Abstract: The method for producing a titanium oxide sol suitable for a photoelectric conversion device, and a dye-sensitized photoelectric conversion device excellent in photoelectric conversion efficiency comprises the steps of hydrolyzing an orthotitanate, and dehydrating the resultant hydrolyzate in the presence of an acid catalyst, wherein an alcohol contained in the reaction liquid is removed before the dehydrating step.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a metal oxide powder for high precision polishing and prepartion thereof, comprising aggregates formed by cohesion of primary particles, which has a cohesive degree (&agr;) of 1.1 to 2.

Abstract: A metal oxide which has a large pore volume, and is very useful as a catalyst support. An alkaline material is added to an aqueous solution in which a compound of a metal element for composing an oxide is dissolved, a resultant mixture is co-precipitated, an obtained precipitate is washed, a washed precipitate is stirred in water along with a surfactant, and is calcined. By adding the surfactant after washing, the pH is not changed so that the adding effect of the surfactant is achieved to its upper most limit, thereby obtaining a metal oxide which has a large pore volume and a large mean diameter of secondary particles, and exhibits excellent gas diffusion properties.

Abstract: A titania-coated honeycomb catalyst matrix is provided for the ultraviolet-photocatalytic oxidation of organic pollutants in a flowing fluid. A honeycomb-shaped skeletal structure (12) has a thin, lightweight substrate (18) of metal or ceramic, typically an aluminum alloy, and a surface coating (20) of photocatalyst, such as titania. The photocatalyst (20) is bonded to the substrate (18) via a thin oxide layer (18′) on the substrate. The oxide layer (18′) may be grown on the substrate. The photocatalyst coating (20) is made by mixing (30) titania powder in a TiO2 sol-gel to form a titania slurry. The substrate with oxide layer is coated (30) with the titania slurry and then heat treated (31). The photocatalyst coating (20) is typically applied to substrate sheets (40, 60, 62) preformed for assembly into a honeycomb-shaped skeletal structure (12) having an array of parallel cells (46, 46′).

Abstract: There is provided a titanium hydroxide having a nitrogen content of 2.3% by weight or more in terms of nitrogen atom based on the titanium hydroxide and/or having a nitrogen content of about 3.3% by weight or more in terms of nitrogen atom based on the titanium oxide obtained after calcining the titanium hydroxide in air at about 400° C. The titanium hydroxide may be utilized as a raw material for producing a photocatalyst which exhibits a superior photocatalytic activity by irradiation of visible light.

Abstract: Nanoscale, pyrogenically produced oxides and/or mixed oxides having a BET surface area of between 1 m2/g and 600 m2/g and a chloride content of less than 0.05 wt. % are produced by converting organometallic and/or organometalloid substances into the oxides at temperatures of above 200° C. The oxides may be used as a polishing agent in the electronics industry (CMP).

Abstract: Disclosed are a porous material comprising particles without substantial fibrous structure and having pores, the pores having a mean pore diameter in a meson-pore region, sharp pore size distribution, and at least a part of the pores being connected three-dimensionally to form a three-dimensional network structure with random passages, the porous material preferably being of alumina and having a spongy structure or the porous material preferably being an aggregate of particles having an aspect ratio of 3 or less; a process of producing the porous material which includes a step of aging a system capable of becoming an oxide on thermal decomposition; a catalyst for exhaust gas purification having excellent NOx removal performance, high resistance against sulfur poisoning, and satisfactory high-temperature durability which comprises the porous material as a carrier having supported thereon a noble metal and an NOx storage component; and a method of exhaust gas purification using the catalyst.

Abstract: Titanium material less susceptible to discoloration and method for thereof are provided. Titanium materials less susceptible to discoloration in the atmosphere are obtainable by controlling the fluorine and carbon contents in the oxide film on the surface thereof and the thickness of the oxide film. Such titanium materials are obtainable by dissolving the surface thereof in an aqueous fluonitric acid solution with a nitric acid concentration of not higher than 80 g/l or heat-treating at between 300 and 900° C. in a vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere of argon or helium after dissolving in the aqueous fluonitric acid solution.

