A method for preparing artificial graphite includes (A) preparing heavy oil, and forming coke from the heavy oil through continuous coking reaction such that the coke has a plurality of mesophase domains, wherein a size of the mesophase domains ranges between 1 and 30 μm by polarizing microscope analysis; and (B) processing the coke formed by step (A) sequentially by pre-burning carbonization treatment, grinding classification, high-temperature carbonization treatment and graphitization treatment to form polycrystalline artificial graphite from the coke. The method for preparing artificial graphite of the present invention and the polycrystalline artificial graphite prepared thereby are applicable to batteries.

Mesomorphic ceramic films are fabricated over large areas by blade-coating of nematic lyotropic suspensions, followed by calcination. Lyotropic self-assembly of titania or ZnO nanorods by applying blade-coating shear force to a dispersion of the rods, followed by thermal treatment forms transparent ceramic films for applications such as large aperture inorganic waveplates for modifying the polarization state of incident light that have superior optical and mechanical properties

A method of producing a product inorganic compound including: immersing a raw material inorganic compound having a volume of 10.sup.−13 m.sup.3 or more in an electrolyte aqueous solution or an electrolyte suspension; exchanging anions in the raw material inorganic compound with anions in the electrolyte aqueous solution or the electrolyte suspension; cations in the raw material inorganic compound are exchanged with cations in the electrolyte aqueous solution or the electrolyte suspension; or including a component (that excludes water, hydrogen, and oxygen) in the electrolyte aqueous solution or the electrolyte suspension not included in the raw material inorganic compound in the raw material inorganic compound; and obtaining a product inorganic compound having a volume of 10.sup.−13 m.sup.3 or more from the raw material inorganic compound.

Herein provided are cubic boron arsenide (c-BAs) single crystals having an unexpectedly high ambipolar mobility at room temperature, .Math..sub.a, at one or more locations thereof that is greater than or equal to 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2400, 2500, 2600, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, or 10000 cm.sup.2V.sup.-1s.sup.-1, wherein the ambipolar mobility is defined as: .Math..sub.a = 2.Math..sub.e.Math..sub.h/(.Math..sub.e + .Math..sub.h), wherein .Math..sub.e is electron mobility and .Math..sub.h is hole mobility, and having a room temperature thermal conductivity at the one or more locations thereof that is greater than or equal to 1000 Wm.sup.-1K.sup.-1. Methods of making and using the c-BAs single crystals are also provided.

The subject matter of the invention is a method of a preparation of zinc oxide nanoparticles, in which the organozinc precursor in an aprotic organic solvent is subjected to an oxidizing agent. A compound of the formula [R.sub.2ZnL.sub.n].sub.m is used as the organozinc precursor, where R is C1-C5 alkyl, straight or branched, benzyl, phenyl, mesityl, cyclohexyl group, L is low-molecular-weight organic compound containing one Lewis base center of formula (I) or of formula (2) or of formula (3), where R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are C1-C5 alkyl, straight or branched, phenyl, benzyl, tolyl, mesityl or vinyl group, in which any hydrogen atom may be substituted by fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine atom, n is 0, 1 or 2, m is a natural number from 1 to 10. Furthermore, the subject matter of the invention are also zinc oxide nanoparticles obtained by the said method. Moreover, the subject matter of the invention is also the use of the disclosed zinc oxide nanoparticles in sensors or as ETL layers for the construction of solar cells, or as UV filters, or as materials for use in electronics or in catalysis.

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Low temperature synthesis, growth and doping methods and resulting materials are disclosed. According to an aspect, a method for material transformation includes providing a target material comprising carbon and/or hydrocarbon. The method also includes placing the target material within a fluid comprising a hydrogen source. Further, the method includes applying energy to the target material such that at least some of the target material is transformed to the same material with new beneficial bonding configuration.

Disclosed is a method of forming a conductive diamond layer on a surface of a carbon fibre substrate that is used as a component of an electrode for neural stimulation and/or electrochemical sensing. The method comprises functionalising at least a portion of the surface with a functionalising agent to facilitate coating the surface with the conductive diamond layer. The method also comprises providing a diamond precursor and depositing the diamond precursor over the functionalising agent to form the conductive diamond layer. The disclosure also relates to an electrode that is used as a component of an electrode for neural stimulation and/or electrochemical sensing.

Polished talc microbeads, i.e. polished talc particles with a largest average diameter of less than 500 μm and methods for the preparation thereof, which microbeads are especially suitable to be use as an alternative for plastic microbeads used in cosmetics and personal hygiene products. Body scrubs, tooth pastes and soaps comprising the present polished talc microbeads. The use of polished talc microbeads with a talc content of more than 70% (w/w) and a largest diameter of less than 500 μm as a substitute for plastic microbeads in cosmetics and personal hygiene products.

Systems and methods for the gas-phase production of carbon nanotube (CNT)-nanoparticle (NP) hybrid materials in a flow-through pyrolytic reactor specially adapted to integrate nanoparticles (NP) into CNT material at the nanoscale level, and the second generation CNT-NP hybrid materials produced thereby.

Non-ASTM low hysteresis carbon blacks chemically treated, and surface coated with a compound comprising at least one amine group and at least one thiol group, and/or di- and/or polysulfidic linkage. When compared with a standard ASTM grade compound, the disclosed surface modified low hysteresis carbon black compound shows improved rolling resistance, wet traction, and DIN abrasion, comparable to silica compounds.