Particles formed from an alkai metal or alkaline earth metal and halide, for example, sodium and chloride, are provided. The particles can have a hydrophilic coating or external layer, formed of, for example, a polyether-lipid conjugate. In preferred embodiments, the lipid is a phospholipid such as a phosphoethanolamine, and the polyether is a polyethylene glycol such as a PEG amine. Methods making the particles by, for example, a microemulsion reaction, are also provided. Pharmaceutical compositions including a plurality of particles and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier are also disclosed. Typically the compositions include an effective amount of particles to treat a disease or condition, particularly cancer, in a subject in need thereof. The particles are typically nanoparticles, for example, between about 10 nm and 250 nm and can be monodisperse.

A preparation method of indium oxide with stable morphology includes: (1) mixing indium oxide powder and bismuth oxide powder according to a mass ratio of 1:0.1-0.5 to obtain a powder mixture; (2) putting the powder mixture into a ball mill for ball milling at room temperature to obtain a uniform powder mixture; (3) putting the obtained uniform powder mixture into a muffle furnace and calcining at 700-1000° C.; and (4) obtaining the indium oxide with cubic stable morphology after the muffle furnace naturally cools to room temperature. The method has advantages of simple synthesis process, short synthesis period, high sample yield, no need of complicated equipment, and morphology of the obtained indium oxide can be maintained after being heated at a high temperature within 1000° C. for 2 hours. An electrochemical sensor prepared by using the indium oxide obtained by the method has better selectivity to nonane.

A method for obtaining solid-state metal borohydrides without toxic precursors and expensive solvents includes dry mixing of metal hydrides and metal polyhydro-closo-borate starting materials. High pressure and heating is also used in the method. These materials can be used for hydrogen storage, general reducing agents, organic synthesis, wastewater treatment, and paper pulp bleaching.

Synthesizing upconverting nanoparticles includes heating a precursor solution comprising one or more rare earth salts, an alkali metal salt or alkaline earth salt, and a solvent comprising a plasticizer in a microwave reactor to yield a product mixture, and cooling the product mixture to yield the upconverting nanoparticles. Core-shell upconverting nanoparticles are synthesized by combining the upconverting nanoparticles with a precursor solution comprising one or more rare earth salts, an alkali metal salt or alkaline earth salt, and a solvent comprising a plasticizer to yield a nanoparticle mixture, heating the nanoparticle mixture in a microwave reactor to yield a product mixture, and cooling the product mixture to yield the core-shell upconverting nanoparticles.

A method of producing a hydrophobic porous alumina by: i) providing a slurry comprising an alumina compound, the slurry having a pH equal to or greater than 7; ii) adding an organic composition comprising carboxylic acids with alkyl hydrocarbon chains having a carbon length less than 14 to the slurry to form an acidic modified slurry; the acidic modified slurry having a pH of between 3 and less than 7; iii) hydrothermally aging the acidic modified slurry to form a hydrothermally aged slurry; and iv) drying the hydrothermally aged slurry.

A composite oxide including a metal element represented by the composition of general formula:

A.sub.nX.sub.y,

represents an element selected from the group consisting of Sc, Y, and a trivalent lanthanoid; X represents an element selected from the group consisting of Ca, Sr, and Ba; n is 0<n<1; y is 0<y<1; and n+y=1. Also, a metal-supported material in which cobalt particles are supported on the composite oxide.

A cubic boron nitride sintered material includes: more than or equal to 85 volume % and less than 100 volume % of cubic boron nitride grains; and a remainder of a binder, wherein the binder includes WC, Co and an Al compound, and when a TEM-EDX is used to analyze an interface region including an interface at which the cubic boron nitride grains are adjacent to each other, oxygen exists on a whole or part of the interface, and a width D of a region in which the oxygen exists is more than or equal to 0.1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm.

The invention relates to Chevrel-phase materials and methods of preparing these materials utilizing a precursor approach. The Chevrel-phase materials are useful in assembling electrodes, e.g., cathodes, for use in electrochemical cells, such as rechargeable batteries. The Chevrel-phase materials have a general formula of Mo.sub.6Z.sub.8 (Z=sulfur) or Mo.sub.6Z.sup.1.sub.8-yZ.sup.2.sub.y (Z.sup.1=sulfur; Z.sup.2=selenium), and partially cuprated Cu.sub.1Mo.sub.6S.sub.8 as well as partially de-cuprated Cu.sub.1-xMg.sub.xMo.sub.6S.sub.8 and the precursors have a general formula of M.sub.xMo.sub.6Z.sub.8 or M.sub.xMo.sub.6Z.sup.1.sub.8-yZ.sup.2.sub.y, M=Cu. The cathode containing the Chevrel-phase material in accordance with the invention can be combined with a magnesium-containing anode and an electrolyte.

A method of making a chabazite (CHA) zeolite is disclosed. The method can include obtaining an aqueous gel comprising silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2), aluminum oxide (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), potassium oxide (K.sub.2O), and a nucleating agent, and hydrothermally treating the aqueous gel to obtain the CHA zeolite.

A method for manufacturing mixed oxide powders including the steps (a) producing a raw material mixture, (b) bringing the raw material mixture into a hot gas flow for the thermal treatment in a reactor, (c) forming particles of the mixed oxide powder, and (d) bringing the particles of the mixed oxide powder which are obtained in the step (b) and (c) out of the reactor, wherein the raw material mixture is manufactured in the form of a solution or suspension of at least one salt and/or salt mixture of at least one compound of the elements lithium, nickel and/or manganese, as well as a mixed oxide powder which is manufactured according to this method.