Abstract: Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) precursor compositions for forming Zr/Hf doped gate dielectric, ferroelectric, or high dielectric constant (k) metal oxide thin films. The precursor composition in one embodiment comprises a metal precursor having a general formula M(&bgr;-diketonate)2(OR)2, wherein M is Zr or Hf, and R is t-butyl. The precursor composition may also comprise a solvent medium selected from the group consisting of ethers, glymes, tetraglymes, amines, polyamines, alcohols, glycols, aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents, aromatic hydrocarbon solvents, cyclic ethers, and compatible combinations of two or more of the foregoing.

Abstract: Doped, pyrogenically prepared oxides of metals and/or non-metals which are doped with one or more doping components in an amount of 0.00001 to 20 wt. %. The doping component may be a metal and/or non-metal or an oxide and/or a salt of a metal and/or a non-metal. The BET surface area of the doped oxide may be between 5 and 600 m2/g. The doped pyrogenically prepared oxides of metals and/or non-metals are prepared by adding an aerosol which contains an aqueous solution of a metal and/or non-metal to the gas mixture during the flame hydrolysis of vaporizable compounds of metals and/or non-metals.

Abstract: A titanium oxide precursor which is used for producing a fine-particle titanium oxide showing a high photocatalytic activity is provided. The titanium oxide precursor is an oxygen-atom-containing titanium compound other than anatase-form titanium oxide, and has a maximum exothermic peak at a temperature in the range of from about 30° C. to about 500° C. in a differential thermal analysis curve and shows decrease in weight in a thermogravimetry curve at about the same temperature at which the maximum exothermic peak is shown in the differential thermal analysis curve when subjected to a thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis under the condition of a temperature rising rate of 20° C./min.

Abstract: The present invention relates to high oxygen ion conducting/oxygen storage (OIC/OS) materials, a catalyst employing the OIC/OS materials, and a method for converting hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides using the catalyst. The OIC/OS materials have significantly higher oxygen storage capacity than that predicted based on Ce content due to the unexpected high and facile redox activity of the added niobium. These materials are further characterized by having a tetragonal crystalline structure under oxidizing conditions (in air) up to about 1,200° C. and a cubic crystalline structure in reducing conditions (5% hydrogen) up to about 1,000° C. for 24 hours. These materials comprise, based upon 100 mole % of the metal component in the material, up to about 95 mole % zirconium, up to about 50 mole % cerium, about 0.5 to about 15 mole % rare earth metal(s), alkaline earth metal(s) or a combination thereof, and about 0.5 to about 15 mole % niobium.

Abstract: Methods for preparing hydrous zirconium oxide spherules, hydrous zirconium oxide gels such as gel slabs, films, capillary and electrophoresis gels, zirconium monohydrogen phosphate spherules, hydrous zirconium oxide spherules having suspendable particles homogeneously embedded within to form a composite sorbent, zirconium monohydrogen phosphate spherules having suspendable particles of at least one different sorbent homogeneously embedded within to form a composite sorbent having a desired crystallinity, zirconium oxide spherules having suspendable particles homogeneously embedded within to form a composite, hydrous zirconium oxide fiber materials, zirconium oxide fiber materials, hydrous zirconium oxide fiber materials having suspendable particles homogeneously embedded within to form a composite, zirconium oxide fiber materials having suspendable particles homogeneously embedded within to form a composite and spherules of barium zirconate.

Abstract: The invention provides a process of producing a titanium oxide-forming solution, wherein a hydrogen peroxide solution is added to a titanium-containing starting aqueous solution to form a peroxotitanium complex, a basic substance is then added to the peroxotitanium complex to obtain a solution which is in turn let stand or heated, thereby forming a precipitate of a peroxotitanium hydrate polymer, at least a dissolved component derived from the titanium-containing starting aqueous solution, except water, is then removed from the precipitate, and a hydroxide peroxide solution is finally allowed to act on a dissolved component-free precipitate. The invention also provides a dispersion with titanium oxide dispersed therein.

