A method of producing ceria nanocrystals is provided. The method includes providing a gas that includes ozone to a solution that includes a cerium salt, and obtaining ceria nanocrystals from the solution after the gas is provided to the first solution. A method of producing nanoparticles is provided. The method includes providing a gas that includes ozone to a solution that includes a metal salt that includes at least one of a transition metal or a lanthanide, and producing at least one of metal oxide nanoparticles, metal oxynitrate nanoparticles, or metal oxyhydroxide nanoparticles from the solution after the gas is provided to the solution.

A method of producing ceria nanocrystals is provided. The method includes providing a gas that includes ozone to a solution that includes a cerium salt, and obtaining ceria nanocrystals from the solution after the gas is provided to the first solution. A method of producing nanoparticles is provided. The method includes providing a gas that includes ozone to a solution that includes a metal salt that includes at least one of a transition metal or a lanthanide, and producing at least one of metal oxide nanoparticles, metal oxynitrate nanoparticles, or metal oxyhydroxide nanoparticles from the solution after the gas is provided to the solution.

A method for preparing a niobium, titanium or vanadium metal oxide nanostructured material is provided. The method comprises providing an aqueous reagent comprising (i) a soluble metal oxalate, and/or (ii) oxalic acid and a metal oxide precursor, adding a buffering agent to the aqueous reagent to form a mixture, and heating the mixture under hydrothermal conditions to obtain the metal oxide nanostructured material. The metal oxide nanostructured material may also be doped with a dopant metal such as titanium to enhance capacity and cycling stability. An electrode comprising the metal oxide nanostructured material, and an electrochemical cell containing the electrode are also provided.

The present invention describes an integrated process for carbon dioxide capture, sequestration and utilisation, which comprises: a) providing an aqueous slurry comprising an aqueous solution and a particulate solid comprising an activated magnesium silicate mineral; b) in a dissolution stage, contacting a CO.sub.2-containing gas stream with the aqueous slurry to dissolve magnesium from the mineral to provide a magnesium ion enriched aqueous solution and a magnesium depleted solid residue; c) recovering at least a portion of the magnesium depleted solid residue; d) in a separate acid treatment stage, reacting the recovered portion of the magnesium depleted solid residue with a solution comprising a mineral acid or acid salt to further dissolve magnesium and other metals and to provide an acid-treated solid residue; e) recovering the acid-treated solid residue; and f) in a separate precipitation stage, precipitating magnesium carbonate from the magnesium ion enriched aqueous solution.

The present disclosure relates to a method for producing metal oxide nanoparticles includes a first step of preparing a reaction solution containing a metal complex, an alcohol, and water; a second step of heating the reaction solution for phase-separation under a hermetically sealed atmosphere where the volumetric expansion ratio of the reaction solution reaches 5 to 15%; a third step of holding the reaction solution heated in the second step for 30 minutes or more for dehydrating the metal complex to precipitate the metal oxide nanoparticles; and a fourth step of collecting the metal oxide nanoparticles after the metal oxide nanoparticles are cooled.

The present disclosure relates to a method for producing metal oxide nanoparticles includes a first step of preparing a reaction solution containing a metal complex, an alcohol, and water; a second step of heating the reaction solution for phase-separation under a hermetically sealed atmosphere where the volumetric expansion ratio of the reaction solution reaches 5 to 15%; a third step of holding the reaction solution heated in the second step for 30 minutes or more for dehydrating the metal complex to precipitate the metal oxide nanoparticles; and a fourth step of collecting the metal oxide nanoparticles after the metal oxide nanoparticles are cooled.

Disclosed is a method for producing transition metal oxide fine particles having a size smaller than several micrometers (μm), and more preferably, having a size of several hundred nanometers (nm). To this end, the method for producing transition metal oxide fine particles of the present invention comprises dissolving a transition metal oxide in a strongly basic aqueous solution, and titrating same with a strongly acidic aqueous solution, thereby precipitating transition metal oxide fine particles.

The present invention states a method of producing new cathode materials for lithium ion batteries by recycling metals from depleted lithium-ion batteries using green reagents, and a method of deriving green reagents from agricultural products. The green reagents are used to replace corrosive acids that are used in the recycling process of depleted lithium-ion batteries. Metal ions, such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium are recovered as precipitates from the depleted lithium-ion batteries which can further be sintered to produce lithium-containing transition metal oxides that can be used as new cathode material for lithium-ion batteries.

The present invention states a method of producing new cathode materials for lithium ion batteries by recycling metals from depleted lithium-ion batteries using green reagents, and a method of deriving green reagents from agricultural products. The green reagents are used to replace corrosive acids that are used in the recycling process of depleted lithium-ion batteries. Metal ions, such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium are recovered as precipitates from the depleted lithium-ion batteries which can further be sintered to produce lithium-containing transition metal oxides that can be used as new cathode material for lithium-ion batteries.

The present disclosure relates to a method for producing a porous metal oxide powder, and more particularly, to a method for producing a porous metal oxide powder including obtaining metal oxide precipitate slurry from an aqueous metal salt solution dissolving a water-soluble metal salt in water; solvent exchanging the water by mixing a butanol solvent and the metal oxide precipitate slurry; and drying the solvent exchanged metal oxide under atmospheric pressure conditions.