A precast concrete molded body is provided, which is a cured product of a concrete composition. The concrete composition comprises: a microcapsule; cement; and at least one type of aggregate. The microcapsule is provided with a core-shell structure having i) a core made of a water repellent organosilicon material selected from the group consisting of organosilanes, organosilane partial condensation products, and branched siloxane resins, and ii) a shell made of a silicon-based network polymer containing silica units. The concrete composition contains 0.01 to less than 0.5 parts by weight of microcapsules per 100 parts by weight of cement. Thereby, a precast concrete molded body can be provided, having high strength, as well as at least one of the following properties: air content stability, substance penetration prevention, and freeze-thaw resistance.

Described are methods and devices for the generation of hydrogel particles with micrometer and submicrometer dimensions using oxygen-inhibited partial polymerization, and the particles generated therefrom. The described methods generate particles with dimensions independent of the starting polymerizable solution dimension, for example, a microdroplet. Further, microfluidic flow parameters (e.g. viscosity, flow rate) and photopolymerization process parameters (e.g. optical exposure intensity and duration) are controlled to generate particles with tunable crosslinking density-determined properties including elasticity, diffusivity, and biomolecular display for diverse applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering cell scaffolds, and single- and multiple- cell therapeutics. Similarly, gradients of crosslinking density-determined properties can be created within single particles through the selection of optical exposure intensity and duration. In addition to conventional spherical shapes, a suite of non-spherical shapes may be generated by manipulating the dimensions of the microfluidic channels and other related physical and process parameters.

A method for producing a quantum dot including crystalline nanoparticle fluorescent material, wherein, using a first precursor solution and a second precursor solution containing different elements each other, the second precursor solution is sprayed as an aerosol on the heated first precursor solution, or both the first precursor solution and the second precursor solution are sprayed on a heated solvent as aerosols, and the first precursor solution and the second precursor solution are reacted with each other to synthesize a core particle containing the different elements. The method for producing quantum dots, can suppress the non-uniformity of the particle size of the quantum dots and accompany increase in the distribution of emission wavelengths in large scale synthesis.

The invention relates to a method for treating a nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel, wherein the method comprises the steps of: providing a nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel; and subjecting the nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel to a heat treatment, wherein the heat treatment is carried out by transferring the nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel through at least one heat exchanger or through at least one insulated holding tube, during which heat treatment the nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel is kept at a predetermined temperature within the range of 110-150° C. for a period of time in the range of 15 seconds to 20 minutes, wherein the pre-determined temperature and period of time are chosen such that the number of viable micro-organisms in the nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel is reduced by a factor of at least 10.sup.3.

In one embodiment, an aerogel or xerogel includes column structures of a material having minor pores therein and major pores devoid of the material positioned between the column structures, where longitudinal axes of the major pores are substantially parallel to one another. In another embodiment, a method includes heating a sol including aerogel or xerogel precursor materials to cause gelation thereof to form an aerogel or xerogel and exposing the heated sol to an electric field, wherein the electric field causes orientation of a microstructure of the sol during gelation, which is retained by the aerogel or xerogel. In one approach, an aerogel has elongated pores extending between a material arranged in column structures having structural characteristics of being formed from a sol exposed to an electric field that causes orientation of a microstructure of the sol during gelation which is retained by the elongated pores of the aerogel.

[Object] Provided are a “eutectic colloidal crystal” which is an aggregate of plural kinds of colloidal crystals having different lattice constants, a solidified body of the eutectic colloidal crystal, and methods for producing them.

[Resolution means] The eutectic colloidal crystal of the present invention contains two or more kinds of colloidal crystals composed of substantially monodispersed colloidal particles having different particle sizes. This eutectic colloidal crystal is obtained by providing a colloidal dispersion of two or more kinds of colloidal particles having different particle sizes, and a polymer which will not substantially adsorb to the colloidal particles (the coefficient of variation in particle size of these colloidal particles is less than 20%) dissolved in a dispersion medium (dispersion preparation process), and allowing the colloidal dispersion to stand (eutectoid process).

An aerogel that includes an open-cell structured polymer matrix is disclosed. The aerogel includes 5 wt. % to 50 wt. % of a polyamic amide polymer, based on the total weight of the aerogel, pores and at least 90% of the pore volume of the aerogel is made up of macropores, a porosity of at least 50%, as measure according to ASTM D4404-10, a density of 0.01 g/cm.sup.3 to 0.5 g/cm.sup.3, and the aerogel is thermally stable to resist browning at 330° C.

The number of small gels that form in polyolefin thin films may be reduced by altering certain production parameters of the polyolefin. In some instances, the number of small gels may be influenced by the melt index of the polyolefin. However, in many instances, melt index is a critical part of the polyolefin product specification and, therefore, is not manipulated. Two parameters that may be manipulated to mitigate small gel count while maintaining the melt index are polyolefin residence time in the reactor and ICA concentration in the reactor.

The invention relates to a method for reducing the viscosity of a nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel, wherein the method comprises mixing a nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel with an aqueous growth medium for cell culture, wherein the aqueous growth medium contains one or more salts and optionally one or more sugars, using shearing forces so that a homogeneous dispersion is formed. The invention further relates to a dispersion comprising a nanofibrillar cellulose hydrogel and an aqueous growth medium for cell culture and to a use of an aqueous growth medium.

Methods of identifying precursors for producing high porosity and high surface area organosilica materials are providing herein. Methods of producing organosilica materials and uses thereof are also provided herein.