A method of forming a fluid-filled implant is provided. The method includes: forming a first zone of an elastomeric membrane defining at least one partially enclosed void space; expanding a volume of the void space, thereby expanding a volume enclosed by the first zone; forming a second zone comprising at least one elastomeric middle layer on at least a portion of the expanded first zone; and reducing the volume of the void space, thereby contracting elastomeric layers of the first zone and the second zone. The method also includes forming an adjustable implant from the elastomeric membrane by enclosing the void space to form at least one chamber.

A method of manufacturing a catheter shaft includes the steps of forming an inner layer of a first polymeric material, forming a plait matrix layer including a second polymeric material about the inner layer, and forming an outer layer of a third polymeric material about the plait matrix layer. The plait matrix layer includes a braided wire mesh partially or fully embedded within the second polymeric material, which is different from at least one of the first polymeric material forming the inner layer and the third polymeric material forming the outer layer. The second polymeric material has a higher yield strain and/or a lower hardness than at least the first polymeric material, and preferably both the first and the third polymeric materials. The first polymeric material and the third polymeric material may be different or the same. The catheter shaft may be formed by stepwise extrusion, co-extrusion, and/or reflow processes.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal alignment film which does not lose a function as a liquid crystal cell even in a case where three-dimensional formation is performed with a high degree of freedom, a method of manufacturing a three-dimensional liquid crystal cell using the method of manufacturing a liquid crystal alignment film, and a three-dimensional liquid crystal cell produced by the method of manufacturing a three-dimensional liquid crystal cell. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal alignment film of the present invention includes a step of arranging a liquid crystal alignment agent to a heat-shrinkable film satisfying a heat shrinkage rate of 5% to 75%, and a step of drying the liquid crystal alignment agent arranged at 40 C. to 150 C. so as to form the liquid crystal alignment film.

The present invention relates to an article consisting of or comprising a bidirectional shape-memory polymer (bSMP), the bSMP comprising: first phase-segregated domains (AD) having a first transition temperature (T.sub.t,AD) corresponding to a crystallization transition or glass transition of the first domains (AD), second phase-segregated domains (SD) having a second transition temperature (T.sub.t,SD) corresponding to a crystallization transition or glass transition of the second domains (SD), the second transition temperature (T.sub.t,SD) being higher than the first transition temperature (T.sub.t,AD), and covalent or physical bonds cross-linking the polymer chains of the bSMP, and in this way interconnecting the first and second domains (AD, SD), wherein the second phase-separated domains (SD) form a skeleton which is at least partially embedded in the first phase-segregated domains (AD), and wherein polymer chain segments of the bSMP forming the first domains (AD) are substantially orientated in a common direction, such that the bSMP is able to undergo a reversible shape-shift between a first shape (A) at a first temperature (T.sub.high) and a second shape (B) at a second temperature (T.sub.low) upon variation of temperature between the first and second temperature (T.sub.high, T.sub.low) driven by the crystallization and melting or vitrification and melting of the first phase-separated domains (AD) and without application of an external stress, with T.sub.low<T.sub.t,AD<T.sub.high<T.sub.t,SD.

The present invention relates to a biaxially oriented polyolefin multilayer heat shrinkable film, which is a multilayer heat shrinkable film with at least three laminated layers, and has internal and external surface layers of a resin composition comprising 70-80 wt % of an ethylene-norbornene copolymer having a glass-transition temperature (Tg) of 138 C. and a norbornene content of 76 wt %, and 20-30 wt % of an ethylene-propylene random copolymer having a melting point (Tm) of 140 C.; and a core layer comprising 54 wt % of an ethylene-propylene random copolymer having Tm of 140 C., 8 wt % of an ethylene-butylene random copolymer having Tm of 66 C., 20 wt % of an ethylene-norbornene copolymer having Tg of 78 C. and norbornene content of 65 wt %, and 18 wt % of a hydrogenated petroleum resin having softening point (Ts) of 140 C. The present invention provides a polyolefin heat shrinkable film and a method for preparing the same, the film has good temperature resistance, high transversal heat shrinkage rate, solves the problem that labels among bottles are easy to adhere between each other during hot filling drink or the problem about adhesion between labels and PE heat-shrinkable film in bundle-shrink pack of a group of bottles using the PE heat-shrinkable film, and is suitably used as label substrate material for contoured bottles.

A method of manufacturing a catheter shaft includes the steps of forming an inner layer of a first polymeric material, forming a plait matrix layer including a second polymeric material about the inner layer, and forming an outer layer of a third polymeric material about the plait matrix layer. The plait matrix layer includes a braided wire mesh partially or fully embedded within the second polymeric material, which is different from at least one of the first polymeric material forming the inner layer and the third polymeric material forming the outer layer. The second polymeric material has a higher yield strain and/or a lower hardness than at least the first polymeric material, and preferably both the first and the third polymeric materials. The first polymeric material and the third polymeric material may be different or the same. The catheter shaft may be formed by stepwise extrusion, co-extrusion, and/or reflow processes.

A pressure-sensitive sensor including a substrate supporting a piezoelectric layer of a piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric layer includes surface undulations as wrinkles on which pressure is exerted upon use of the sensor. The piezoelectric layer is sandwiched between two electrodes for collecting charges generated by deformation of the piezoelectric layer.

A pressure-sensitive sensor including a substrate supporting a piezoelectric layer of a piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric layer includes surface undulations as wrinkles on which pressure is exerted upon use of the sensor. The piezoelectric layer is sandwiched between two electrodes for collecting charges generated by deformation of the piezoelectric layer.

The present invention provides a multilayer heat shrinkable film incorporating an oxygen barrier material and layer containing a styrene polymer or blend of styrene polymers, where the shrinkage of the film in at least one of MD, TD is at least 30% at 90 C. The invention is further directed to a method of manufacturing a bag from said multilayer heat shrinkable film.

A housing structure manufacturing method and an electronic device are provided. The housing structure manufacturing method includes providing a plurality of memory polymeric materials, heating the plurality of memory polymeric materials, and forming the housing structure having a first morphology by printing the plurality of memory polymeric materials that are heated.