Abstract: Provided is a composition comprising: (a) a principal phase that is provided by a layered mixed metal oxide having a rocksalt structure belonging to the R-3m space group; the layered mixed metal oxide comprising the following component elements: 45 to 55 atomic % lithium; 20 to 55 atomic % of one or more transition metals selected from the group consisting of chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, cobalt, and combinations thereof; and 0 to 25 atomic % of one or more additional dopant elements selected from the group consisting of: magnesium, calcium, strontium, titanium, zirconium, vanadium, copper, ruthenium, zinc, molybdenum, boron, aluminium, gallium, tin, lead, bismuth, lanthanum, cerium, gadolinium and europium; wherein said atomic % is expressed as a % of total atoms of said layered oxide, excluding oxygen; (b) a minor phase that is provided by a metal oxide that does not have the crystal structure of the layered mixed metal oxide, the minor phase comprising one or more of the transition metals containe

Abstract: Provided is a composition comprising: (a) a principal phase that is provided by a layered mixed metal oxide having a rocksalt structure belonging to the R-3m space group; the layered mixed metal oxide comprising the following component elements: 45 to 55 atomic % lithium; 20 to 55 atomic % of one or more transition metals selected from the group consisting of chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, cobalt, and combinations thereof; and 0 to 25 atomic % of one or more additional dopant elements selected from the group consisting of: magnesium, calcium, strontium, titanium, zirconium, vanadium, copper, ruthenium, zinc, molybdenum, boron, aluminium, gallium, tin, lead, bismuth, lanthanum, cerium, gadolinium and europium; wherein said atomic % is expressed as a % of total atoms of said layered oxide, excluding oxygen; (b) a minor phase that is provided by a metal oxide that does not have the crystal structure of the layered mixed metal oxide, the minor phase comprising one or more of the transition metals contai

Abstract: Provided is a composition comprising: (a)a principal phase that is provided by a layered mixed metal oxide having a rocksalt structure belonging to the R-3m space group; the layered mixed metal oxide comprising the following component elements: 45 to 55 atomic % lithium; 20 to 55 atomic % of one or more transition metals selected from the group consisting of chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, cobalt, and combinations thereof; and 0 to 25 atomic % of one or more additional dopant elements selected from the group consisting of: magnesium, calcium, strontium, titanium, zirconium, vanadium, copper, ruthenium, zinc, molybdenum, boron, aluminium, gallium, tin, lead, bismuth, lanthanum, cerium, gadolinium and europium; wherein said atomic % is expressed as a % of total atoms of said layered oxide, excluding oxygen; (b)a minor phase that is provided by a metal oxide that does not have the crystal structure of the layered mixed metal oxide, the minor phase comprising one or more of the transition metals contained in t

Abstract: A method of processing a thin film structure comprising: providing a thin film structure comprising a stack of two or more thin film layers supported on a surface of a substrate, the stack having a depth orthogonal to the substrate surface; and forming a cut through the depth of the stack by using a direct write laser technique to scan a laser beam along a scan path covering an area of a desired cut line on a surface of the stack to ablate material of the stack along the cut line and through the depth of the stack at least to the surface of the substrate; wherein the direct write laser technique is implemented using an ultrashort pulsed laser outputting pulses with a duration of 1000 femtoseconds or less, at a wavelength in the range of 100 to 1500 nm, and delivering a fluence in the range of 50 to 100,000 mJ/cm2.

Abstract: The present invention provides a vapour deposition method for preparing an amorphous lithium borosilicate compound or doped lithium borosilicate compound, the method comprising: providing a vapour source of each component element of the compound, wherein the vapour sources comprise at least a source of lithium, a source of oxygen, a source of boron and a source of silicon, and, optionally, a source of at least one dopant element; providing a substrate at a temperature of less than about 180° C.; delivering a flow of said lithium, said oxygen, said boron and said silicon, and, optionally, said dopant element, wherein the rate of flow of said oxygen is at least about 8×10?8 m3/s; and co-depositing the component elements from the vapour sources onto the substrate wherein the component elements react on the substrate to form the amorphous compound.

Abstract: A composition consisting essentially of a perovskite crystalline structure includes ions of a first metal M1 which occupies an A-site of the perovskite crystalline structure and ions of a second metal M2 which occupies a B-site of the perovskite crystalline structure. M2 has two oxidation states capable of forming a redox couple suitable for reversibly catalyzing an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and an oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The composition also includes ions of a third metal M3 at least a portion of which substitutes for M1 in the A-site of the perovskite crystalline structure, and at least a portion of which optionally also substitutes for M2 in the B-site of the perovskite crystalline structure. At least some of the ions of M3 have a different oxidation state to the ions of M1. The composition also includes atoms of an element X, which is a chalcogen.

