Abstract: Biomedical and tissue engineering devices, such as surgical sutures and microporous scaffolds, respectively, which undergo swelling and increase in dimensions when placed in aqueous environments such as living tissues, are produced by the melt-spinning or electrostatic spinning into strong monofilament and multifilament yarns or microfibrous fabrics, respectively. Such devices are formed from especially high molecular weight crystalline polyether-esters having a minimum inherent viscosity of 0.8 dL/g and heat of fusion of at least 5 J/g, wherein the polyether-esters are made by grafting to a polyester component a polyether glycol component having a minimum molecular weight of about 1 kDa with at least one cyclic monomer.

Abstract: A method of forming battery grids or plates that includes the step of mechanically reshaping or refinishing battery grid wires to improve adhesion between the battery paste and the grid wires. The method is particularly useful in improving the paste adhesion to battery grids formed by a continuous battery grid making process (such as strip expansion, strip stamping, continuous casting) that produces grid wires and nodes with smooth surfaces and a rectangular cross-section. In a preferred version of the method, the grid wires of battery grids produced by a stamping process are deformed such that the grid wires have a cross-section other than the rectangular cross-section produced by the stamping process. The method increases the cycle life of a battery.

Abstract: An SLI battery for use in vehicle applications includes a container, a positive plate and a negative plate disposed within the container, and a separator disposed within the container and separating the positive plate and the negative plate. The positive plate includes a frame, a lug, and a plurality of wires and is formed by book mold gravity casting. The plate is formed of a lead-based alloy consisting essentially of lead, tin in the range of greater than 0.5 percent to about 1.2 percent, calcium in an amount such that the ratio of tin to calcium of greater than 12:1, and silver in the range of greater than 0 to less than 0.015 percent, where the percentages are based upon the total weight of the alloy.