The present invention relates to a hydrophobic antimicrobial agent comprising a mineral material, which is surface coated with a copper and/or silver salt of at least one fatty acid, a method for its manufacture, wherein at least one fatty acid and at least one copper and/or silver salt are dissolved in a non-aqueous solvent, the solutions are combined, the copper and/or silver salt of the at east one fatty acid is precipitated by adding water, separated, and surface coated onto the mineral material. Furthermore, the present invention relates to the hydrophobic antimicrobial agent obtained by said method, the use thereof as a filler, products comprising the hydrophobic antimicrobial agent, and the use of a copper and/or silver salt of at least one fatty acid for surface coating a mineral material.

The present invention relates to a positive electrode active material containing a spinel composite solid solution oxide, a method for manufacturing same, and a lithium secondary battery including the same. The spinel composite solid solution oxide contains cubic (P4.sub.332) and face-centered cubic (Fd-3m) in an optimized solid solution ratio in the crystal, and a low content of lithium nickel oxide (Li.sub.zNi.sub.1−zO) is combined. A positive electrode active material containing the spinel composite solid solution oxide provides excellent output characteristics while having stable cycle-life characteristics according to the type and content of doping elements replacing transition metals, the synthesis temperature, and the amount of impurities generated.

There are disclosed methods for producing curable elastomeric compositions comprising carbon black particles, as well as their corresponding cured products. Such compositions, once cured, can be used for the preparation of numerous articles of wide industrial applicability.

The present invention refers to a dry composition for chemical and physical sun protection, the composition comprising a) at least one calcium carbonate, and b) from 0.1 wt.-% to 100 wt.-%, based on the dry weight of the at least one calcium carbonate of step a) of at least one lignin. Furthermore, the present invention refers to a fluid composition comprising the inventive dry composition as well as to an emulsion comprising the inventive dry composition. The present invention also refers to the use of the inventive compositions for sun protection of plants and parts thereof as well as the use of the inventive emulsion for chemical and physical sun protection in a cosmetic formulation.

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.

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.

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 method according to an embodiment of the present invention is for preparing powdered composite carbide of tungsten and titanium in which tungsten trioxide (WO.sub.3), titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2) and carbon (C), each being in powdered form are mixed with a reducing agent powder to obtain a reaction mixture in the mixing step, followed by the synthesis step in which the reaction mixture is heated at a temperature of about 600° C. to 1200° C. to obtain the reaction products, and the washing step in which the reaction products are washed with water. The method for preparing tungsten titanium carbide powder is capable of carrying out both reduction and carburizing at a relatively low temperature and affords homogeneity in shape and particle size in the resultant composite carbide.

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.

The present invention provides a fine silicon powder and the like including fine silicon particles having a microscopically measured particle diameter of 1 μm or more and an average circularity determined in accordance with Formula (1) of 0.93 or more, in which an average particle diameter based on volume, which is measured by a laser diffraction scattering method, is in a range of 0.8 μm or more and 8.0 μm or less, an average particle diameter based on number, which is measured by the laser diffraction scattering method, is in a range of 0.100 μm or more and 0.150 μm or less, and a specific surface area, which is measured by a BET method, is in a range of 4.0 m.sup.2/g or more and 10 m.sup.2/g or less. Circularity=(4×π×projected area of particle).sup.1/2/peripheral length of particle (1).