Abstract: A lithium borosilicate composition, consisting essentially of a system of lithium oxide in combination with silicon oxide and boron oxide, wherein said lithium borosilicate comprises between 70-83 atomic % lithium based on the combined atomic percentages of lithium, boron and silicon, and wherein said lithium borosilicate is a glass, is disclosed.

Abstract: A vapour deposition method for preparing an amorphous lithium-containing oxide or oxynitride compound not containing phosphorous comprises providing a vapour source of each component element of the compound, including at least a source of lithium, a source of oxygen, a source of nitrogen in the case of an oxynitride compound, and a source or sources of one or more glass-forming elements; heating a substrate to substantially 180° C. or above; and co-depositing the component elements from the vapour sources onto the heated substrate wherein the component elements react on the substrate to form the amorphous compound.

Abstract: A vapor deposition method for preparing a multi-layered thin film structure comprises providing a vapor source of each component element of a compound intended for a first layer and a compound intended for a second layer, wherein the vapor sources comprise at least a source of lithium, a source of oxygen, a source or sources of one or more glass-forming elements, and a source or sources of one or more transition metals; heating a substrate to a first temperature; co-depositing component elements from at least the vapor sources of lithium, oxygen and the one or more transition metals onto the heated substrate wherein the component elements react on the substrate to form a layer of a crystalline lithium-containing transition metal oxide compound; heating the substrate to a second temperature within a temperature range of substantially 170° C.

Abstract: The invention provides a hydrogen storage material consisting essentially of a hydride of lithium and magnesium, the material having the general formula: LixMgyHn wherein: (i) x is in the range of from 0.17 to 0.93; (ii) y is in the range of from 0.07 to 0.83; and (iii) n is not greater than (x+2y); with the proviso that n is not (x+2y) when (a) x=y; (b) x=2y or (c) 2x=y. Methods of producing the hydrogen storage material and its use to store hydrogen reversibly or irreversibly are also provided.

Abstract: A mass spectrometer having a mass filter which applies a transient voltage profile to accelerate ion packets. The voltage profile is chosen to have a functional form which imparts each ion species with a kinetic energy which is larger the larger the mass-to-charge ratio and a velocity which is smaller the larger the mass-to-charge ratio. The ions are detected in an ion detector which discriminates between different ion species based on their kinetic energy and taking account of the functional form of the voltage profile. Suitable voltage profiles include periodic functions such as sinusoids, triangles and sawtooths, which allow the amplification of drive pulses in the mass filter to be carried out with narrow band amplification stages, which are simple and inexpensive to construct.

Abstract: A mass spectrometer operating according to the iso-tach principle in which a mass filter accelerates ions to nominally equal velocities irrespective of their mass-to-charge ratios. The mass spectrometer is provided with an improved detector based on an electrostatic lens arrangement made of a concave lens followed in the beam path by a convex lens. These lenses deflect ions away from the beam axis by a distance from the beam axis that is inversely proportional to their mass-to-charge ratios. The mass-to-charge ratio of the ions can then be determined by a suitable detector array, such as a multi-channel plate placed in the beam path. This provides a compact and sensitive instrument.

Abstract: A doped hydrogen storage material according to the general formula: MgxByMzHn wherein: (i) the ratio of x/y is in the range of from 0.15 to 1.5; (ii) z is in the range of from 0.005 to 0.35; (iii) x+y+z equals 1; (iv) M=is one or more metals selected from the group of selected Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn; (v) n is no more than 4y; and wherein x/y does not equal 0.5 and at least part of the doped hydrogen storage material is amorphous. The doped hydrogen storage materials are used for storing hydrogen, and also disclosed is a method for reversibly desorbing and/or absorbing hydrogen.

Abstract: A mass spectrometer comprises an ion source which provides a beam of ions; a mass filter comprising a pair of electrodes and a drive circuit, the drive circuit operable to apply a time varying voltage to the electrodes having a profile that accelerates the ions to equal velocities irrespective of their mass: charge ratios; and an ion detector for detecting the proportions of ions according to their mass-to-charge ratios. In one embodiment, the voltage profile is exponential. In another embodiment, the voltage profile is a sequence of constant amplitude and increasing repetition frequency pulses. The novel mass filter thus imparts equal velocities to all ion species irrespective of their mass. This allows the ion species to be discriminated at the detector by energy, enabling simple and compact detection schemes to be used.