The present invention relates to a mixture comprising at least one compound comprising an -hydroxy-carboxylic unit, -hydroxy-sulfonic acid unit or -carbonyl-carboxylic unit and at least one water-soluble organic carbonate. The mixture is useful as a hydration control agent in construction chemical compositions comprising an inorganic binder.

Provided are separators for use in an electrochemical cell comprising (a) an inorganic oxide and (b) an organic polymer, wherein the inorganic oxide comprises organic substituents. Also provided are electrochemical cells comprising such separators.

Ceramic composite materials that are reinforced with carbide fibers can exhibit ultra-high temperature resistance. For example, such materials may exhibit very low creep at temperatures of up to 2700 F. (1480 C.). The present composites are specifically engineered to exhibit matched thermodynamically stable crystalline phases between the materials included within the composite. In other words, the reinforcing fibers, a debonding interface layer disposed over the reinforcing fibers, and the matrix material of the composite may all be of the same crystalline structural phase (all hexagonal), for increased compatibility and improved properties. Such composite materials may be used in numerous applications.

A composition including a binder and a variable thermal conductivity material satisfying a conditional expression 1, wherein a content of the variable thermal conductivity material is from 300 parts by weight to 10,000 parts by weight with respect to a content of 100 parts by weight of the binder:

.sub.max/.sub.251.2[conditional expression 1] (wherein, .sub.25 represents a thermal conductivity at 25 C., and .sub.max represents the maximum value of a thermal conductivity at 200 C. or 500 C.)

Novel methods of fabricating porous structures (e.g., nanostructures) and resulting structures are disclosed. The novel methods use precision optics to cure a slurry made from one or more powders mixed with photopolymers. Pore size control preferably is achieved by controlling the powder size and powder loading in the slurry. As the disclosed methods are based on optics to control the thickness preferably without any mechanical movements, extreme tight thickness tolerance, as well as control of the profile structure, may be achieved. The novel disclosed methods are highly-cost effective with shorter manufacturing cycle time compared to conventional methods. Moreover, a supporting substrate may not be required as the resultant structure made by the novel fabrication techniques disclosed herein has enough strength to be free-standing.

The present invention concerns a process for the preparation of a porous carbon structure comprising the steps: a) providing a template comprising voids, b) filling of at least part of the voids with a precursor for the formation of the porous carbon structure, c) carbonizing the precursor for the formation of the porous carbon structure and d) removing at least part of the template. In preferred embodiments the precursor for the formation of the porous carbon structure is a formaldehyde-phenol resin, especially a cross-linked resorcinol-formaldehyde resin. The template further preferably comprises a block copolymer and an amphiphilic molecule, wherein the block copolymer comprises polymeric units of at least one lipophilic monomer and polymeric units of at least one hydrophilic monomer. Further preferred is a process wherein the template comprises a bimodal mixture of particles of silicon dioxide.

Provided herein are methods for making a freeze-cast material having a internal structure, the methods comprising steps of: determining the internal structure of the material, the internal structure having a plurality of pores, wherein: each of the plurality of pores has directionality; and the step of determining comprises: selecting a temperature gradient and a freezing front velocity to obtain the determined internal structure based on the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity; directionally freezing a liquid formulation to form a frozen solid, the step of directionally freezing comprising: controlling the temperature gradient and the freezing front velocity to match the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity during directionally freezing; wherein the liquid formulation comprises at least one solvent and at least one dispersed species; and subliming the at least one solvent out of the frozen solid to form the material.

Provided are separators for use in an electrochemical cell comprising (a) an inorganic oxide and (b) an organic polymer, wherein the inorganic oxide comprises organic substituents. Also provided are electrochemical cells comprising such separators.

The present invention relates to a method for the production of a porous ceramic body, the method comprises the following steps: (i) selecting a ceramic powder; (ii) selecting a binder comprising a pre-ceramic polymer; (iii) mixing the ceramic powder from step (i) with the binder from step (ii) providing a ceramic composition; (iv) coating a porous support with the ceramic composition providing a ceramic coated porous support; (v) heating the ceramic coated porous support to a temperature between 500 C.-1500 C. producing the porous ceramic body.

Non-oxidative direct methane conversion (NDMC) to value-added products, such as H.sub.2, C.sub.2 hydrocarbons, and aromatics, occurs within a reactor heated to an elevated temperature. The reactor can have a first volume, where a feed gas including methane is provided, separated from a second volume, where a sweep gas is provided, by a dense thin film membrane supported on a porous wall. The thin film membrane is a mixed ionic-electronic permeable membrane that allows H2 generated in the first volume to be transported to the second volume for removal by (or reaction with) the sweep gas. A catalyst can be provided in or adjacent to the first volume. For example, the catalyst can be a metal doped quartz material (e.g., Fe(c)SiO.sub.2) or a metal/zeolite material (e.g., Mo/ZSM5). Methane conversion and/or product selectivity in the reactor can be manipulated by control of gas flow rates, reaction temperatures, and/or feed and sweep gas compositions.