Abstract: This invention relates to preparation and use of nanocomposites formed in situ within an elastomer host wherein the nanocomposite is comprised of an elastomer matrix and a dispersion therein of at least partially exfoliated clay platelets. Rubber composites can be prepared by blending such nanocomposite with additional elastomer(s), additional reinforcing filler(s) and/or a coupling agent. The invention further relates to the preparation of articles of manufacture, including tires, having at least one component comprised of said nanocomposite or said rubber composite. Such a tire component may be selected from, for example, tire tread and tire innerliner.

Abstract: This invention relates to preparation and use of nanocomposites comprised of an elastomer matrix which contains a dispersion therein of at least partially exfoliated platelets of an intercalated, multilayered, water swellable clay (e.g. montmorillonite clay). The exfoliated platelets are derived from such intercalated clay formed by an in situ cation exchange phenomenon between cationically exchangeable ions within the galleries between the layers of the multilayered clay with a preformed latex of cationic (positively charged) elastomer particles.

Abstract: A three-dimensional microstructure includes a plurality of structure elements, each structure element having a width, a length and a height, wherein a significant proportion of the structure elements have height dimensions which exceed their width and length dimensions. A method of fabricating such a microstructure includes the steps of: forming a mask with a plurality of regions, each region having a predetermined degree of transparency to UV radiation; providing a substrate (5) coated with a thick layer (6) of UV resist material; using UV radiation to irradiate through each of the regions of the mask a corresponding region of the layer of UV resist; and developing the layer of UV resist to remove irradiated regions, wherein the depth of each region is dependent upon the degree of transparency of the corresponding region of the mask.

Abstract: Two and three dimensional polynucleic acid structures, such as periodic lattices, may be constructed from an ordered array of antiparallel double crossover molecules assembled from single stranded oligonucleotides or polynucleotides. These antiparallel double crossover molecules have the structural rigidity necessary to serve as building block components for two and three dimensional structures having the high translational symmetry associated with crystals.