Abstract: Provided is a smelting method for producing metal by reducing a mixture that includes an oxide ore such as nickel oxide ore, wherein it is possible to improve productivity by raising the metal recovery rate as well as to inexpensively and efficiently produce high-quality metal. The present invention is a smelting method in which: an oxide ore and a carbonaceous reducing agent are mixed; the resulting mixture is heated and subjected to a reduction treatment; and metal and slag, which are reduction products, are obtained, wherein the reduction treatment is carried out in a state in which one or more surface deposits selected from carbonaceous reducing agents, metal oxides, and oxidation inhibitors are deposited on the surface of the mixture.

Abstract: Provided are a nickel-manganese composite hydroxide capable of producing a secondary battery having a high particle fillability and excellent battery characteristics when used as a precursor of a positive electrode active material and a method for producing the same. A nickel-manganese composite hydroxide is represented by General Formula: NixMnyMz(OH)2+? and contains a secondary particle formed of a plurality of flocculated primary particles. The primary particles have an aspect ratio of at least 3, and at least some of the primary particles are disposed radially from a central part of the secondary particle toward an outer circumference thereof. The secondary particle has a ratio I(101)/I(001) of a diffraction peak intensity I(101) of a 101 plane to a peak intensity I(001) of a 001 plane, measured by an X-ray diffraction measurement, of up to 0.15.

Abstract: A positive electrode material for a lithium ion secondary battery containing an olivine-type phosphate-based compound represented by General Formula LixAyDzPO4 (where A is at least one selected from the group consisting of Co, Mn, Ni, Fe, Cu, and Cr, D is at least one selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ti, Zn, V, B, Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sc, and Y, 0.9<x<1.1, 0<y?1.0, 0?z<1.0, 0.9<y+z<1.1) and carbon, wherein the positive electrode material includes an agglomerate wherein primary particles which consist of the olivine-type phosphate-based compound agglomerate, and the agglomerate is a dense agglomerate, wherein a volume density of the agglomerate is 70% by volume or more and 85% by volume or less of a volume density of a solid body which has the same external appearance as the agglomerate.

Abstract: Provided is an optical film (composite tungsten oxide film containing cesium, tungsten, and oxygen), a sputtering target, and a method of producing an optical film by which film formation conditions can be easily obtained. An optical film of the present invention has transmissivity in a visible wavelength band, has absorbance in a near-infrared wavelength band, and has radio wave transparency, characterized in that the optical film comprises cesium, tungsten, and oxygen, and a refractive index n and an extinction coefficient k of the optical film at each of wavelengths [300 nm, 350 nm, 400 nm, 450 nm, . . . , 1700 nm] specified at 50 nm intervals in a wavelength region from 300 nm to 1700 nm are set respectively within specified numerical ranges.

Abstract: An adhesive composition layer that transmits light in a visible light region and absorbs light in a near-infrared region, has a low haze value, and a near-infrared absorbing film, a laminated structure, a laminated body using the above adhesive composition and adhesive layer, and an adhesive layer, a near-infrared absorbing film, a laminated structure, a laminated body, and an adhesive composition containing composite tungsten oxide fine particles, a dispersant, a metal coupling agent having an amino group, an adhesive, and a crosslinking agent, wherein the composite tungsten oxide fine particles include a hexagonal crystal structure, and the composite tungsten oxide fine particles have lattice constant values such as 7.3850 ? or more and 7.4186 ? or less on the a-axis, and 7.5600 ? or more and 7.6240 ? or less on the c-axis, and the composite tungsten oxide fine particles having an average particle size of 100 nm or less.

