Disclosed is a retro-reflective thread 100 including an internal section 10; a plurality of fibers 12, each fiber comprising a respective longitudinal axis and a respective surface and each fiber comprising a first material that is at least partially optically transmissive, and wherein said plurality of fibers are configured with their respective longitudinal axes substantially co-linearly aligned with one another and said plurality of fibers are interconnected in series around said internal section and wherein a first part 12b of said respective surface of each of said plurality of fibers faces into said internal section; and a reflective material 14 provided on said first part of said respective surface of each of said plurality of fibers.

Disclosed is a retro-reflective thread 100 including an internal section 10; a plurality of fibers 12, each fiber comprising a respective longitudinal axis and a respective surface and each fiber comprising a first material that is at least partially optically transmissive, and wherein said plurality of fibers are configured with their respective longitudinal axes substantially co-linearly aligned with one another and said plurality of fibers are interconnected in series around said internal section and wherein a first part 12b of said respective surface of each of said plurality of fibers faces into said internal section; and a reflective material 14 provided on said first part of said respective surface of each of said plurality of fibers.

An actuator device that includes a first actuating segment of an artificial muscle fiber, where one end of the first actuating segment is connected to a first terminal and the other end of the first actuating segment is connected to a second terminal. The device also includes a second actuating segment of an artificial muscle fiber, where one end of the second actuating segment is connected to a third terminal and the other end of the second actuating segment is connected to a fourth terminal. The device also includes a paddle disposed on both the first and second actuating segments and a heating provision disposed on the first and second actuating segments. The heating provision independently provides energy in the form of heat to the first and second actuating segments, and the actuator device moves rotates the paddle to a desired position through activating the first or second actuating segments.

The present invention related to a method of for the production of textile articles, I which the textile articles can be disassembled automatically or semi-automatically, in which, when sewing or stitching, a polymer melt yarn is used.

Methods are provided for fabricating functional nanostructures (e.g., nanowires/nanofibers) via chemical vapor deposition polymerization of paracyclophanes or substituted paracyclophanes onto and through a structured fluid, such as a film of liquid crystals, on a substrate. A one-step process is provided that does not require the use of any solid templates, nor does it require any volatile solvents, additives or catalysts. The resulting nanowires/nanofibers can be in the form of aligned nanowires/nanofibers arrays supported on any solid material, in the form of nanofibers mats supported on porous materials, or as individual free-standing nanowires/nanofibers. By using chiral liquid crystals, chiral nanofibers can be fabricated. The functional nanowires/nanofibers can contain one or more type of surface reactive groups that allows for post surface chemical modifications on the nanowires/nanofibers. Such nanostructures can be used in a range of different applications, including in biomedical applications.

Methods are provided for fabricating functional nanostructures (e.g., nanowires/nanofibers) via chemical vapor deposition polymerization of paracyclophanes or substituted paracyclophanes onto and through a structured fluid, such as a film of liquid crystals, on a substrate. A one-step process is provided that does not require the use of any solid templates, nor does it require any volatile solvents, additives or catalysts. The resulting nanowires/nanofibers can be in the form of aligned nanowires/nanofibers arrays supported on any solid material, in the form of nanofibers mats supported on porous materials, or as individual free-standing nanowires/nanofibers. By using chiral liquid crystals, chiral nanofibers can be fabricated. The functional nanowires/nanofibers can contain one or more type of surface reactive groups that allows for post surface chemical modifications on the nanowires/nanofibers. Such nanostructures can be used in a range of different applications, including in biomedical applications.

Provided is a strand extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein the strand includes filaments of one type having a gradient-length effect through spiral rotational twists and an irregular fine texture through self-thermal shrinking. The filaments of the strand have natural coiling characteristics that are very similar to those of natural hair of black people, and these characteristics are caused by the facts that the filaments have 3-dimensional waveforms occurred due to many fine and irregular windings or projections and that the waveforms exhibit fractal structure features and a fine kinky texture.

Provided is a strand extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein the strand includes filaments of one type having a gradient-length effect through spiral rotational twists and an irregular fine texture through self-thermal shrinking. The filaments of the strand have natural coiling characteristics that are very similar to those of natural hair of black people, and these characteristics are caused by the facts that the filaments have 3-dimensional waveforms occurred due to many fine and irregular windings or projections and that the waveforms exhibit fractal structure features and a fine kinky texture.

When the porous membrane, which has two surfaces of a surface A and a surface C, is equally divided in the thickness direction of the porous membrane into three layers of a first layer including the surface A, a second layer that is a central layer in the thickness direction, and a third layer including the surface C, an average trunk size of the third layer is larger than an average trunk size of the second layer, and when a continuous layer from the surface A having a thickness of 10 m in the first layer is a first layer component, a continuous layer component having a thickness of 10 m and an average trunk size smaller than an average trunk size of the first layer component is present in the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer other than the first layer component.

When the porous membrane, which has two surfaces of a surface A and a surface C, is equally divided in the thickness direction of the porous membrane into three layers of a first layer including the surface A, a second layer that is a central layer in the thickness direction, and a third layer including the surface C, an average trunk size of the third layer is larger than an average trunk size of the second layer, and when a continuous layer from the surface A having a thickness of 10 m in the first layer is a first layer component, a continuous layer component having a thickness of 10 m and an average trunk size smaller than an average trunk size of the first layer component is present in the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer other than the first layer component.