preferably±0 to 10%, more preferentially±0 to 5%; .square-solid.when several layers are of thickness y, this means that each layer has a thickness y±0 to 15%, preferably±0 to 10%, more preferentially±0 to 5%; and .square-solid.when several layers are of thickness α x, this means that each layer has a thickness α x±0 to 15%, preferably±0 to 10%, more preferentially±0 to 5%.