The present disclosure is directed to methods of forming polyamic acid and polyimide gels in water. The resulting polyamic acid and polyimide gels may be converted to aerogels, which may further be converted to carbon aerogels. Such carbon aerogels have the same physical properties as carbon aerogels prepared from polyimide aerogels obtained according to conventional methods, i.e., organic solvent-based. The disclosed methods are advantageous in reducing or avoiding costs associated with use and disposal of potentially toxic solvents and byproducts. Gel materials prepared according to the disclosed methods are suitable for use in environments involving electrochemical reactions, for example as an electrode material within a lithium-ion battery.

The present disclosure is directed to methods of forming polyimide gels. The methods generally include forming a polyamic acid and dehydrating the polyamic acid with a dehydrating agent in the presence of water. The resulting polyimide gels may be converted to polyimide or carbon xerogels or aerogels. The methods are advantageous in providing rapid or even instantaneous gelation, which may be particularly useful in formation of beads comprising the polyimide gels. Polyimide or carbon gel materials prepared according to the disclosed method are suitable for use in environments containing electrochemical reactions, for example as an electrode material within a lithium-ion battery.

Fiber-reinforced organic polymer aerogels, articles of manufacture and uses thereof are described. The reinforced aerogels include a fiber-reinforced organic polymer matrix having an at least bimodal pore size distribution with a first mode of pores having an average pore size of less than or equal to 50 nanometers (nm) and a second mode of pores having an average pore size of greater than 50 nm and a thermal conductivity of less than or equal to 30 mW/m.Math.K at a temperature of 20° C.

The invention relates to a foamed, fissure-free skin-compatible article, produced by mixing a first polyurethane dispersion (A) with at least one second polyurethane dispersion (B) which differs from the first polyurethane dispersion (A), optionally with the addition of other additives, then by foaming and subsequently drying the mixture. The invention also relates to a process for preparing the foamed article and to the use thereof.

Disclosed are methods of synthesizing organic-inorganic aerogel composites. The method comprises the steps of providing a cellulose component, derived from a plant based material, dispersed in an aqueous medium, adding a water soluble binder and a water soluble polymer to the aqueous medium to form a first mixture, forming a silica component, which is derived from a plant based silicate material, in situ when contacted with the first mixture for a predetermined time and condition to form a second mixture, gelling the second mixture and drying the second mixture to form an organic—inorganic aerogel. Also disclosed are organic-inorganic aerogel composites and their uses thereof. In particular, the organic-inorganic aerogel composites may have applications in thermal insulations, acoustic insulations and/or oil absorption.

Provided is a method that can produce a resin porous material from a water-insoluble polymer in a small number of steps while suppressing the formation of skin layers. The production method of a resin porous material disclosed herein includes preparing a solution of a water-insoluble polymer in a mixed solvent including a good solvent of the water-insoluble polymer and a poor solvent of the water-insoluble polymer, and drying the solution to remove the mixed solvent. The poor solvent has a higher boiling point than the good solvent. The drying the solution is performed using superheated water vapor.

A method of preparing a superabsorbent polymer sheet by polymerization of monomers in the presence of an encapsulated foaming agent and an inorganic foaming agent is provided. According to the method of preparing the superabsorbent polymer sheet of the present invention, a porous and flexible superabsorbent polymer sheet may be prepared.

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a hierarchically porous polymer and a hierarchically porous polymer prepared thereby. The method comprises the steps of: (a) polymerizing an external oil phase of a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) consisting aqueous droplets to produce a cross-linked block copolymer; (b) obtaining a macroporous polymer with interconnected macropores by removing the aqueous droplets; and (c) treating the obtained porous polymer with a base, thereby obtaining a hierarchically porous polymer having three-dimensional mesopores formed in the macroporous walls. According to the method, the macropore size and mesopore size of the hierarchically porous polymer can all be controlled. The hierarchically porous polymer prepared by the method can easily separate polymers having different sizes, and thus is highly useful in the polymer separation field.

A synthetic leather article comprising a top coating derived from externally emulsified PUD and a 2K non-solvent PU foam is provided. The leather article exhibits high delamination resistance while retaining superior mechanical properties and appearance comparable with those derived from the organic solvent-based PU. A method for preparing the synthetic leather article is also provided.

The present invention relates to a porous layer structure containing a base material and a polyurethane porous layer formed on the base material, wherein a moisture permeability A of the porous layer structure measured by JIS L1099 A-1 (calcium chloride method) is 2000 to 10000 g/(m.sup.2.Math.24h), a moisture permeability loss rate obtained by a predetermined formula from a moisture permeability B of the base material alone measured by JIS L1099 A-1 (calcium chloride method) and the moisture permeability A is 75% or less, and a peel strength at a bonding surface between the base material and the polyurethane porous layer is 0.7 kgf/inch or more.