Abstract: Metal oxides particularly useful for the manufacture of catalytic membranes for gas-phase oxygen separation processes having the formula: AxA′x′A″2-(x+x′)ByFey′B″2-(y+y′)O5+z where: x and x′ are greater than 0; y and y′ are greater than 0; x+x′ is equal to 2; y+y′ is less than or equal to 2; z is a number that makes the metal oxide charge neutral; A is an element selected from the lanthanide elements; A′ is an element selected from Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Ra; A″ is an element selected from the f block lanthanides, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Ra; B is an element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, In or mixtures thereof and B″ is Co or Mg, with the exception that when B″ is Mg, A′ and A″ are not Mg. The metal oxides are useful for preparation of dense membranes which may be formed from dense thin films of the mixed metal oxide on a porous metal oxide element.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods of producing catalysts comprising zirconia and their use in nitrous oxide abatement. The catalysts have relatively high crush strength and relatively low density when compared to those catalysts made by previously known methods.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for producing films of a composite comprising a metal oxide in combination with one or more other oxides or metals as a third component, or a composite comprising a metal oxide doped with metal ions as a third component, methods for producing titanium oxide coating layers having transparency, low peeling property and weather resistance, which are comparable to or even more excellent than those of conventional ones, as well as surface hardness comparable to that of coating films produced by using sintering, on plastic substrates, and methods for producing titanium oxide which exhibits photocatalytic activity even with light of visible light range. These methods do not require a treatment at a high temperature.

Abstract: A ceramic bearing ball in which at least a portion of a constituent ceramic is formed of an electrically conductive inorganic compound phase, whereby a proper electrical conductivity is imparted to the ceramic. Thus, electrifying of a bearing ball is prevented or effectively suppressed. This prevents the problem involved in production of balls of small diameter wherein such balls adhere to an apparatus (e.g., a container) during production thereof, thus hindering smooth progress of the production process. In addition, when ceramic balls are used in precision electronic equipment, such as a hard disk drive of a computer, which is operated at high rotational speed, adhesion of foreign substance due to electrification of the balls, and resultant generation of abnormal noise or vibration can be prevented or effectively suppressed.

Abstract: The process produces a stabilized zirconia powder by first contacting zirconium basic carbonate particles with a stabilizer compound. This reacts the zirconium basic carbonate particles with the stabilizer compound through heterogeneous contact to form a stabilized zirconia precursor. The stabilizer compound is for stabilizing a phase structure selected from the group consisting of tetragonal phase, cubic phase and mixtures of tetragonal and cubic phases. And calcining the stabilized zirconia precursor removes gaseous by-products and forms the stabilized zirconia powder. The stabilized zirconia powder has a phase structure selected from the group consisting of tetragonal, cubic and mixtures of tetragonal and cubic.

Abstract: Potassium titanate powder with no risk of carcinogenic property, comprising particles with a length of less than 2 &mgr;m, a length/breadth ratio of less than 5 and, further, comprising 90% or more of particles with the ratio less than 2 and 97% or more of particles with the ratio of less than 3, based on the ratio of the number of particles.

Abstract: A method of producing an electronic device including a dielectric layer includes a dielectric ceramic composition containing a main component expressed by a formula of {(Sr1−xCax)O}m.(Ti1−yZry)O2, wherein x fulfills 0≦x≦1.00 and y fulfills 0≦y≦0.20, and producing said dielectric ceramic composition by using a material expressed by a formula of {(Sr1−xCax)O}m′.(Ti1−yZry)O2 wherein the mole ratio m′ fulfills m′<m. It is possible to produce an electronic device, such as a chip capacitor, having excellent resistance to reducing during firing and excellent capacity-temperature characteristics after firing, wherein the insulation resistance is hard to be deteriorated particularly when made to be a thin layer and defect rate of the initial insulation resistance is low.

Abstract: A process to produce stabilized zirconia from a solution of zirconium salt and a stabilizing agent. The zirconium salt may include zirconium oxysulfate, zirconium oxychloride, zirconium oxynitrate, zirconium nitrate, and other water-soluble zirconium salts. The stabilizing agent may include calcium, magnesium, yttrium salts of oxides and rare earth oxides. The process is conducted by evaporation of the solution above the boiling point of the solution but below the temperature where there is significant crystal growth. The evaporation step is followed by calcination to produce the desired nano-sized structure. Further processing by sintering may be applied to produce solid structures or by milling and classification to produce material for thermal spray coating.

Abstract: A method and furnace are described for producing a fused oxide body by decomposing a precursor compound of the oxide in a flame to form molten oxide particles and collecting those particles in a furnace constructed of a refractory material to form a fused oxide body, the improvement in the method comprising treating the refractory material with a strong acid in liquid form to react with, and thereby remove, contaminants from at least the surface of the refractory material.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for preparing nanoscale metal-based powders from a metal salt and an amphiphilic copolymer containing ethylene oxide. The copolymer and metal salt are mixed to form a metal salt/copolymer paste which is then calcined at a temperature sufficient to remove water and organics and to form a metal oxide.

