Abstract: An electrode for an electrochemical device is disclosed. The electrode comprises a lithium host material; and a porous coating on the lithium host material. The porous coating can comprise a solid-state ion conducting electrolyte material selected from: (i) lithium aluminum oxides, (ii) lithium containing phosphates, (iii) LixPON wherein x is 1, 1.5, 3, or 6, (iv) LixSiPON wherein x is 1, 1.5, 3, or 6, (v) LixSiON wherein x is 2, 4, or 6, (vi) lithium lanthanum zirconium oxides, and (vii) mixtures of two or more of (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), and (vi). The porous coating comprising the solid-state ion conducting electrolyte material may be formed from one or more precursors that form the porous coating comprising the solid-state ion conducting electrolyte material upon cycling of the electrochemical device.

Abstract: A method of synthesizing a precursor for making a polymer, glass, or ceramic material is provided. The method includes reacting OPCl3 with NH3 or MNH2, where M is Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Ba, or combinations thereof, to form O?P(NH2)3. The method then includes either: (i) reacting the O?P(NH2)3 with M1NH2, where M1 is Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Ba, or combinations thereof, to form the precursor; or (ii) heating the O?P(NH2)3 to form a branched or cyclomeric compound, and reacting the branched or cyclomeric compound with M1NH2, where M1 is Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Ba, or combinations thereof, to form the precursor. The precursor is an oligomer or a polymer. Uses for the precursor and the polymer, glass, or ceramic material as binders, sintering aids, adhesives, and electrolytes in battery components are also provided.

Abstract: A method of making a thin film is provided. The method includes ball milling a suspension including a nanopowder, an additive component, and a solvent to generate a suspension of milled nanopowder, disposing a layer of the suspension of milled nanopowder onto a substrate, drying the layer by removing at least a portion of the solvent to form a green film, compressing the green film to form a compressed green film, debindering the compressed green film to form a debindered film, and sintering the debindered film to generate the thin film. The additive component includes a component selected from the group consisting of a dispersant, a binder, a plasticizer, and combinations thereof.

Abstract: The direct depolymerization of biogenic and other high surface area silica sources uses both simple and hindered diols to produce alkoxysilanes in one or two steps that can be separated and purified directly from the reaction mixture by distillation, extraction or filtration followed by solution modification and distillation or extraction. The alkoxysilanes can take the form of spirosiloxanes or simple alkoxysilanes or oligomers thereof. Thereafter they can be treated with acid to produce colloidal or precipitated silica or aerosolized and combusted to provide fumed silica without the intervention of SiCl4.

Abstract: The present invention discloses glycoxy silanes as a source of silica and silica precipitated by advantageous chemical reactions preferably beginning with biogenic silica. Alkoxy C—O—S1 are hydrolyzed in a controlled fashion to nucleate formation of nanoparticles of silica. The growth rate of the particles is controlled by various parameters such that particles of known sizes, size distributions, specific surface areas and pore sizes and size distributions are recovered.

Abstract: The present invention discloses glycoxy silanes as a source of silica and silica precipitated by advantageous chemical reactions preferably beginning with biogenic silica. Alkoxy C—O—S1 are hydrolyzed in a controlled fashion to nucleate formation of nanoparticles of silica. The growth rate of the particles is controlled by various parameters such that particles of known sizes, size distributions, specific surface areas and pore sizes and size distributions are recovered.

Abstract: The direct depolymerization of biogenic and other high surface area silica sources uses both simple and hindered diols to produce alkoxysilanes in one or two steps that can be separated and purified directly from the reaction mixture by distillation, extraction or filtration followed by solution modification and distillation or extraction. The alkoxysilanes can take the form of spirosiloxanes or simple alkoxysilanes or oligomers thereof. Thereafter they can be treated with acid to produce colloidal or precipitated silica or aerosolized and combusted to provide fumed silica without the intervention of SiCl4.

Abstract: A low cost process is provided for creating high purity silicon from agricultural waste, particularly rice hull ash. The process uses a series of chemical and thermal steps to yield high purity silica while using less energy and more efficient chemical processes. The high purity silicon features fewer impurities that negatively affect the use of high purity for PV cells and reduces capital and operating costs of processes to yield ultra-pure silicon.

Abstract: A method of producing alkoxysilanes and precipitated silicas from biogenic silicas is provided. In a first step, biogenically concentrated silica is mixed with a liquid polyol to obtain a mixture, and then the mixture is heated. In a second step, a base is added to obtain a reaction mixture. In a third step, the reaction mixture is filtered to remove the carbon enriched RHA or other undissolved biogenic silica and recover the solution of alkoxysilane and alcoholate. In a fourth step, alkoxysilane is purified by filtering, distilling, precipitating or extracting from the original reaction solution to precipitate various forms of silica. In a final step, residual base present in alkoxysilane is neutralized to eliminate the residual alkali metal base.

Abstract: A method of forming a silsesquioxane/Q/siloxane polymer or oligomer system used to form coatings or monoliths, includes the step of mixing silsesquioxane, siloxane and alkoxysilane components having structures as presented below in ratios as presented below with a soluble F? catalyst and water in a suitable solvent so that on stirring at temperatures of ?20° to approximately 100° C. all of the components dissolve producing a solution. A soluble oligomer is formed in equilibribum with single molecules with specific structures including [RSiO1.5]x[R?MeSiO]y[R?Me2SiOSiO1.5]z (where R?R? or R? or R1 or R2 as denoted below) and where x, y and z are mole fractions whose sum is equal to one.

