Abstract: A nanoporous polymer comprises hollow structures fabricated from crosslinked polymeric strands. The hollow structures are further coupled to other crosslinked polymeric strands by a covalent bond. Particularly contemplated nanoporous polymers have a Tg of no less than 400° C. and a dielectric constant k of no more than 2.5.

Abstract: The present invention provides a prepreg and a circuit board that can achieve, e.g., low interstitial via connection resistance, excellent connection stability, and high durability, regardless of materials, physical properties, and a combination of the materials of an insulating layer. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the prepreg and the circuit board. The prepreg of the present invention includes a laminate including at least one first layer and at least one second layer. The first layer is an insulating layer that includes a resin. The second layer has pores that connect an upper and a lower surface of the second layer, and the upper and the lower surface of the second layer differ from each other in at least one selected from open are ratio and average pore diameter. Using this prepreg makes it possible to provide a circuit board that is characterized, e.g., by low interstitial via connection resistance, excellent connection stability, and high durability.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to a tissue product with improved flushability. Specifically, the incorporation of both a temporary wet strength agent and an alkaline reagent into the tissue product results in the tissue product having high initial wet tensile strength and a high rate of wet tensile loss. The high rate of wet tensile loss is caused by the high pH of the alkaline reagent that is incorporated during the dry end of a tissue manufacturing process. The temporary wet strength agent is added in the wet end of a tissue manufacturing process. In certain embodiments of the present invention, glyoxylated polyacrylamide may be used as the temporary wet strength agent, while the alkaline reagent may be in dry form or may be encapsulated.

Abstract: The invention relates to webs finished to contain impregnated microcapsules, to a process for producing them and to their use.

Abstract: A method of extruding a foamed plastic into a carrier that relies on the use of dual, multiple blowing agents, a dispersed blowing agent and a micro-encapsulated blowing agent. The resulting product is a polymer coated textile that is resilient with good compression rebound.

Abstract: A cooling device for a brake component is provided. The brake component includes a structural element that has an interior cavity. A cooling material is disposed within the cavity. The material has a phase change temperature at a particular pressure and volume. The material absorbs the heat generated by the structural element by changing from a first state to a second state at the phase change temperature to maintain the brake component or structural element below the maximum operating temperature. The phase change temperature may be defined by a melting point of the material in which the first state is solid and the second state is liquid, or by an evaporation point of the material in which the first state is liquid and the second state is gas.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a monolithic, porous, ceramic shaped body and to the shaped bodies produced according to this method. Said shaped body is used predominantly as a support material for porous, inorganic and/or organic membranes for the flow filtration of liquids and gases. The aim of the invention is to provide a method for producing a shaped body consisting substantially of TiO2 with an open porosity >10%, an average pore size of between 1 and 50 &mgr;m and a mechanical stability >20 N/mm2. To achieve this, a first TiO2powder fraction is pre-sintered at temperatures >1200° C.

Abstract: A process for producing a carbon-coated porous silica powder which comprises the step of heating organic-compound particles coated with a silica component in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to thereby carbonize the organic-compound particles and shape the silica component into the form of hollow spheres or the like and, simultaneously therewith, deposit the carbon generated by the carbonization to the surface of the silica component; a porous silica powder the surface of which has been coated with carbon and which is produced by the process; and a conductive resin composition which comprises a resin and the silica incorporated therein.

Abstract: A metal matrix composite and method of making same wherein a metallic matrix includes fibrous reinforcements and non-fibrous pest particles that have shell walls controlled thick enough to improve fatigue properties of the composite.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide an ink jet recording sheet which has excellent ink-absorbance, enables the production of a highly precise image and has high surface strength. The ink jet recording sheet comprises providing an ink-receiving layer, containing, as its major components, a binder resin and a pigment, on at least one surface of a substrate, wherein the pigment component includes a hollow filler using a silica-containing inorganic powder as its outer shell layer.

Abstract: An expansion-molded article (foamed body) produced by using foamed and expanded beads, and having open voids has sound absorbing qualities, and can be used as a sound absorbing material. However, a sound absorbing material comprising such an expansion-molded article has been unable to attain a high sound absorption coefficient in a wide acoustic frequency range.

Abstract: In a foamed metal preformed body, including foamed metal foam material, at least one flow conduit (18) for communicating a thermal treatment fluid is guided through or into the foamed metal foam material.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of porous materials, for transporting liquids from a reservoir in a vapor dispensing device which addresses many of the shortcomings of the prior art, by selecting pore sizes and void volume ratios of the various wicking materials to fall within an effective range to obtain effective control of liquid delivery. For example, in accordance various aspects of the present invention, a porous polymeric wick is comprised of various polymeric materials having pore sizes less than about 250 microns and void volume ratios from about 25 to about 60%.

Abstract: A box-shaped automotive member includes a box-like body (2) for containing various parts, and this box-like body is formed of a hollow-grains-dispersed composite material having hollow grains contained in a metallic matrix. The content of the hollow grains is 50 to 70%, and the hollow grains are made of a material selected from a mullite material, an alumina material, a carbon material and a SiO2 material. Particularly when the box-like body is applied to a battery box (1) which can receive a battery or a junction box, this is effective for enhancing the fuel consumption.