Abstract: Provided are a positive electrode active material that can provide a secondary battery extremely excellent in output characteristics and having sufficient volume energy density, a nickel-manganese composite hydroxide as a precursor thereof, and methods for producing these. A nickel-manganese composite hydroxide is represented by General Formula (1): NixMnyMz(OH)2+? and contains a secondary particle formed of a plurality of flocculated primary particles. The nickel-manganese composite hydroxide has a half width of a (001) plane of at least 0.40° and has an average degree of sparsity/density represented by [(a void area within the secondary particle/a cross section of the secondary particle)×100] (%) falling within a range of greater than 22% and up to 40%.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery, including a lithium-nickel composite oxide having a hexagonal layered structure and configured by particles including at least either single primary particles or secondary particles with a plurality of aggregated primary particles, wherein the particles included in the positive electrode active material have a cross section having one or more crystal faces, and the one or more crystal faces in the particles have an average misorientation of 0.7° or less from a reference orientation of each of the one or more crystal faces.

Abstract: A positive electrode material for a lithium ion secondary battery containing carbon, in which, when a peak of the carbon that is measured by Raman scattering and is present at 2200 to 3400 cm?1 is peak-separated into peaks including five types of Voigt functions of a peak 1 having a peak top present at 2200 to 2380 cm?1, a peak 2 having a peak top present at 2400 to 2550 cm?1, a peak 3 having a peak top present at 2600 to 2750 cm?1, a peak 4 having a peak top present at 2850 to 2950 cm?1, and a peak 5 having a peak top present at 3100 to 3250 cm?1, an average of proportions of Gaussian functions in the peak 3 and the peak 4 is 90% or more and less than 100%.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery, the positive electrode active material including a lithium-nickel composite oxide having a hexagonal layered structure and configured by single primary particles or by single primary particles and secondary particles with a plurality of aggregated primary particles, wherein a number proportion of the single primary particles to all of the particles is 30% or more, a ratio of a (003) diffraction peak intensity I(003) to a (104) diffraction peak intensity I(104) (I(003)/I(104)) is 2.0 or more, and a degree of circularity is 0.93 or more and 1.00 or less.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery, the positive electrode active material including a lithium-nickel composite oxide having a hexagonal layered structure and configured by particles including at least either single primary particles or secondary particles with a plurality of aggregated primary particles, wherein the particles of the positive electrode active material have a cross section having an area proportion of a crystal face having a maximum area in the particle of 80% or more when one crystal face is defined as a region having a crystal misorientation of 15° or less.

Abstract: A metal adsorbent-carrying carbon material for a positive electrode for lithium ion secondary batteries including a carbon material; and a metal adsorbent which is supported on the carbon material, wherein the metal adsorbent is a material which can adsorb iron ions (Fe2+, Fe3+).

Abstract: The positive electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery contains a lithium-nickel composite oxide, in which the lithium-nickel composite oxide contains lithium, nickel, manganese, titanium, niobium, and optionally an element M1, an amount of substance ratio of the respective elements is represented as Li:Ni:Mn:M:Ti:Nb=a:(1?x1?y1?b?c):x1:y1:b:c (provided that, 0.95?a?1.25, (1?x1?y1?b?c)<0.80, 0.03?x1?0.35, 0?y1?0.35, 0.005?b?0.05, and 0.001<c?0.03), in the amount of substance ratio, (b+c)?0.06 and b>c are satisfied, and an amount of lithium to be eluted in water is 0.07% by mass or less.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a lithium-nickel composite oxide, wherein the lithium-nickel composite oxide is represented by a following general formula: Li1+uNixCoyAsBtO2+?, wherein u, x, y, s, t and ? in the formula satisfy 0?u<0.3, 0.03?x?0.93, 0.03?y?0.50, 0.04?s?0.6, 0?t<0.1, 0??<0.3 and x+y+s+t=1, wherein an element A is at least one selected from Mn and Al, and an element B is at least one selected from Mg, Ca, Ti, V, Zr, Nb, Mo, Sr and W, and wherein a content of Fe is less than 10 ppb, and a content of Cr is less than 10 ppb.

Abstract: To provide a copper-clad laminate which maintains adhesion between a resin film and a conductor layer and which suppresses the occurrence of wrinkles. A copper-clad laminate has a base film containing a thermoplastic resin, an underlying metal layer film-formed on a surface of the base film by a dry plating method, and a copper layer film-formed on a surface of the underlying metal layer. The underlying metal layer has a mean thickness of 0.3 to 1.9 nm. Since the underlying metal layer has a mean thickness of 0.3 nm or more, it is possible to maintain adhesion between the base film and a conductor layer. Since the underlying metal layer has a mean thickness of 1.9 nm or less, it is possible to suppress an increase in the temperature of a film during film-forming of the underlying metal layer, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles.

