Provided is a method for manufacturing an aerogel blanket having improved processability by reducing manufacturing time and cost, the method including the steps of mixing a precursor material, an acid catalyst and a hydrous alcohol to prepare a sol, depositing a substrate in the sol, and reacting with a gaseous silazane-based compound to form a gel and to perform aging and surface modification reaction simultaneously to form a wet gel blanket, and drying the wet gel blanket to manufacture an aerogel blanket.

This disclosure relates to a glucose-sensing electrode including a nanoporous metal layer and an electrolyte ion-blocking layer formed over the nanoporous metal layer. The nanoporous metal layer is capable of oxidizing both glucose and maltose without an enzyme specific to glucose in the glucose-sensing electrode. The electrolyte ion-blocking layer is configured to inhibit Na.sup.+, K.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, Cl.sup.−, PO.sub.4.sup.3− and CO.sub.3.sup.2− from diffusing toward the nanoporous metal layer such that there is a substantial discontinuity of a combined concentration of Na.sup.+, K.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, Cl.sup.−, PO.sub.4.sup.3− and CO.sub.3.sup.2− between over and below the electrolyte ion-blocking layer.

A process for the hydrophobization of a porous silica based compound involves the steps of providing a composition (I) containing a porous silica based compound, treating the composition (I) with a composition (II) containing hexamethyldisiloxane or its hydrolyzed form, and removing the treated silica based compound. The porous silica based compound obtained by the process is useful. A porous silica based compound obtained or obtainable by the process can be used for medical and pharmaceutical applications, as adsorbents, for cosmetic applications, as an additive for food, as a catalyst support, for the preparation of sensors, or for thermal insulation.

A gel emulsification system and method for converting fats, oils, and grease (FOG) into a solid acceptable for landfill disposal. The method may include mixing FOG with a detergent and water to form an emulsion, adding viscosifier and a cross-linking agent to the emulsion, and mixing the emulsion and the viscosifier and cross-linking agent to form a gel. The system may include a container adapted to hold solids and liquids without leaking, a powdered detergent in the container to mix with water and a FOG to form an emulsion, and a powdered viscosifier and powdered cross-linking agent in the container adapted to thicken and cross-link the emulsion to form a gel. The gel formed passes a paint filter test (SW-846 Test Method 9095B).

Disclosed is a method for preparing a nanoparticle composition. The method includes forming a nanoparticle aerosol in a low pressure reactor, wherein the aerosol comprises MX-functional nanoparticles entrained in a gas, where M is an independently selected Group IV element and X is a functional group independently selected from H and a halogen atom. The method further includes collecting the MX-functional nanoparticles of the aerosol in a capture fluid, where the capture fluid is in fluid communication with the low pressure reactor. The capture fluid includes a polar aprotic fluid immiscible with water and having a viscosity of from 5 to 200 centipoise at 25° C. The capture fluid further includes a functionalization compound miscible with the polar aprotic fluid, the functionalization compound comprising a functional group Y reactive with the functional group X of the MX-functional nanoparticles.

A sensor system detects a presence or concentration of an analyte in a medium. The sensor system contains a sensor having a sensor head with a chamber. The sensor head has a permeable area through which the analyte can pass into the chamber when the sensor head contacts the medium. A cross-linked hydrogel fills the chamber, the hydrogel is configured to undergo a change in volume when contacting the analyte passed into the chamber which leads to a change in pressure in the chamber. A pressure sensor is configured to measure the pressure in the chamber for detecting the presence or concentration of the analyte.

The present invention discloses a process for the preparation of metal sulphide quantum dots by using a very low cost sulphur precursor as a sulphur source. The metal sulphide quantum dots finds application in optical devices selected from photovoltaic cells, photodetectors and light-emission devices.

Fiber-reinforced organic polymer aerogels, articles of manufacture and uses thereof are described. The reinforced aerogels include a fiber-reinforced organic polymer matrix having an at least bimodal pore size distribution with a first mode of pores having an average pore size of less than or equal to 50 nanometers (nm) and a second mode of pores having an average pore size of greater than 50 nm and a thermal conductivity of less than or equal to 30 mW/m.Math.K at a temperature of 20° C.

An atomizing liquid gel with reversible phase transition characteristics includes: a sugar-based gelling agent, 0.1-3.0 wt %; an atomizing liquid, 97.0-99.9 wt %; a molecule of the sugar-based gelling agent is a sugar molecule introduced with an amide group and/or an aryl group, and the sugar molecule optionally further includes at least one hydrophobic structural part selected from —C.sub.xH.sub.y, —O—C.sub.xH.sub.y and ##STR00001##
and x>2 and y>2. The atomizing liquid gel has characteristics of thermal reversible phase transition and/or shear reversible phase transition, a temperature of gel-sol phase transition is 100° C.-248° C., and a critical shear stress of the gel-sol phase transition is 40-800 Pa. Under heating and/or oscillation, the atomizing liquid gel converts from the gel state to a sol state, and the atomizing agent fixed in the gel releases to form an inhalable aerosol. When the heating and/or oscillation are stopped, the atomizing liquid gel is quickly recovered from the sol state to the gel state, and the unatomized atomizing agent is refixed in the gel. The use of the atomizing liquid gel solves the problem of liquid leakage of the liquid nicotine of the atomizer caused by the smoke condensate after the smoking stops, the change of air pressure or the action of external force during transportation.

A method of manufacture of high-solids hydroxide slurries from caustic calcined carbonate powder is described, whereby the properties of the slurry are its low resistance to shear thinning to facilitate transport, a high stability for transport and storage, ease of reconstitution after long periods of storage, and, as required, a high concentration of chemically reactive species at the particle surface. The method achieves these specifications by mixing caustic calcined carbonate or hydroxide powder with water in an insulated reactor vessel, and agitating the slurry sufficiently such that the hydration reaction causes the water to spontaneously boil, such that the remaining hydration proceeds spontaneously under the fixed conditions of boiling through the water loss. The mixing process is preferably carried out by a shear pump. A viscosity modifier, such as acetic acid, is used to thin the slurry to enable the mixing system to maintain uniform mixing. The reaction is terminated when the boiling has spontaneously ceased and the temperature has spontaneously dropped to a set point though the reactor heat losses, where the processing time is sufficiently long that the slurry meets the desired specifications.