A method of improving metal leach kinetics and recovery during atmospheric or substantially atmospheric leaching of a metal sulfide is disclosed. In some embodiments, the method may comprise the step of processing a metal sulfide concentrate in a reductive activation circuit 220 that operates at a first redox potential, to produce a reductively-activated metal sulfide concentrate. The method may further comprise the step of subsequently processing the activated metal sulfide concentrate in an oxidative leach circuit 240 to extract metal values. In some disclosed embodiments, reductive activation steps and/or oxidative dissolution steps may employ mechano-chemical and/or physico-chemical processing of particles or agglomerates thereof. Reductive activation may be made prior to heap leaching or bio-leaching operations to improve metal extraction. Systems for practicing the aforementioned methods are also disclosed.

Methods of sulfurizing metal containing particles in the absence of hydrogen are described. One method includes contacting a bed of metal containing particles with a gaseous stream comprising hydrogen sulfide and inert gas under reaction conditions sufficient to produce sulfided metal containing particles. The gaseous stream is introduced into a vertical reactor at an inlet positioned at the bottom portion of the reactor and any unreacted hydrogen sulfide and inert gas is removed at an outlet positioned above the inlet. The sulfided metal containing particles can be removed from the reactor and stored.

Methods of forming transition metal dichalcogenide aerogels are provided. Some methods include adding at least one solvent to one or more two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide sheets to form a transition metal dichalcogenide solution and freeze drying the transition metal dichalcogenide solution to form frozen transition metal dichalcogenide. The methods also include heating the frozen transition metal dichalcogenide to form a transition metal dichalcogenide aerogel.

Methods of forming transition metal dichalcogenide aerogels are provided. Some methods include adding at least one solvent to one or more two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide sheets to form a transition metal dichalcogenide solution and freeze drying the transition metal dichalcogenide solution to form frozen transition metal dichalcogenide. The methods also include heating the frozen transition metal dichalcogenide to form a transition metal dichalcogenide aerogel.

There is provided a method of forming a porous particle comprising an electrically conductive continuous shell encapsulating a core, said core comprising an elemental compound that reversibly reduces in the presence of a cation and oxidizes in the absence of said cation, said method comprising the steps of: a) encapsulating an elemental compound precursor with said electrically conductive shell; b) reacting said elemental compound precursor with an oxidation agent to oxidise said elemental compound precursor to form said elemental compound, thereby forming said electrically conductive shell encapsulating said core comprising said elemental compound.

There is provided a method of forming a porous particle comprising an electrically conductive continuous shell encapsulating a core, said core comprising an elemental compound that reversibly reduces in the presence of a cation and oxidizes in the absence of said cation, said method comprising the steps of: a) encapsulating an elemental compound precursor with said electrically conductive shell; b) reacting said elemental compound precursor with an oxidation agent to oxidise said elemental compound precursor to form said elemental compound, thereby forming said electrically conductive shell encapsulating said core comprising said elemental compound.

A technique for exfoliating a transition metal dichalcogenide material to produce separated nano-scale platelets includes combining the transition metal dichalcogenide material with a liquid to form a slurry, wherein the transition metal dichalcogenide material includes layers of nano-scale platelets and has a general chemical formula MX.sub.2, and wherein M is a transition metal and X is sulfur, selenium, or tellurium. The slurry of the transition metal dichalcogenide material is treated with an oxidant to form peroxo-metalate intermediates on an edge region of the layers of nano-scale platelets of the transition metal dichalcogenide material. The peroxo-metalate intermediates is treated with a reducing agent to form negatively charged poly-oxo-metalates to induce separation of the transition metal dichalcogenide material into the separated nano-scale platelets of the transition metal dichalcogenide material.

The present invention relates to a compound represented by the general formula Li.sub.2+2xM.sub.1−xZS.sub.4, wherein 0.3≤x≤0.9; wherein M is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Pb, Mg, Ca, Ge and Sn; and wherein Z is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Ge, Si, Sn and Al. The present invention also relates to a method for preparing the material of the present invention, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a mixture of lithium sulfide Li.sub.2S, sulfides MS and ZS.sub.2, in a stoichiometric ratio ensuring Li.sub.2+2xM.sub.1−xZS.sub.4 to be obtained, wherein M, Z and x are as defined above; (b) pelletizing the mixture prepared in step (a); (c) heating at a maximum plateau temperature. In still another aspect, the present invention relates to a use of the compound of the present invention as a solid electrolyte, in particular in an all solid-state lithium battery.

The present invention relates to a compound represented by the general formula Li.sub.2+2xM.sub.1−xZS.sub.4, wherein 0.3≤x≤0.9; wherein M is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Pb, Mg, Ca, Ge and Sn; and wherein Z is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Ge, Si, Sn and Al. The present invention also relates to a method for preparing the material of the present invention, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a mixture of lithium sulfide Li.sub.2S, sulfides MS and ZS.sub.2, in a stoichiometric ratio ensuring Li.sub.2+2xM.sub.1−xZS.sub.4 to be obtained, wherein M, Z and x are as defined above; (b) pelletizing the mixture prepared in step (a); (c) heating at a maximum plateau temperature. In still another aspect, the present invention relates to a use of the compound of the present invention as a solid electrolyte, in particular in an all solid-state lithium battery.

Methods of sulfurizing metal containing particles in the absence of hydrogen are described. One method includes contacting a bed of metal containing particles with a gaseous stream comprising hydrogen sulfide and inert gas under reaction conditions sufficient to produce sulfided metal containing particles. The gaseous stream is introduced into a vertical reactor at an inlet positioned at the bottom portion of the reactor and any unreacted hydrogen sulfide and inert gas is removed at an outlet positioned above the inlet. The sulfided metal containing particles can be removed from the reactor and stored.