Abstract: A silicon carbide composite which is a flat composite comprising a porous preform of silicon carbide and a metal containing aluminum as the main component, infiltrated into the porous preform, said composite having a warpage of at most 250 &mgr;m per 10 cm of the principal plane length of the composite.

Abstract: A nanoporous polymer comprises hollow structures fabricated from crosslinked polymeric strands. The hollow structures are further coupled to other crosslinked polymeric strands by a covalent bond. Particularly contemplated nanoporous polymers have a Tg of no less than 400° C. and a dielectric constant k of no more than 2.5.

Abstract: An electrode for control of an electric field strength in a gaseous electrically insulating medium at the surface of the electrode and in the vicinity of the electrode, comprising an electrically conducting inner electrode (1′) and an electrically non-conducting layer (8) on at least parts of the surface of the inner electrode, wherein the thickness of the non-conducting layer is at least 5% of the mean diameter of the inner electrode and that the relative dielectric constant of the non-conducting layer is smaller than 3.

Abstract: Manufacture of a polishing pad for polishing a semiconductor substrate, involves, transporting a backing layer to successive manufacturing stations, supplying a fluid phase polymer composition onto the transported backing layer, shaping the fluid phase polymer composition into a surface layer having a measured thickness, and curing the polymer composition on the transported backing layer in a curing oven to convert the liquid phase polymer composition to a solid phase polishing layer attached to the transported backing layer.

Abstract: A metal matrix composite and method of making same wherein a metallic matrix includes fibrous reinforcements and non-fibrous pest particles that have shell walls controlled thick enough to improve fatigue properties of the composite.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to thermo-expandable fibers and to the expanded hollow fibers or microtubes, microcellular foam or foamed composite material that results upon heating the expandable fibers. The thermo-expandable fiber of the present invention is characterized by having a polymeric wall surrounding one or more pockets or particles of blowing agent or propellant within the fiber. The polymeric wall may have reactive functional groups on its surface to give a fusible fiber. When the expandable fibers are heated, they expand to form hollow fibers or microtubes comprising polymeric shells surrounding one or more internal gaseous voids, and when the fibers are expanded while in contact with each other, a microcellular foam may be formed. The foam consists of a plurality of hollow fibers fused together, optionally aided by functional groups present on the surface of the heated fibers that act to crosslink the material.

Abstract: Waxes, particularly paraffin and microcrystalline waxes, can act as corrosion inhibitors when added at low levels to compositions based on thermosettable resins such as epoxy resins. When such wax-modified thermosettable compositions are used to coat a metallic surface, enhanced protection of the metallic surface against corrosion due to environmental exposure such as salt spray is obtained. The thermosettable compositions are particularly useful in expandable or foamable form for imparting structural reinforcement to hollow metal parts such as automotive components.

Abstract: The present invention provides an at least partially coated fiber strand comprising a plurality of fibers having a resin compatible coating composition on at least a portion of a surface of at least one of the fibers, the resin compatible coating composition comprising: (a) a plurality of discrete particles comprising a silicate having a high affinity for metal ions; and (b) at least one film-forming material.

Abstract: A lightweight, three dimensional structural article having low radar reflectivity characteristics and good mechanical properties is fabricated from a syntactic foam core having a structural outer skin. A syntactic foam sealing adhesive film is applied to the surface of syntactic foam core and under the outer skin to both seal the foam core and adhere the outer skin. The syntactic foam sealing adhesive is formulated to provide a uniform layer and to reduce the fabrication time and labor while improving the overall radar absorbing characteristics of the structural article.

Abstract: An aluminum-thermoplastic composite surface structure. A sheet of aluminum is formed to a single-sided mold by heating the sheet and applying a ramp of gas pressure. A thermoplastic resin is heated and microballons are added to the resin to lower the viscosity of the resin, which is applied through a nozzle in a hexagonal pattern on the formed aluminum sheet. Upon cooling, the composite resin forms a honeycomb pattern. The hexagonal pattern transitions to a columnar pattern and a backing layer of aluminum sheet is gas pressure formed to the resin composite. Gas forming of the aluminum sheet results in aspect ratios of up to 0.6, and the sheet maintains a clean surface that bonds to the applied resin.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical phantom that is suitable for simulating the optical properties of biological material and to a method of producing said phantom. The phantom is comprised of a matrix of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and spherical particles whose refractive index differs from that of the PVA. Preferably the PVA has a level of hydrolysis of >98%. Preferably the spherical particles are hollow polystyrene particles. In addition, light-absorbing and light-scattering substances may be added to the matrix.

Abstract: A method for rotational molding of articles, including the step of rotationally molding a mixture of particulate plastics material comprising at least one thermoplastics material having a first particle size and a second thermoplastics material having a larger particle size wherein, in use, said first thermoplastic material fuses to form an outer skin and subsequently said second thermoplastics material fuses to form an inner skin bonded to the outer skin of a resultant molded article. The method may also include the step of incorporating a quantity of rollable molded reinforcing elements in the mold with said first and second thermoplastics materials, wherein the reinforcing elements are located in a spaced array thereby forming bridges between opposed inner skin surfaces as they expand. Articles, such as a shipping pallet, rotationally molded using the method are also disclosed.