Abstract: Mixed oxides of cerium oxide and zirconium oxides having a high oxygen storage and high oxygen release rate are disclosed. The mixed oxides are made of polycrystalline particles of cerium oxide and zirconium oxide having a controlled domain structure on the subcrystalline level wherein adjacent domains within a single crystallite have a different ratio of zirconium and cerium. The mixed oxides are prepared by a co-precipitation technique using mixed salt solutions of cerium and zirconium having a solid content of at least 23%, based on an oxide basis.

Abstract: Pyrogenically, especially flame-hydrolytically produced zirconium dioxide powder with a specific surface area between 20 and 200 m2/g, a primary particle size between 7 and 100 nm, a tamped density of the deacidified and non-deacidified zirconium dioxide between 40 and 150 g/l with Sears numbers of the deacidified and non-deacidified zirconium dioxide between 1 and 20 ml/2 g and with a chlorine content of the deacidified zirconium dioxide less than 0.6% by weight. These are produced by evaporating zirconium halides, mixing the vapors alone or together with a carrier gas in a burner with air, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen, causing the gases to react with each other in a flame in a closed burner chamber, cooling off the waste gases and the zirconium dioxide in a heat exchanger unit, separating the waste gases from the zirconium dioxide and removing any halide remnants adhering to the zirconium dioxide by a heat treatment with moistened air.

Abstract: A chemical synthetic route for nanostructured materials that is scalable to large volume production, comprising spray atomization of a reactant solution into a precursor solution to form a nanostructured oxide or hydroxide precipitate. The precipitate is then heat-treated followed by sonication, or sonicated followed by heat treatment. This route yields nanostructured doped and undoped nickel hydroxide, manganese dioxide, and ytrria-stabilized zirconia. Unusual morphological superstructures may be obtained, including well-defined cylinders or nanorods, as well as a novel structure in nickel hydroxide and manganese dioxide, comprising assemblies of nanostructured fibers, assemblies of nanostructured fibers and agglomerates of nanostructured particles, and assemblies of nanostructured fibers and nanostructured particles. These novel structures have high percolation rates and high densities of active sites, rendering them particularly suitable for catalytic applications.

Abstract: A process for the production of ultrafine powders that includes subjecting a mixture of precursor metal compound and a non-reactant diluent phase to mechanical milling whereby the process of mechanical activation reduces the microstructure of the mixture to the form of nano-sized grains of the metal compound uniformly dispersed in the diluent phase. The process also includes heat treating the mixture of nano-sized grains of the metal compound uniformly dispersed in the diluent phase to convert the nano-sized grains of the metal compound into a metal oxide phase. The process further includes removing the diluent phase such that the nano-sized grains of the metal oxide phase are left behind in the form of an ultrafine powder.

Abstract: Method for producing a sputtering target with a lowered oxygen content by providing an alloy selected from the group consisting of NiFe, CoCrPt, CoCrPtB, CoPt, PtMn, FeAlSi, FeCo, and FeMn; adding an oxygen scavenger element to the molten alloy selected from the group consisting of Group 4A, 3B and 4B elements; melting the alloy and the oxygen scavenger; reacting the oxygen scavenger element with oxygen in the melt to reduce the oxygen content of the alloy to a level of not more than 50 ppm and achieving a residual oxygen scavenger element content of not more than 100 ppm.

Abstract: There are provided:

Abstract: Metal oxide microspheres, particularly zirconia microspheres, produced by a method of hydrolysis of metal alkoxides in alcohol solutions in the presence of an organic acid or salt thereof with washing step or addition of a surfactant.

Abstract: A composite metal material of formula (I) are stable and not deteriorated for a long time and have excellent activities in photolyzing water with visible light: x(A)y(B)z(C)-p(P)n(N)  (I) wherein, (A) is Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 or Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3, (B) is PbTiO3, (C) is LiTaO3, (P) is a metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Au, Ag, Pd and Rh, (N) is an oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Fe, Sr, Sc, Ru, Cu and Cd, x is a number in the range of 0.65 to 0.98, y is a number in the range of 0.01 to 0.34, z is a number in the range of 0.01 to 0.1, and p and n are each independently a number in the range of 0.01 to 5.

