Aerogels comprising a hydrophobic polyimide moiety, including hydrophobic polyimide aerogels, as well as methods of manufacture and applications thereof, are generally described. ##STR00001##

Novel absorbable foams, lyophilizing solutions, and lyophilizing and annealing processes are disclosed. The foams are made from copolymers of glycolide and epsilon-caprolactone. The foams are useful in or as implantable medical devices.

Power generators that incorporate porous electric generation layers composed of mechanoradical-forming polymers are provided. Also provided are methods for using the generators to convert mechanical energy into and electrical signal to power electronic devices. The porous electric generation material includes an organic polymer that forms free radicals when covalent bonds are homolytically ruptured upon the application of a compressive force to the porous structure.

The present disclosure provides a method of producing a aerogel comprising of reacting first monomer with a second monomer in a reaction solvent to form a composition comprising a precursor polymer; forming a gel; conducting a solvent exchange process on the gel such that the resulting gel comprises an exchange solvent that has a freezing point; cooling the gel to a temperature below the freezing point of the exchange solvent; and subjecting the cooled gel to vacuum conditions to obtain the aerogel.

Aerogel compositions, methods for preparing the aerogel compositions, articles of manufacture that include or are made from the aerogel compositions are described and uses thereof. The aerogels include a branched polyimide matrix with little to no crosslinked polymers.

A polyolefin microporous membrane is disclosed. The membrane includes at least one microporous membrane layer, where the microporous membrane layer has an air permeability between about 100 sec/100 cc and about 220 sec/100 cc, a pin puncture strength of at least 550 gf, and a crystallization half time t.sub.1/2 of from 10 to 35 minutes when subjected to isothermal crystallization at 117 C. The air permeability and the pin puncture strength are normalized to a thickness of 16 m.

Thermally treated aerogel compositions that include polyamic amides in an amount less than the aerogel compositions that include polyamic amides prior to thermal treatment, and articles of manufacture that include or are manufactured from the aerogel compositions are described.

The present disclosure provides a method for producing an aerogel, the method comprising reacting at least one acid monomer with at least one diamino monomer in a first solvent under conditions appropriate to form a polyimide polymer; conducting a solvent exchange wherein the first solvent is exchanged for a second solvent, said second solvent having a freezing point, wherein said solvent exchange further comprises (1) submersing the polyimide polymer in the second solvent in a pressure vessel and (2) creating a high pressure environment inside the pressure vessel for a first period of time; cooling the polyimide polymer to a first temperature below the freezing point of the second solvent; and subjecting cooled polyimide polymer to a first vacuum for a second period of time at a second temperature.

A hydrophobized nanofibrillated cellulose foam comprising a charged hydrophobic amine, a method for providing such foam and its use.

A thermally treated open-cell structured polymeric material comprising a polyamic amide containing polymer is disclosed. The polyamic amid containing polymer can have a repeating structural unit of:

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where X is a first organic group having at least two carbon atoms, Y is a second organic group having at least two carbon atoms, Z and Z are each independently a hydroxyl group or a nitrogen containing hydrocarbon compound comprising at least one secondary nitrogen with the proviso that that at least one of Z or Z is the nitrogen containing hydrocarbon compound comprising at least one secondary nitrogen, and m and n are average number of repeat units per chain ranging from 1 to 2000.