The present disclosure relates to the field of new materials, and aims at providing an A-site high-entropy nanometer metal oxide with high conductivity, and a preparation method thereof. The metal oxide has molecular formula of Gd.sub.0.4Er.sub.0.3La.sub.0.4Nd.sub.0.5Y.sub.0.4)(Zr.sub.0.7, Sn.sub.0.8, V.sub.0.5)O.sub.7 and is a powder, and has microstructure of the metal oxide as a square namometer sheet with a side length of 4-12 nm and a thickness of 1-3 nm. Compared with an existing high-entropy oxide, the product in the present disclosure has high conductivity, and can be well applied to a conductive alloy, an electrical contact composite material, a conductive composite material, a multifunctional bio-based composite material, a conductive/antistatic composite coating and the like.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to synthetic functionalized additives, which may comprise a layered magnesium silicate. The present disclosure is also directed to drilling fluids that may comprise an aqueous base fluid and a synthetic functionalized additive. The present disclosure is further directed to methods for producing drilling fluids.

Nanoplatelet forms of monolayer metal hydroxides are provided, as well as methods for preparing same. The nanoplatelets are suitable for use in antimicrobial compositions, for pressure treating lumber against wood rot, termites, and fungus, for water treatment for the removal of heavy metal contaminants, for the production of plasmonics devices, for the production of ore, or for the recovery of valuable metals in, e.g., fly ash ponds, mine tailings ponds, or other fluids containing the metal in ionic form. The nanoplatelet forms include copper hydroxide nanoplatelets.

Bilayer structured hydrated Ca—V oxide is disclosed as a high capacity cathode for rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion batteries, as well as methods for forming same to provide an improved cathode with significant improvements over existing cathode structures and materials.

Methods and reactors for electrochemically expanding a parent material and expanded parent materials are described. Current methods of expanding parent materials incompletely-expand parent material, requiring expensive and time-consuming separation of expanded parent material from unexpanded parent materials. This problem is addressed by the methods and reactor for electrochemically expanding a parent material described herein, which during operation maintain electrical connectivity between the parent material and an electrical power source. The resulting materials described herein have a greater proportion of expanded parent material relative to unexpanded parent material compared to those made according to others methods.

A graphene oxide Janus nanosheets relatively permeability modifier (RPM) for carbonate formations. The graphene oxide Janus nanosheets RPM may be used to treat a water and hydrocarbon producing carbonate formation to reduce water permeability in the formation and increase the production of hydrocarbons. The graphene oxide Janus nanosheet RPM includes a first side having negatively charged functional groups and a second side having alkyl groups. The alkyl groups may include C8 to C30 alkyls. The negatively charged functional groups may include carboxyl groups, epoxy groups, and hydroxyl groups. Methods of reducing water permeability of a carbonate formation using the graphene oxide Janus nanosheets RPM and methods of manufacturing the graphene oxide Janus nanosheets RPM are also provided.

Provided are thin leaf-like indium particles having a first peak and a second peak at a greater particle diameter than a particle diameter at which the first peak appears in a volume-based particle size distribution representing a relationship between particle diameters of indium particles and ratios by volume of the indium particles at the particle diameters, wherein a volume V1 of the indium particles at the first peak and a volume V2 of the indium particles at the second peak satisfy a formula (V1/V2)×100≥25%.

This disclosure provides a composition of matter nucleated from a homogenous nucleation to form a self-assembled binder-less mesoporous carbon-based particle. In some implementations, the composition includes: a plurality of electrically conductive 3D aggregates formed of graphene sheets and sintered together to define a 3D hierarchical open porous structure comprising mesoscale structuring with micron-scale fractal structuring and configured to provide an electrical conduction between contact points of the graphene sheets. A porous arrangement is formed in the 3D hierarchical open porous structure and is arranged to contain a liquid electrolyte configured to provide ion transport through a plurality of interconnected porous channels in the 3D hierarchical open porous structure. A respective porous channel of the plurality of porous channels includes: a first portion configured to provide tunable ion conduits; a second portion configured to facilitate rapid ion transport; and, a third portion configured to at least partially confine active material.

The present disclosure relates to graphitic materials and to methods for preparing graphitic materials including processes for preparing graphitic materials comprising a predetermined heteroatom content by heating a conducting polymer.

In one aspect of the invention, a dye sensitized solar cell has a counter-electrode including carbon-titania nanocomposite thin films made by forming a carbon-based ink; forming a titania (TiO.sub.2) solution; blade-coating a mechanical mixture of the carbon-based ink and the titania solution onto a substrate; and annealing the blade-coated substrate at a first temperature for a first period of time to obtain the carbon-based titania nanocomposite thin films. In certain embodiments, the carbon-based titania nanocomposite thin films may include solvent-exfoliated graphene titania (SEG-TiO.sub.2) nanocomposite thin films, or single walled carbon nanotube titania (SWCNT-TiO.sub.2) nanocomposite thin films.