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.

The present invention provides coated metal sulfide particles comprising a metal sulfide that is partially or totally coated with a coating layer containing a metal oxide, the metal sulfide having a composition ratio of sulfur to a metal (S/M.sup.1) of 2.1 to 10 in terms of the molar ratio. The coated metal sulfide particles are a material that improves charge-and-discharge cycle characteristics without reducing the initial capacity.

This cathode active material for a secondary battery using a non-aqueous electrolyte includes nickel-rich lithium transition-metal oxide, exhibits a hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) peak of 1,560 to 1,565 eV in binding energy from an Al-rich layer, using a photon energy of 6 KeV, and with respect to the mean particle diameter r of the lithium transition-metal oxide particle, the Al concentration is approximately constant within 0.35r of the center.

A cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery according to embodiments of the present invention has a high-nickel composition and includes a lithium-nickel composite metal oxide particle in which lithium, nickel and a metal having an oxidation number of +2 are combined in a predetermined range. A cation disorder caused when a nickel ion is present at a lithium-ion site is reduced to improve structural stability of the cathode active material. An initial capacity and a battery efficiency of a lithium secondary battery can be improved using the cathode active material.

The present disclosure relates to an anode electrode active material for a secondary battery containing nickel cobalt molybdenum oxide, an anode electrode for a secondary battery including the same, a secondary battery including the anode electrode for a secondary battery, and a method for manufacturing the same. The novel anode electrode material for a sodium secondary battery containing nickel cobalt molybdenum oxide according to the present disclosure allows intercalation/deintercalation reaction of sodium ion during charge/discharge and does not undergo significant volume change during the intercalation reaction because structure is maintained stably during repeated charge/discharge. As a result, electrode damage and electric short circuit are decreased and, thus, improved electrochemical characteristics can be achieved in long-life and high-rate capability.

A stabilized lithium metal oxide cathode material comprises microparticles of lithium metal oxide in which individual particles thereof a core of lithium metal oxide and a coating of a different lithium metal oxide surrounding the core. There is an interface layer between the cores and the coatings in which there are gradients of metal ions in the direction of coating to core. The materials are made by a three stage process involving coprecipitating precursor metal hydroxide core particles at a controlled pH; coprecipitating a different metal hydroxide coating on the particles without controlling the pH; and then calcining the resulting coated precursor particles with lithium hydroxide to form the stabilized lithium metal oxide material.

A battery comprising an acidified metal oxide (“AMO”) material, preferably in monodispersed nanoparticulate form 20 nm or less in size, having a pH<7 when suspended in a 5 wt % aqueous solution and a Hammett function H.sub.0>−12, at least on its surface.

The copper oxide nanoparticles synthesized using Rhatany root extract involves preparing the Rhatany root extract by adding powdered Rhatany roots to boiling water, allowing the mixture to soak overnight, and removing any solid residue by filtering to obtain the aqueous extract. The copper oxide nanoparticles are prepared by mixing equal volumes of the aqueous Rhatany root extract and 0.1 M aqueous copper sulfate, heating the mixture at 80° C. for 40 minutes, and adding 1 M sodium hydroxide dropwise to the mixture to precipitate CuO. The precipitate is removed by centrifuge, washed with ethanol, dried, and calcined at 400° C. for 4 hours to obtain the copper oxide nanoparticles. The resulting nanoparticles proved effective in degrading wastewater dyes, showed anticancer activity against human cervical cancer by cell viability assay, and showed antibacterial activity against various strains of bacteria by agar diffusion.

The invention relates to a layered double hydroxide (LDH) material and methods for using the LDH material to catalyse the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in a water-splitting process. The invention also provides a composition, a catalytic material, an electrode and an electrolyser including the LDH material. In particular, the LDH material includes a metal composite including cobalt, iron, chromium and optionally nickel species interspersed with a hydroxide layer.

Provided is a method for synthesizing cobalt-incorporated carbon nanotubes (Co/MWCNTs). The method includes a step of mixing cobalt acetate, cobalt nitrate, cobalt chloride, or cobalt sulfate with multi-wall carbon nanotubes in a solvent. A method for generating hydrogen by using the Co/MWCNTs as a catalyst component is also provided herein.