A process for treating a tailings stream comprising water, solids, and optionally polyacrylamide. The process involves (a) contacting the tailings stream with a silicate source for a pre-determined period of time to form a mixture; b) after a pre-determined period of time of at least 5 minutes, contacting the mixture with an activator to initiate gel formation, wherein the gel entraps the solids within the gel; and c) allowing the gel to strengthen and solidify; wherein the gel formation is delayed compared with a non-delayed process.

Provided are a method of preparing a metal oxide-silica composite aerogel, and a metal oxide-silica composite aerogel having an excellent weight reduction property prepared by the method. The method includes a step of adding an acid catalyst to a first water glass solution to prepare an acidic water glass solution (step 1); a step of adding a metal ion solution to the acidic water glass solution to prepare a precursor solution (step 2); and a step of adding a second water glass solution to the precursor solution and performing a gelation reaction (step 3) to yield a metal oxide-silica composite wet gel, wherein, in steps 2 and 3, bubbling of an inert gas is performed during the adding of the metal ion solution or the second water glass solution, respectively.

Encapsulated solids are made by first encapsulating precursor materials in a polymer shell. The precursors are some combination of solids, liquids, gases, and/or gels. The precursors are then transformed into solids by emplacement of the capsule in an environment where gas or fluid transport into or out of the polymer shell causes transformation into solids.

Encapsulated solids are made by first encapsulating precursor materials in a polymer shell. The precursors are some combination of solids, liquids, gases, and/or gels. The precursors are then transformed into solids by emplacement of the capsule in an environment where gas or fluid transport into or out of the polymer shell causes transformation into solids.

Disclosed herein is an aerogel made from a polyhydroxy benzene compound crosslinked with formaldehyde. The aerogel is dry and has a first volume and wherein the aerogel can be exposed to a liquid and be re-dried in a gas while retaining at least 70% of the first volume.

An object is to provide dispersion containing lipid peptide type compound useful as low molecular weight gelator, such as lipid dipeptide and lipid tripeptide, and dissolution accelerator capable of dissolving the lipid peptide type compound at lower temperature and more easily. It is also an object to provide dispersion that can form hydrogel by simpler method and under milder condition (low temperature) and from which gel can be obtained as gel having high thermal stability, and provide method for forming the gel. Dispersion including: a lipid peptide type compound in which peptide portion formed by repetition of at least two or more identical or different amino acids is bonded to lipid portion including C.sub.10-24 aliphatic group; dissolution accelerator having, in molecules thereof, hydrophilic portion and hydrophobic portion, the hydrophilic portion having betaine structure; and water; and method for producing hydrogel by use of the dispersion.

An object is to provide dispersion containing lipid peptide type compound useful as low molecular weight gelator, such as lipid dipeptide and lipid tripeptide, and dissolution accelerator capable of dissolving the lipid peptide type compound at lower temperature and more easily. It is also an object to provide dispersion that can form hydrogel by simpler method and under milder condition (low temperature) and from which gel can be obtained as gel having high thermal stability, and provide method for forming the gel. Dispersion including: a lipid peptide type compound in which peptide portion formed by repetition of at least two or more identical or different amino acids is bonded to lipid portion including C.sub.10-24 aliphatic group; dissolution accelerator having, in molecules thereof, hydrophilic portion and hydrophobic portion, the hydrophilic portion having betaine structure; and water; and method for producing hydrogel by use of the dispersion.

The disclosed spray deposition systems and methods control the formation and dispensation of droplets during the atomization of a fluid. Such systems and methods generally can generate small quantities and droplets of a desired size of highly-viscous fluids and/or fluids having non-Newtonian properties or other complex rheologies using mechanical systems and processes with the option of further controlling the droplet size and/or the volume of droplets with various enhancements. The systems and methods stretch fluid between a fluid feed system and a surface and are able to form the controlled-volume of the droplets.

The invention relates to a method for obtaining a magnesium fluoride (MgF.sub.2) sol solution, comprising the steps of providing a magnesium alkoxide precursor in a non-aqueous solvent and adding 1.85 to 2.05 molar equivalents of non-aqueous hydrofluoric acid, characterized in that the reaction proceeds in the presence of a second magnesium fluoride precursor selected from the group of salts of strong, volatile acids, such as a chloride, bromide, iodide, nitrate or triflate of magnesium, or of a catalytic amount of a strong, volatile acid; and/or an additive non-magnesium fluoride precursor selected from the group of salts of strong, volatile acids, such as a chloride, bromide, iodide, nitrate or triflate of lithium, antimony, tin calcium, strontium, barium, aluminium, silicium, zirconium, titanium or zinc. The invention further relates to sol solutions, method of applying the sol solutions of the invention to surfaces as a coating, and to antireflective coatings obtained thereby.

A method of freeze-drying comprising rapidly freezing either liquid or supercritical carbon dioxide in and around a material having pores at a rate of at least 0.2° C./min to limit the size of crystals formed from the carbon dioxide so as to avoid the formation of gas bubbles and damage to the pores and exposure of the material to gas-liquid interfaces. During freezing a solid layer primarily of solid carbon dioxide is formed on and surrounding the material by transferring heat with a cryogenic liquid circulating about the material. This solid layer protects the material from gas-liquid interfaces and surface tension before decreasing pressure about the material by venting carbon dioxide.