Abstract: Provided are a positive electrode active material with which a secondary battery having high charging and discharging capacities and an excellent cycle characteristic can be obtained, and a method for producing the same. A positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a lithium-metal composite oxide represented by a general formula: LiaNixCoyMnzMtO2+? and containing a secondary particle formed of a plurality of flocculated primary particles. A void ratio obtained from an image analysis result of a cross section of the secondary particle, the image thereof being obtained by a scanning electron microscope, is at least 5% and up to 50% in a first area that is from a central part of the secondary particle to one half of a radius of the secondary particle, and is up to 1.5% in a second area that is outside the first area.

Abstract: The method includes: a dry mixing process of mixing a tungsten compound with a lithium nickel manganese cobalt-containing composite oxide that is a base material to obtain a mixture; a water spray mixing process of spraying water to the mixture while the mixture is stirred, to mix the mixture; a heat treatment process of subjecting the mixture obtained after the water spray mixing process to a heat treatment at a temperature of 500° C. or lower; and a drying process of drying the mixture obtained after the heat treatment process at a temperature of 500° C. or lower to obtain a W- and Li-containing compound-coated lithium nickel manganese cobalt-containing composite oxide in which fine particles and coating films of a W- and Li-containing compound exist on a surface of the primary particles, and in at least drying process, the drying is performed using a vacuum dry mixing apparatus in a vacuum atmosphere.

Abstract: Provided is a positive electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a LiNi composite oxide having low internal resistance and excellent thermal stability. The positive electrode active material is obtained by performing a water washing process using a water spray on a LiNi composite oxide powder obtained by a firing step until the filtrate has an electric conductivity of 30 to 60 mS/cm, and then dried, where the LiNi composite oxide is represented by the composition formula (1): LibNi1?aM1aO2, where M1 represents at least one kind of element selected from transition metal elements other than Ni, group 2 elements, and group 13 elements, and 0.01?a?0.5, and 0.85?b?1.05.

Abstract: Provided is a nickel powder in which growth of the nickel hydroxide component into a plate-shaped crystal is suppressed in the oxide film, and the content of coarse particles containing plate-shaped nickel hydroxide is small, and provided is a method for manufacturing the nickel powder by a wet process in which the nickel powder can be produced further simply and easily. A nickel powder including: particles having a substantially spherical shape and a number average size of 0.03 ?m to 0.4 ?m; and an oxide film, on the particle surface, containing a basic salt of nickel hydroxide, wherein the content of coarse particles having a particle size of more than 0.8 ?m is 200 mass ppm or less, and the content of coarse particles having a particle size of more than 1.2 ?m is 100 mass ppm or less.

Abstract: An infrared-absorbing fine particle-containing composition, including: infrared absorbing fine particles, a dispersant, and a solvent, wherein the dispersant has a polyether structure, has a glass transition temperature of ?150° C. or higher and 0° C. or lower, and is contained in an amount of 10 parts by mass or more with respect to 100 parts by mass of the infrared absorbing fine particles, and a solvent content is 10 mass % or less.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a lithium metal composite oxide, wherein the lithium metal composite oxide is represented by a general formula: LiaNi1-x-y-zCoxDyEzO2 (wherein, in the formula, 0.05?x?0.35, 0?y?0.35, 0.002?z?0.05, 1.00?a?1.30, an element D is at least one type of element selected from Mn, V, Mo, Nb, Ti, and W, and an element E is an element forming an alloy with lithium at a potential more noble than a potential in which ions of the element E are reduced), wherein the lithium metal composite oxide includes primary and secondary particles formed by aggregating the primary particles, wherein an oxide containing the element E exists at a surface of at least either of the primary and secondary particles.