Abstract: A highly pure oxide powder can be prepared by a simple process comprising hydrothermally reacting oxide precursors in the presence of a metal complex-forming ligand.

Abstract: A method of producing fine particles of an oxide of a metal, comprising the steps of: preparing an acidic solution which contains ions of the metal; precipitating fine particles of a hydroxide of the metal by adding an alkaline solution to the acidic solution; collecting the fine particles of the hydroxide of the metal precipitated in a mixed solution of the acidic solution and the alkaline solution; mixing fine particles of a carbon with the collected fine particles of the hydroxide of the metal; and heat-treating a mixture of the fine particles of the hydroxide of the metal and the fine particles of the carbon at a predetermined temperature in a non-reducing atmosphere, whereby the fine particles of the oxide of the metal are produced.

Abstract: An amorphous titanium peroxide sol made by a process which includes adding an alkali hydroxide to an aqueous titanium salt solution and reacting the resulting amorphous titanium hydroxide with an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution to obtain an amorphous titanium peroxide sol. The amorphous titanium peroxide sol is afterward raised to a temperature sufficient to obtain an anatase titanium oxide sol. The resulting anatase titanium oxide sol can thereafter be heated to a temperature sufficient to obtain anatase titanium oxide. The claimed compositions are useful as binders to support the particles of a photocatalyst on a variety of substrates.

Abstract: A cathode material for a lithium secondary battery having a high capacity, an excellent cycle property, and an excellent thermal stability. The cathode material for the lithium secondary battery is a layered compound having a general formula: LixNi1-a-b-c-dCOaM1bM2cM3dO2, wherein M1, M2, M3 are selected from Ti, Mg, B and Al and wherein the characters x, a, b, c and d respectively satisfy 1.0≦x≦1.2; 0.3≦a≦0.3; 0.005≦b≦0.1; 0.005≦c≦0.1; 0.005≦d≦0.1; and 0.115≦a+b+c+d≦0.

Abstract: A collection of nanoscale particles are a composite of carbon and metal oxide or silicon oxide. The composite particles have an average diameter from about 5 nm to about 1000 nm, and can be produced by laser pyrolysis. The laser pyrolysis involves the formation of a molecular stream including a metal precursor, an infrared absorber, an oxidizing agent and a carbon precursor. The pyrolysis is driven by heat absorbed from a laser beam. Furthermore, nanoparticles including titanium oxide with a rutile crystal structure have been produced.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a product based on a simple or mixed metal oxide, or silicon oxide, from a charge of one or more precursors comprising one or more organic precursors. These oxides can be, for example, oxides of Ti, Al, Mg, Th, Si, Ba, Bc or Zr etc. The method comprises bringing the charge of organo-metallic precursors into contact with a reaction medium that comprises supercritical C02, at a temperature of from 31 to 100° C. and a supercritical pressure of from 3×107 to 5×107 Pa, in order to form from the precursor, a product based on a simple or mixed metal oxide, or silicon oxide, from the reaction medium by reducing the pressure of the supercritical C02 to a pressure lower than the supercritical pressure.

Abstract: A sol-gel process for producing layers of zirconium oxide is described which comprises the following stages:

Abstract: A zirconia sol comprising an aqueous phase having dispersed therein a plurality of single crystal zirconia particles having an average primary particle size less than about 20 nm. The zirconia sols are substantially non associated having a dispersion index ranging from about 1-3 and are highly crystalline exhibiting a crystallinity index of about 0.65 or greater. Of the crystalline phase, about 70% or greater exists in combined cubic and tetragonal crystal lattice structures without a crystal phase stabilizer. Also described is a hydrothermal method of making zirconia sols having substantially non-associated zirconia particles and composite materials made from the zirconia sols.

