An integrated approach using anionic polymer sources and conventional spray drying technology was proposed to synthesize inorganic particles covered with single layer of fine particles. Negatively charged poly(acrylic acid) adsorbed on the two particles even though the particles had negative charge and assisted to disperse them individually in suspension. The dispersed 0.25 µm Fe₃O₄ was uniformly accumulated with single layer on 2.0 µm BaTiO₃ particles by their condensation in shrinking sprayed droplets. The poly(acrylic acid) molecules which adsorbed on both particles had a function to bind the two particles, and the Fe₃O₄ fine particles were fixed on BaTiO₃ particles persistently and discretely. The poly(acrylic acid)-assisted spray drying method is applicable for any combination of various functional particles.

Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Nb_0.5O₁₂ and Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Ta_0.5O₁₂ single-crystal rods were grown by floating zone melting. A typical single-crystal rod is 8 mm in diameter and 70 mm in length. Crystallized Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Nb_0.5O₁₂ and Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Ta_0.5O₁₂ have cubic structures in the I2₁d space group. The crystal structures of Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Nb_0.5O₁₂ and Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Ta_0.5O₁₂ belong to the cubic I2₁3 space group, while the final structure refinements were performed based on an approximate space group Ia3d. The lattice parameter (a) of Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Nb_0.5O₁₂ was 12.9130(8) Å (1 Å = 0.1 nm), while that of Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Ta_0.5O₁₂ was 12.9455(6) Å. The crystallographic reliability factors (R-values) of the Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Nb_0.5O₁₂ and Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Ta_0.5O₁₂ crystal structures were 7.09% (wR = 7.94%) and 8.82% (wR = 7.45%), respectively, based on the single-crystal neutron diffraction data. Li ions in the crystal structures occupied both distorted tetrahedral 96h sites and distorted octahedral 96h sites. From the results of alternating current impedance measurements, we estimated the total Li-ion conductivity of Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Nb_0.5O₁₂ and Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Ta_0.5O₁₂ at 298 K to be 1.39 × 10⁻³ and 1.27 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹, respectively. These are the highest conductivities reported to date for Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Ta_0.5O₁₂ members. The bulk properties of garnet-type electrolyte single crystals were advantageous for bulk conductivity and lacked the grain boundaries characteristic of sintered polycrystalline bodies. These solid electrolytes represent a game-changing technology for realizing advanced battery systems with strong safety features.

The shift of photonic bandgap could be used to study the adsorption behavior of concentration. However, there are so many issues need to explore in this field, such as adsorption models and influence factors. In this paper, it is found that the size of initial particles has a great impact on the size of silica colloidal spheres and the volume fraction of pore, resulting in the different adsorption behavior on the surface of silica photonic crystals. The effect of initial particle size on colloidal spheres and volume fraction of pore are investigated. Furthermore, the effect of initial particle size on gas adsorption behavior has been discussed by using the volume fraction of adsorption vapor (V_vap). It can be seen that the trends of isopropanol adsorption differ from methanol and ethanol.

This study reports the strengthening effect of partially substituting SiO₂ with B₂O₃ in aluminoborosilicate (ALBS) glasses. Specifically, it investigates how the B₂O₃ addition affects the ion-exchange behavior of the glass. The base composition of ALBS glass is 13Na₂O–5K₂O–7MgO–15Al₂O₃–12B₂O₃–48SiO₂ (mol %). In the prepared samples, the proportion of B₂O₃ was varied from 0 to 16 mol %. The Na⁺/K⁺ inter-diffusion coefficient of each sample was estimated from the K⁺ ion concentration profile collected along the cross-section of each sample after immersion in molten KNO₃ at (Tg × 0.83) K (where Tg is the glass transition temperature) for 8 h. Adding only a small amount of B₂O₃ drastically changed the K⁺ ion concentration profile. In contrast, the activation energy of the Na⁺/K⁺ inter-diffusion was almost independent of B₂O₃ content. These results suggest that the B₂O₃ incorporated in the glasses simply acts as a flux component. These findings are useful for designing compositions that strengthen ion-exchanged glasses.

Ba₃Si₆O₁₂N₂:Eu²⁺ and Ba₃Si₆O₉N₄:Eu²⁺ phosphors were synthesized by a solid-state reaction using Si₂N₂O powder as the starting material. The Ba₃Si₆O₁₂N₂:Eu²⁺ phosphor showed green photoluminescence (PL) with a peak at 517 nm, while Ba₃Si₆O₉N₄:Eu²⁺ showed bluish-green PL with a peak at 490 nm. Additionally, both phosphors exhibited afterglow properties.

In this study, porous zirconia (PZ) was synthesised by sol–gel process and evaluated for the adsorption of milk proteins such as β-casein and β-lactoglobulin. The particles manifested an extremely good adsorption affinity for β-casein, with very short adsorption times. In addition, increasing of the adsorption times afforded aggregation of the β-casein-adsorbed particles. Adsorption–desorption experiments, carried out by immersing the PZ in HEPES buffer solution containing 2 M sodium chloride, revealed that only a small amount of adsorbed β-casein was leached from the particles, which suggests that the protein was tightly adsorbed. Taken together, the results obtained suggest that the strong adsorption affinity and specific adsorption behaviour of PZ for the phosphate group render it a promising candidate for the development of phosphoprotein adsorbents.

Nitridation of oxides is a conventional method to prepare nitrides. However, this method has a disadvantage of requiring a high reaction temperature. Additive-assisted nitridation is an effective route to synthesize nitrides at low temperature. In this study, hexagonal phase indium nitride (InN) nanomaterials have been successfully synthesized through the nitridation of indium hydroxide by sodium amide in a stainless-steel autoclave at a low temperature (250–300°C), in which sodium thiosulfate acts as an additive. Scanning electron microscope image shows that the as-obtained InN sample is composed of nanoparticles and nanosheets. The influences of the reaction temperature on the as-obtained product have also been investigated.

Pyrochlore-type silver tantalate, Ag_0.93TaO_2.97·0.94H₂O (AT), and fluorite-type silver niobate Ag_0.41Nb_0.59O_1.68 (AN), were prepared by ion-exchange reactions and their ion conductivities were measured from 25 to 240°C. The total conductivities (ionic + electrical) at 240°C of AT and AN reached 4.00 × 10⁻³ and 9.03 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm, respectively. The activation energy of AT was 0.61 eV and AN showed non-linear behavior with activation energies of 0.52 eV at temperatures less than 120°C and 0.33 eV at temperatures greater than 120°C. The crystal structures of AT and AN were maintained from 25 to 240°C.

Inorganic–organic composites have been prepared using Dion–Jacobson-type layered perovskite compounds as base catalysts. Dodecyltributylphosphonium bromide (C₁₂TBPBr), dodecyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (C₁₂TPPBr), or dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (C₁₂TMACl) were used as the organic species of the inorganic–organic composite. It was suggested that C₁₂TBP⁺, C₁₂TPP⁺, or C₁₂TMA⁺ were intercalated by ion-exchange with interlayer H⁺ of HCa₂Nb₃O₁₀. The acid–base reaction was evaluated by consecutive deacetalization–Knoevenagel reactions. The product of the second-step reaction of the inorganic–organic composite catalysts was obtained, which suggested that the composites were acid–base bifunctional materials. For composites prepared using HCa₂Nb_3−xTa_xO₁₀ (x = 1, 2, and 3) as inorganic species, the base catalytic activity decreased with decreasing fraction of organic species. Therefore, the hydrophobicity of the layered compounds affected the catalytic activity of the composite. Various catalysts should be prepared using reported layered perovskite-type compounds having various compositions.