Abstract: The invention is generally related to process for generating one or more molecules having the formula SixHy, SixDy, SixHyDz, and mixtures thereof, where x,y and z are integers ?1, H is hydrogen and D is deuterium, such as silane, comprising the steps of: providing a silicon containing material, wherein the silicon containing material includes at least 20 weight percent silicon atoms based on the total weight of the silicon containing material; generating a plasma capable of vaporizing a silicon atom, sputtering a silicon atom, or both using a plasma generating device; and contacting the plasma to the silicon containing material in a chamber having an atmosphere that includes at least about 0.5 mole percent hydrogen atoms and/or deuterium atoms based on the total moles of atoms in the atmosphere; so that a molecule having the formula SixHy; (e.g., silane) is generated. The process preferably includes a step of removing one or more impurities from the SixHy (e.g.

Abstract: A method of forming a coating comprising the steps of dissolving an silsesquioxane (e.g., one that is primarily a cage compound with 8, 10, 12, 14 or related complete cages or with partially condensed cages containing primarily Si(O)4 units in the cage) in a solvent to form an silsesquioxane solution; introducing (e.g., dissolving) an additive in the solution (e.g., the additive being selected from a rare earth compound, an acid, an organic moiety, a precious metal or compound thereof, a transition metal compound, or any combination thereof, or any of their ionic constituents); and optionally mixing a diluent with the solution to form a coating that is applied to a substrate, wherein the resulting coating forms crosslinks between resulting pendant Si(OH)x groups and a substrate surface. The present invention also contemplates coatings and coated articles consistent with the present teachings.

Abstract: The present invention discloses glycoxy silanes as a source of silica and silica precipitated by advantageous chemical reactions preferably beginning with biogenic silica. Alkoxy C—O—S1 are hydrolyzed in a controlled fashion to nucleate formation of nanoparticles of silica. The growth rate of the particles is controlled by various parameters such that particles of known sizes, size distributions, specific surface areas and pore sizes and size distributions are recovered.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for providing an agricultural waste product having amorphous silica, carbon, and impurities; extracting from the agricultural waste product an amount of the impurities; changing the ratio of carbon to silica; and reducing the silica to a high purity silicon (e.g., to photovoltaic silicon).

Abstract: Methods of making and compositions of dense sintered ceramic nano- and micro-composite materials that are highly stable in a variety of conditions and exhibit superior toughness and strength. Liquid feed flame spray pyrolysis techniques form a plurality of nanoparticles (e.g., powder), each having a core region including a first metal oxide composition comprising Ce and/or Zr or other metals and a shell region including a second metal oxide composition comprising Al or other metals. In certain aspects, the core region comprises a partially stabilized tetragonal ZrO2 and the shell region comprises an ?-Al2O3 phase. The average actual density of the ceramic after sintering is greater than 50% and up to or exceeding 90% of a theoretical density of the ceramic.

Abstract: Fluoride catalyzed rearrangement reactions of polymeric silsesquioxanes [RSiO1.5]n involve reacting at least one silsesquioxane material with a catalytic amount of an organic fluoride at a temperature ranging from about ?50° C. to about 120° C. thereby forming a reaction mixture for a period ranging from 60 minutes to 48 hours. To the reaction mixture, a quenching agent is added to remove fluoride from the reaction mixture. A silsesquioxane cage compound can be isolated from the reaction mixture using a precipitation or other extraction process.

Abstract: Inorganic/organic hybrid polymers containing silsesquioxane cages are robust and exhibit desirable physical properties such as strength, hardness, and optical transparency at infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths. The polymers are prepared by polymerizing functionalized polyhedral silsesquioxane monomers such as polyhedral silsesquioxanes bearing two complementarily reactive functional groups bonded to cage silicon atoms by means of spacer moieties. The spacer moieties allow for steric mobility and more complete cure than polyhedral silsesquioxanes bearing reactive functional groups bound directly to cage silicon atoms.

Abstract: The invention is generally related to process for generating one or more molecules having the formula SixHy, SixDy, SixHyDz, and mixtures thereof, where x,y and z are integers ?1, H is hydrogen and D is deuterium, such as silane, comprising the steps of: providing a silicon containing material, wherein the silicon containing material includes at least 20 weight percent silicon atoms based on the total weight of the silicon containing material; generating a plasma capable of vaporizing a silicon atom, sputtering a silicon atom, or both using a plasma generating device; and contacting the plasma to the silicon containing material in a chamber having an atmosphere that includes at least about 0.5 mole percent hydrogen atoms and/or deuterium atoms based on the total moles of atoms in the atmosphere; so that a molecule having the formula SixHy; (e.g., silane) is generated. The process preferably includes a step of removing one or more impurities from the SixHy (e.g.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for providing an agricultural waste product having amorphous silica, carbon, and impurities; extracting from the agricultural waste product an amount of the impurities; changing the ratio of carbon to silica; and reducing the silica to a high purity silicon (e.g., to photovoltaic silicon).

Abstract: Inorganic/organic hybrid polymers containing silsesquioxane cages are robust and exhibit desirable physical properties such as strength, hardness, and optical transparency at infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths. The polymers are prepared by polymerizing functionalized polyhedral silsesquioxane monomers such as polyhedral silsesquioxanes bearing two complementarily reactive functional groups bonded to cage silicon atoms by means of spacer moieties. The spacer moieties allow for steric mobility and more complete cure than polyhedral silsesquioxanes bearing reactive functional groups bound directly to cage silicon atoms.