Fabrication of ballistic resistant fibrous composites having improved ballistic resistance properties. More particularly, ballistic resistant fibrous composites having enhanced flexural properties, which correlates to low composite backface signature. The composites are useful for the production of hard armor articles, including helmet armor.

A method of generating deformable gel beads that contain a single colloidal particle is described. Gel beads containing a particle are isolated from those that do not contain a particle, based on differences between the buoyant density of these gel bead populations. The gel beads containing a particle are subsequently co-encapsulated at a high efficiency into droplets that can comprise additional objects such as cells, other particles, or reagents. The gel coating on the rigid particle prevents clogging in narrow channels, such as those of a droplet generator.

A composite structure comprising an organic resin and carbon fibers comprises planar structure graphene nanosheets embedded in the resin. This structure combining good properties in terms of mechanical resilience, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity can advantageously be used for thermal dissipation devices, as solar generator substrate or else as housing of electronic components, carried on board satellites.

A method of producing molded articles. The method uses a fibrous material and a first and second resin material. The first resin material is at least partially cured before being combined with the fibrous material and the second resin material. The molding material is inserted into a mold and processed to form a molded article by providing energy. The molded article is produced using less energy than would be necessary for processing a molding material which did not include a partially cured first resin material.

A method of expanding expandable polymeric microspheres including contacting an aqueous slurry including unexpanded, expandable polymeric microspheres with heat in-situ during manufacture of a construction material. A method of manufacturing a construction material includes: (i) contacting an aqueous slurry of unexpanded, expandable polymeric microspheres with heat proximate to and/or during said manufacturing of the construction material to create expanded polymeric microspheres; (ii) optionally pre-wetting the expanded polymeric microspheres; and (iii) mixing the expanded polymeric microspheres with the construction material.

Methods and kits including writable and cleanable articles, wherein in one embodiment, a method of replenishing a hydrophilic surface on a writable and cleanable article is provided. The method comprising: providing a writable and cleanable article that includes a hydrophilic overcoat that has an at least partially depleted (i.e., at least partially exhausted) hydrophilic surface; and applying a cleaning and protecting composition to at least a portion of the hydrophilic overcoat; and drying the cleaning and protecting composition to provide a dried surface having a replenished hydrophilic surface. The writable and cleanable article includes: a base member having a front surface; a facing layer comprising a cured polymeric matrix and a plurality of inorganic nanoparticles dispersed in the polymeric matrix, wherein the facing layer is disposed on at least a portion of the base member front surface; an optional primer layer disposed on at least a portion of the facing layer; and a hydrophilic overcoat bonded to the facing layer and/or the optional primer layer through siloxane bonds, thereby providing a hydrophilic surface that is writable and cleanable. The cleaning and protecting composition includes: a hydrophilic silane; a surfactant; and water.

The invention enhances the production efficiency in the production of prepreg by allowing the arrangement property and rectilinearity of reinforcing fibers to be well maintained, allowing the basis weight uniformity of an applied resin to be good, and further allowing a high line speed and suppression of contamination in the process to be achieved. The invention provides a method of producing a prepreg, which includes: discharging a molten resin from a discharge portion; introducing the discharged resin by an air flow; and capturing the discharged resin on a reinforcing fiber sheet conveyed continuously, wherein a key point is that the discharged resin is captured in a region in which the reinforcing fiber sheet is conveyed substantially in planar form.

The present invention provides a composite film and a preparation method thereof. The composite film includes polyimide and a dense silica layer formed on a surface of the polyimide.

A method of forming a composite material includes disposing dried plant material, nanoparticles, and a supercritical fluid in a vessel. A cellular structure of the dried plant material expands when disposed in the supercritical fluid and the nanoparticles migrate into and are embedded within the expanded cellular structure of the disposed dried plant material. The disposed dried plant fibers with embedded nanoparticles are removed from the vessel and mixed with a polymer to form a polymer-nanoparticle mixture. A chemical additive can be added to the supercritical fluid and the chemical additive can remove at least one of hemicellulose, lignin and pectins from the dried plant material.

A carbon fiber complex material for a carbon fiber reinforced plastic composite material includes a carbon fiber material formed from a continuous carbon fiber, and carbon nanowalls formed on a surface of the continuous carbon fiber.