The invention relates to a material consisting of hard fibers on which nanoparticles of metals or metal oxides, preferably period IV transition metal oxides, are deposited, using different techniques, said material being used in the degradation and removal of contaminants found in liquid matrices. The invention also relates to a method for the in situ synthesis thereof.

A pulverulent cathode material contains at least one mixed oxide containing the metal components Li, at least one further metal component selected from the group consisting of Mn, Ni and Co. The pulverulent cathode material is produced by a process in which an ammonia-containing aerosol containing metal compound of the metal components is converted in a high-temperature zone of a reaction space and then the solids are removed.

A method for obtaining aluminum-containing nanoparticles is provided. The method includes exposing at least one surface comprising aluminum to an alkaline aqueous solution. The method further includes exposing the at least one surface to electro-hydraulic shock waves and an electron flux. The at least one surface undergoes electro-erosion which creates alumina-hydrated nanoparticles having a negative surface electrical charge. The method further includes transforming the alumina-hydrated nanoparticles into aquachelate nanoparticles by attaching water molecules to the alumina-hydrated nanoparticles.

Embodiments of inorganic electrode materials that utilize nanostructure surface modifications via functionalization via carbonate/carboxylate to achieve superior electrochemical performance and methods of producing same.

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.

The present invention relates to a method of reducing a metal oxide comprising the steps of preparing a mixture by mixing a metal oxide and a metal hydride (step 1) and reducing the mixture by heat treatment (step 2) and a method of producing a photocatalyst using the same, and The method of reducing a metal oxide of the present invention can easily reduce such metal oxides as TiO.sub.2, ZrO.sub.2, V.sub.2O.sub.3, and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3.

A ferroelectric perovskite composition, comprising a perovskite oxide ABO.sub.3, and a doping agent selected from perovskites of Ba(Ni,Nb)O.sub.3 and Ba(Ni,Nb)O.sub.3-δ. The ferroelectric perovskite composition may be represented by the formula: xBa(Ni,Nb)O.sub.3.(1-x)ABO.sub.3 or xBa(Ni,Nb)O.sub.3-δ.(1-x)ABO.sub.3. A method of producing the ferroelectric perovskite composition in thin film form is also provided.

A composite cathode active material, a cathode and a lithium battery that include the composite cathode active material, and a method of preparing the composite cathode active material are provided. The composite cathode active material includes: a core including a lithium transition metal oxide; and a shell arranged along a surface of the core, wherein the shell includes at least one first metal oxide represented by M.sub.aO.sub.b (where 0<a≤3, 0<b<4, when a is 1, 2, or 3, b is not an integer); a first carbon-based material; and a second carbon-based material, where the at least one first metal oxide is arranged in a matrix of the first carbon-based material, M is at least one metal selected from among Groups 2 to 13, 15, and 16 of the Periodic Table of Elements, and the second carbon-based material includes fibrous carbon having an aspect ratio of greater than or equal to 10.

The invention relates to a method for producing functionalised bimodal periodic mesoporous organosilicates (PMOs) by means of pseudomorphic transformation, to functionalised bimodal periodic mesoporous organosilicates (PMOs) that comprise at least one organosilicate and at least one functional component, and to the use of the PMO as a filter material, adsorption means, sensor material or carrier material for pharmaceutical products, insecticides or pesticides.

Systems and methods of synthesizing nanoparticles on substrates using rapid, high temperature thermal shock. A method involves depositing micro-sized particles or salt precursors on a substrate, and applying a rapid, high temperature thermal pulse or shock to the micro-sized particles or the salt precursors and the substrate to cause the micro-sized particles or the salt precursors to become nanoparticles on the substrate. A system may include a rotatable member that receives a roll of a substrate sheet having micro-sized particles or salt precursors; a motor that rotates the rotatable member so as to unroll consecutive portions of the substrate sheet from the roll; and a thermal energy source that applies a short, high temperature thermal shock to consecutive portions of the substrate sheet that are unrolled from the roll by rotating the first rotatable member. Some systems and methods produce nanoparticles on existing substrate. The nanoparticles may be metallic, ceramic, inorganic, semiconductor, or compound nanoparticles. The substrate may be a carbon-based substrate, a conducting substrate, or a non-conducting substrate. The high temperature thermal shock process may be enabled by electrical Joule heating, microwave heating, thermal radiative heating, plasma heating, or laser heating.