Abstract: In one aspect, the invention encompasses a method of chemically converting a first material to a second material. A first plasma and a second plasma are formed, and the first plasma is in fluid communication with the second plasma. The second plasma comprises activated hydrogen and oxygen, and is formed from a water vapor. A first material is flowed into the first plasma to at least partially ionize at least a portion of the first material. The at least partially ionized first material is flowed into the second plasma to react at least some components of the first material with at least one of the activated hydrogen and activated oxygen. Such converts at least some of the first material to a second material. In another aspect, the invention encompasses a method of forming a synthetic gas by flowing a hydrocarbon-containing material into a hybrid-plasma system.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for preparing metal oxide slurries suitable for the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of semiconductor devices. A suspension of metal oxide in water is dispersed at a predetermined pressure through an orifice of a dispersion chamber while two intensifier pumps are used to maintain the pressure applied to the dispersion chamber constantly, resulting in restraining or minimizing the generation of macro particles as large as or larger than 1 &mgr;m. The metal oxide slurries are uniform in particle size with narrow particle size distribution and show excellent polishing performance with a significant reduction in the occurrence frequency of microscratches, so that they are suitable for CMP of ultra-integrated semiconductor devices.

Abstract: A metal-zirconium oxide material made by sol-gel techniques from alkoxides including heterometallic alkoxides. The heterometallic alkoxides include zirconium and another metal selected from alkali metals and alkaline earth metal. Optionally, in forming this material, heterometallic alkoxides of zirconium and lanthanide metal may be included during sol-gel processing, as well as mono-metal alkoxides of these metals or zirconium.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device having a photosensitive layer comprising semiconductor particles is disclosed, in which the semiconductor particles are obtained from a metal hydroxide gel or a precursor thereof present in a hydrophilic solvent. Also disclosed in a photoelectric cell including the photoelectric conversion device.

Abstract: Potassium titanate fine particles wherein the length is shorter than 5 &mgr;m, the content of the particles having the ratio of the length to the breadth is less than 3 is from 70 to 100% by number ratio, the diffraction intensity in the X-ray diffraction is low and the particles are low crystallinity, and the specific surface area thereof is from 20 to 50 m2/g.

Abstract: There is provided a titanium hydroxide having a nitrogen content of 2.3% by weight or more in terms of nitrogen atom based on the titanium hydroxide and/or having a nitrogen content of about 3.3% by weight or more in terms of nitrogen atom based on the titanium oxide obtained after calcining the titanium hydroxide in air at about 400° C. The titanium hydroxide may be utilized as a raw material for producing a photocatalyst which exhibits a superior photocatalytic activity by irradiation of visible light.

Abstract: Doped, pyrogenically prepared oxides of metals and/or non-metals which are doped with one or more doping components in an amount of 0.00001 to 20 wt. %. The doping component may be a metal and/or non-metal or an oxide and/or a salt of a metal and/or a non-metal. The BET surface area of the doped oxide may be between 5 and 600 m2/g. The doped pyrogenically prepared oxides of metals and/or non-metals are prepared by adding an aerosol which contains an aqueous solution of a metal and/or non-metal to the gas mixture during the flame hydrolysis of vaporizable compounds of metals and/or non-metals.

Abstract: A method for producing fine particles of metal oxide characterized in that metal halide is hydrolyzed in the presence of organic solvent. According to this invention, under hydrolysis of titanium tetrachrolide, anatase type titanium oxide can be obtained by selecting hydrophilic organic solvent, and rutile type titanium oxide can be obtained by selecting hydrophobic organic solvent.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing ultrafine particulate complex oxide containing titanium oxide, including vapor-phase producing a complex oxide containing titanium oxide having a BET specific surface area of about 5 to about 200 m2/g, where a starting material gas containing titanium tetrachloride and an oxidizing gas are preheated to about 700° C. or more, and are reacted with a solution or a slurry of a salt containing a metallic element The present invention also provides an ultrafine particulate complex oxide containing titanium oxide obtained by the process, and use of the oxide.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to the synthesis, processing and test of improved spin-on precursor materials comprising at least one Group II metal and at least one Group IV or Group V metal, useful for making thin oxide films, useful, for example, in various electronic devices, such as ferroelectric devices. For example, barium strontium titanate spin-on precursor materials are useful for making thin films of barium strontium titanate (BST) for, e.g., ferroelectric capacitors. A method is provided for fabricating electronic devices employing such Group II-Group IV (or V) oxides as the active device, using polyether acids. The method comprises: (a) providing a substrate; (b) forming a bottom electrode on the substrate; (c) depositing a solution comprising polyether acid salts of the Group II and Group IV or Group V metal ions; (d) forming the oxide film from the solution; and (e) forming a top electrode on the oxide film.