Herein are described two-dimensional metal organic frameworks (2D MOFs). The 2D MOFs includes a plurality of multivalent metals or metal ions and a plurality of multidentate ligands arranged to form a crystalline structure having a lateral size of at least about 2.5 μm and a thickness of less than about 5 nm. Herein are also described methods for preparing the 2D MOFs. The 2D MOFs can be used, for example, in electrochromic devices such as smart windows and flexible displays.

In an embodiment, a negative electrode active material includes a particulate silicon-carbon nanocomposite (SCN) material composition including SCN particles that each have: a graphite particle core having an irregular morphology; a plurality of silicon nanostructures distributed around the graphite particle core, including silicon nanostructures exhibiting plate-like morphologies and which have an outer layer that includes SiO.sub.x; and an amorphous carbon layer or matrix that encapsulates the silicon nanostructures and at least portions of the irregular morphology graphite particle core, wherein the SCN material composition has a wt % material composition ratio of: (a) 20-60 wt % of graphite particle cores; (b) 35-60 wt % silicon nanostructures; and (c) 15-30 wt % amorphous carbon, wherein the combination of each such wt % totals to 100%. The negative electrode active material can exhibit an oxide content of less than 8 wt % provided by silicon nanostructure SiO.sub.x layers.

In order to provide an apparatus for industrially producing a fibrous carbon nanohorn aggregate (CNB), the apparatus comprises: a target holding unit holding a carbon target in sheet form containing a metal catalyst such as Fe; a light source irradiating a laser beam on a surface of the carbon target; a movement unit moving one of the target held by the target holding unit and the light source relative to the other to move the irradiation position of the laser beam on the surface of the target; a production chamber configured to irradiate the carbon target with the laser beam in an atmosphere of non-oxidizing gas to produce a product including the fibrous carbon nanohorn aggregate; a collection mechanism collecting carbon vapor evaporated from the target by irradiation of the laser beam to collect nanocarbon including the fibrous carbon nanohorn aggregate; and a control unit controlling an operation of the movement unit or the light source so that the power density of the laser beam irradiated to the surface of the carbon target is substantially constant, and the irradiation position of the laser beam is moved to a region adjacent to a region previously irradiated by the laser beam, an interval being formed therebetween that is equal to or larger than the width of an altered region formed on the periphery of the region irradiated by the laser beam.

The present invention relates to hollow nanocoils having a three-dimensional helical structure in the form of a hollow tube and a method of manufacturing the same.

The present invention provides a method of synthesizing metal nanocoils into inorganic hollow nanocoils using the galvanic replacement reaction and an electrochemical reaction including the Kirkendall effect. The inorganic hollow nanocoil structure body of the present invention can be applied to various fields such as sensors, catalysts, batteries, or gene delivery and therapy using a large surface area.

A semiconductor nanocrystal particle, a production method thereof, and a light emitting device including the same. The semiconductor nanocrystal particle includes a core including a first semiconductor nanocrystal, a first shell surrounding the core, the first shell including a second semiconductor nanocrystal including a different composition from the first semiconductor nanocrystal, a second shell surrounding the first shell, the second shell including a third semiconductor nanocrystal including a different composition from the second semiconductor nanocrystal, wherein the first semiconductor nanocrystal includes zinc and sulfur; wherein the third semiconductor nanocrystal includes zinc and sulfur; wherein an energy bandgap of the second semiconductor nanocrystal is less than an energy bandgap of the first semiconductor nanocrystal and less than an energy bandgap of the third semiconductor nanocrystal; and wherein the semiconductor nanocrystal particle does not include cadmium.

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 cerium-zirconium oxide-based ionic conductor (CZOIC) material including zirconium oxide in an amount ranging from 5 wt. % up to 95 wt. %, cerium oxide in an amount ranging from 95 wt. % to 5 wt. %, and at least one oxide or a rare earth metal in an amount ranging from 30 wt. % or less, based on the overall mass of the CZOIC material. The CZOIC material exhibits a structure comprising one or more expanded unit cells and a plurality of crystallites having ordered nano-domains. The structure of the CZOIC material exhibits a crystal lattice defined by a d-value measured at multiple (hkl) locations using a SAED technique that exhibit distortions, such that the d-values for the same (hkl) location varies from about 2% to about 5% from the d-value measured for a reference cerium-zirconium material at the same (hkl) location.

A molybdenum sulfide powder according to the invention contains molybdenum disulfide having a 3R crystal structure. A heavy-metal adsorbent according to the invention contains molybdenum sulfide particles, and the molybdenum sulfide particles have a median diameter Dso of 10 nm to 1,000 nm obtained by a dynamic light scattering type particle diameter distribution measuring device. A photothermal conversion material according to the invention contains a material containing molybdenum sulfide particles and generates heat by absorbing light energy.

A quantum dot of the present invention is a nanocrystal represented by AgInE.sub.2 (E is at least one of tellurium, selenium, and sulfur) containing silver, indium, and chalcogen, in which a fluorescence wavelength is within a range of a near-infrared region of 700 to 1500 nm, a fluorescence full width at half maximum is 150 nm or less, and a fluorescence quantum yield is higher than 20%. In the present invention, an average particle diameter is preferably 1 nm or more and 15 nm or less. In addition, a method for producing a quantum dot of the present invention includes synthesizing a quantum dot represented by AgInE.sub.2 (E is at least one of tellurium, selenium, and sulfur) from a silver raw material, an indium raw material, and a chalcogenide raw material (chalcogenide is at least one of tellurium, selenium, and sulfur).

A positive electrode active material precursor for a secondary battery, which is a secondary particle in which primary particles are aggregated, includes a core portion including nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and manganese (Mn), and a shell portion surrounding a surface of the core portion and including nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), and aluminum (Al), wherein the core portion and the shell portion has rod-shaped primary particles, and an average major axis length of the primary particles of the shell portion is smaller than an average major axis length of the primary particles of the core portion. A method of preparing the positive electrode active material precursor, and a positive electrode active material prepared by using the positive electrode active material precursor are also provided.