A main object of the present disclosure is to provide an active material wherein an expansion upon intercalation of a metal ion such as a Li ion is suppressed. The present disclosure achieves the object by providing an active material comprising a silicon clathrate type crystal phase, and the active material includes a Na element, a Si element and a M element that is a metal element with an ion radius larger than the Si element, and a proportion of the M element to a total of the Si element and the M element is 0.1 atm % or more and 5 atm % or less.

There is provided a thermoelectric conversion material in which a first layer containing Mg.sub.2Si.sub.xSn.sub.1-x (here, 0<x<1) is directly joined to a second layer containing Mg.sub.2Si.sub.ySn.sub.1-y (here, 0<y<1), where x/y is set within a range of more than 1.0 and less than 2.0. There is also provided a thermoelectric conversion element including the thermoelectric conversion material and electrodes each joined to one surface and the other surface of the thermoelectric conversion material. There is also provided a thermoelectric conversion module including terminals each joined to the electrodes of the thermoelectric conversion element.

A method for forming a prelithiated, layered anode material includes contacting an ionic compound and a lithium precursor in an environment having a temperature ranging from about 200° C. to about 900° C. The ionic compound is a three-dimensional layered material represented by MX.sub.2, where M is one of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) and X is one of silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), and boron (B). The lithium precursor is selected from the group consisting of: LiH, LiC, LiOH, LiCl, and combinations thereof. The contacting of the ionic compound and the lithium precursor in the environment causes removal of cations from the ionic compound to create openings in interlayer spaces or voids in the three-dimensional layered material thereby defining a two-dimensional layered material and also causes introduction of lithium ions from the lithium precursor into the interlayer spaces or voids to form the prelithiated, layered anode material.

A semiconductor sintered body comprising a polycrystalline body, wherein the polycrystalline body includes silicon or a silicon alloy, wherein the average grain size of the crystal grains forming the polycrystalline body is 1 μm or less, and wherein nanoparticles including one or more of a carbide of silicon, a nitride of silicon, and an oxide of silicon are present at a grain boundary of the grains.

A semiconductor sintered body comprising a polycrystalline body, wherein the polycrystalline body includes silicon or a silicon alloy, wherein the average grain size of the crystal grains forming the polycrystalline body is 1 μm or less, and wherein nanoparticles including one or more of a carbide of silicon, a nitride of silicon, and an oxide of silicon are present at a grain boundary of the grains.

A method for manufacturing predominantly amorphous silicon-containing particles includes a chemical compound of formula: Si.sub.(1−x)C.sub.x, where 0.005≤x<0.05. The particles, when subjected to XRD analysis applying unmonochromated CuKα radiation, exhibit one peak at around 28° and one peak at around 52°. Both peaks have a Full Width at Half Maximum of at least 5° when using Gaussian peak fitting. The method includes forming a homogeneous gas mixture of a first precursor gas of a silicon containing compound and at least one second precursor gas of a substitution element M containing compound, injecting the homogeneous gas mixture of the first and second precursor gases into a reactor space where the precursor gases are heated to a temperature in the range of from 700 to 900° C. so that the precursor gases react and form particles, and collecting and cooling the particles to a temperature in the range of from ambient temperature up to about 350° C. The relative amounts of the first and the second precursor gases are adapted such that the formed particles obtain an atomic ratio C: Si in the range of [0.005, 0.05).

Methods of making a negative electrode material for an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions is provided. The method may include centrifugally distributing a molten precursor comprising silicon, oxygen, and lithium by contacting the molten precursor with a rotating surface in a centrifugal atomizing reactor. The molten precursor is formed by combining lithium, silicon, and oxygen. For example, the precursor may be formed from a mixture comprising silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2), lithium oxide (Li.sub.2O), and silicon (Si). The method may further include solidifying the molten precursor to form a plurality of substantially round solid electroactive particles comprising a mixture of lithium silicide (Li.sub.ySi, where 0<y≤4.4) and a lithium silicate (Li.sub.4SiO.sub.4) and having a D50 diameter of less than or equal to about 20 micrometers.

Methods of making a negative electrode material for an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions is provided. The method may include centrifugally distributing a molten precursor comprising silicon, oxygen, and lithium by contacting the molten precursor with a rotating surface in a centrifugal atomizing reactor. The molten precursor is formed by combining lithium, silicon, and oxygen. For example, the precursor may be formed from a mixture comprising silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2), lithium oxide (Li.sub.2O), and silicon (Si). The method may further include solidifying the molten precursor to form a plurality of substantially round solid electroactive particles comprising a mixture of lithium silicide (Li.sub.ySi, where 0<y≤4.4) and a lithium silicate (Li.sub.4SiO.sub.4) and having a D50 diameter of less than or equal to about 20 micrometers.

Nanoparticles that can be used as hydrosilylation and dehydrogenative silylation catalysts. The nanoparticles have at least one transition metal with an oxidation state of 0, chosen from the metals of columns 8, 9 and 10 of the periodic table, and at least one carbonyl ligand, preferably a silicide.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a thermoelectric conversion element having a film which not only maintains sufficient adhesion even when exposed to a high temperature but also exhibits excellent oxidation resistance and crack resistance. The problem is solved by a thermoelectric conversion element including a thermoelectric conversion component, in which the thermoelectric conversion component contains magnesium silicide and/or manganese silicide and is covered with a film containing Si and Zr.