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.

As for a secondary battery using lithium cobalt oxide as a positive electrode active material, the positive electrode active material with which a decrease in battery capacity due to repeated charge and discharge is inhibited is provided. Alternatively, a positive electrode active material particle which hardly deteriorates is provided. The positive electrode active material includes lithium, cobalt, oxygen, magnesium, aluminum, and fluorine and is a crystal represented by a layered rock-salt structure. The space group of the crystal is represented by R−3m. The concentration of fluorine in a surface portion of the crystal is higher than that inside the crystal. The concentration of magnesium in the surface portion of the crystal is higher than that inside the crystal. The atomic ratio of magnesium to aluminum in the surface portion of the crystal is higher than that inside the crystal.

The present invention relates to a MXene electrode for electronic products having excellent oxidation stability and flexibility and a method for manufacturing the same, and more specifically to a MXene electrode which has excellent stability from changes such as oxidation in a driving environment, excellent transparency and mechanical properties and high electrical conductivity such that it is appropriate to be used as a transparent electrode in electronic devices, and a method for manufacturing the same.

An electrode material of the present disclosure is an electrode material that includes a compound represented by the chemical formula BaZr.sub.1-x-yM.sub.xCo.sub.yO.sub.3-δ. M is In or Yb, and the chemical formula satisfies 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0<(x+y)<1, and 0<δ<1. A membrane electrode assembly of the present disclosure includes a first electrode including the electrode material, and an electrolyte membrane provided on a first main surface of the first electrode.

A covered positive electrode active material includes a particulate positive electrode active material and a solid electrolyte that covers a surface of the positive electrode active material. The solid electrolyte forms a covering layer. The covering layer is formed such that recessed portions of the surface of the positive electrode active material are filled with the solid electrolyte. Protruding portions of the surface of the positive electrode active material are exposed on a surface of the covered positive electrode active material. A degree of unevenness of a group of particles of the positive electrode active material is defined as ζ.sub.1, a degree of unevenness of a group of particles of the covered positive electrode active material is defined as ζ.sub.2, and a degree of change in unevenness R defined by formula (2) below is greater than or equal to 1.1.

R=ζ.sub.2/ζ.sub.1   (2)

The present invention relates to an anode active material, a method of manufacturing the anode active material, and an anode and a secondary battery including the anode active material, the anode active material including secondary carbon particles formed by flocculation of a plurality of primary carbon particles having an average particle diameter (D.sub.50) in a range from 5 to 200 nm, wherein the secondary carbon particles have an average particle diameter (D.sub.50) in a range from 0.5 to 20 μm.

This disclosure concerns flux-calcined products manufactured from filtration waste streams, and methods for manufacturing the same. In particular, it concerns functional additives produced from spent cake comprising diatomite filtration media which are suitable for use in paints, plastic films and elastomers for control of optical and surface properties, and processes which are suitable for manufacture of such products. It further concerns the recovery of energy from spent cakes during the regeneration process.

The production method is a method for producing a positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery which contains at least nickel and lithium, the method including: a firing process in which a mixture of a nickel compound powder and a lithium compound powder is fired; and a water washing process in which a lithium-nickel composite oxide powder obtained in the firing process is washed with water, wherein the firing process is performed under conditions such that a value obtained by dividing a ratio of an amount-of-substance of lithium to a total amount-of-substance of transition metals other than lithium in the lithium-nickel composite oxide powder after the washing with water by a ratio of an amount-of-substance of lithium to a total amount-of-substance of transition metals other than lithium in the lithium-nickel composite oxide powder before the washing with water exceeds 0.95.

A method can include reducing a silica starting material to produce a first quantity of at least metallurgical grade silicon and a second quantity of silica comprising elemental carbon doping, wherein the silica starting material is reduced in the presence of a carbonaceous reducing agent. A silica material can be a silica material as prepared according to the method.

A particle material that has high dispersibility in a dispersion medium such as toluene having high hydrophobicity, and a slurry composition in which the particle material is used, are provided for solving the problem. A surface-modified particle material of the present invention includes: a particle material formed of an inorganic material; and a surface treatment agent formed of a silane compound having a first functional group that has any of C, N, and O atoms away over five or more atoms from Si to which an alkoxide is bound, the surface treatment agent allowing surface treatment of the particle material in such an amount that a degree of hydrophobicity becomes not less than 30%. Dispersibility is enhanced also in a dispersion medium having high hydrophobicity in a case where a functional group having a predetermined structure is introduced so as to impart predetermined or higher hydrophobicity.