An object of the present invention is to provide carbon-coated Si—C composite particles capable of maintaining a high Si utilization rate and suppressing deterioration of initial coulombic efficiency due to oxidation over time of a lithium-ion secondary battery.

The carbon-coated Si—C composite particles of the present invention includes Si—C composite particles containing a carbon material and silicon; and a carbonaceous layer present on surfaces of the Si—C composite particles, wherein the carbon coverage thereof is 70% or more, wherein the BET specific surface area is 200 m.sup.2/g or less; wherein R value (I.sub.D/I.sub.G) is 0.30 or more and 1.10 or less and I.sub.Si/I.sub.G is 0.15 or less, when the peak attributed to Si is present at 450 to 495 cm.sup.−1 and the intensity of the peak is defined as I.sub.Si, in Raman spectrum of the carbon-coated Si—C composite particles: and wherein the full width at half maximum of the peak of a 111 plane of Si is 3.00 deg. or more, and (peak intensity of a 111 plane of SiC)/(peak intensity of the 111 plane of Si) is 0.01 or less, in the XRD pattern measured by powder XRD using a Cu-Kα ray of the carbon-coated Si—C composite particles.

An object of the present invention is to provide carbon-coated Si—C composite particles capable of maintaining a high Si utilization rate and suppressing deterioration of initial coulombic efficiency due to oxidation over time of a lithium-ion secondary battery.

The carbon-coated Si—C composite particles of the present invention includes Si—C composite particles containing a carbon material and silicon; and a carbonaceous layer present on surfaces of the Si—C composite particles, wherein the carbon coverage thereof is 70% or more, wherein the BET specific surface area is 200 m.sup.2/g or less; wherein R value (I.sub.D/I.sub.G) is 0.30 or more and 1.10 or less and I.sub.Si/I.sub.G is 0.15 or less, when the peak attributed to Si is present at 450 to 495 cm.sup.−1 and the intensity of the peak is defined as I.sub.Si, in Raman spectrum of the carbon-coated Si—C composite particles: and wherein the full width at half maximum of the peak of a 111 plane of Si is 3.00 deg. or more, and (peak intensity of a 111 plane of SiC)/(peak intensity of the 111 plane of Si) is 0.01 or less, in the XRD pattern measured by powder XRD using a Cu-Kα ray of the carbon-coated Si—C composite particles.

Provided is a mercury adsorbent that can efficiently adsorb and remove mercury and/or a mercury compound contained in a liquid hydrocarbon and can suppress corrosive action even when used for a long time. The mercury adsorbent comprises an activated carbon including a mineral acid supported thereon, the activated carbon having a specific surface area of 1000 m.sup.2/g or larger and a volume of micropores of 80 cm.sup.3/g or larger, each of the micropores having a pore radius of 8 Å or smaller, and the mercury adsorbent has a moisture content of from 0.1 to 3 wt %.

The present invention relates to composite particles containing silicon and carbon, wherein a domain size region of vacancies of 2 nm or less is 44% by volume or more and 70% by volume or less when volume distribution information of domain sizes obtained by fitting a small-angle X-ray scattering spectrum of the composite particles with a spherical model in a carbon-vacancy binary system is accumulated in ascending order, and a true density calculated by dry density measurement by a constant volume expansion method using helium gas is 1.80 g/cm.sup.3 or more and 2.20 g/cm.sup.3 or less.

The present invention relates to composite particles containing silicon and carbon, wherein a domain size region of vacancies of 2 nm or less is 44% by volume or more and 70% by volume or less when volume distribution information of domain sizes obtained by fitting a small-angle X-ray scattering spectrum of the composite particles with a spherical model in a carbon-vacancy binary system is accumulated in ascending order, and a true density calculated by dry density measurement by a constant volume expansion method using helium gas is 1.80 g/cm.sup.3 or more and 2.20 g/cm.sup.3 or less.

A method for embedding sulphur into conductive carbon is provided. Elemental sulphur is dissolved in liquid ammonia to form a sulphur-ammonia solution. Conductive carbon is soaked in the sulphur-ammonia solution to embed the conductive carbon with the dissolved sulphur. The liquid ammonia in the sulphur-ammonia solution can be removed as gaseous ammonia to yield sulphur-embedded conductive carbon. The sulphur-embedded conductive carbon can be used to manufacture sulphur cathodes. Such sulphur cathodes and batteries incorporating such sulphur cathodes are provided.

A method for embedding sulphur into conductive carbon is provided. Elemental sulphur is dissolved in liquid ammonia to form a sulphur-ammonia solution. Conductive carbon is soaked in the sulphur-ammonia solution to embed the conductive carbon with the dissolved sulphur. The liquid ammonia in the sulphur-ammonia solution can be removed as gaseous ammonia to yield sulphur-embedded conductive carbon. The sulphur-embedded conductive carbon can be used to manufacture sulphur cathodes. Such sulphur cathodes and batteries incorporating such sulphur cathodes are provided.

A filter apparatus for removing small molecule chemotherapy agents from blood is provided. The filter apparatus comprises a housing with an extraction media comprised of polymer coated carbon cores. Also provided are methods of treating a subject with cancer of an organ or region comprising administering a chemotherapeutic agent to the organ or region, collecting blood laded with chemotherapeutic agent from the isolated organ, filtering the blood laden with chemotherapeutic agent to reduce the chemotherapeutic agent in the blood and returning the blood to the subject.

A filter apparatus for removing small molecule chemotherapy agents from blood is provided. The filter apparatus comprises a housing with an extraction media comprised of polymer coated carbon cores. Also provided are methods of treating a subject with cancer of an organ or region comprising administering a chemotherapeutic agent to the organ or region, collecting blood laded with chemotherapeutic agent from the isolated organ, filtering the blood laden with chemotherapeutic agent to reduce the chemotherapeutic agent in the blood and returning the blood to the subject.

An object of the present invention is to provide composite particles capable of suppressing oxidation over time of a Si—C composite material. Composite particles (B) of the present invention contains composite particles (A) containing carbon and silicon; and amorphous layers coating surfaces thereof, where the composite particles (B) have I.sub.Si/I.sub.G of 0.10 or more and 0.65 or less, and have R value (I.sub.D/I.sub.G) of 1.00 or more and 1.30 or less, when a peak due to silicon is present at 450 to 495 cm.sup.−1, an intensity of the peak is defined as I.sub.Si, an intensity of a G band (peak intensity in the vicinity of 1600 cm.sup.−1) is defined as I.sub.G, and an intensity of a D band (peak intensity in the vicinity of 1360 cm.sup.−1) is defined as I.sub.D in a Raman spectrum, and where the composite particles (B) have a full width at half maximum of a peak of a 111 plane of Si of 3.0 deg. or more using a Cu-Kα ray in an XRD pattern.