The disclosed methods and apparatus improve the fabrication of solid fibers and microstructures. In many embodiments, the fabrication is from gaseous, solid, semi-solid, liquid, critical, and supercritical mixtures using one or more low molar mass precursor(s), in combination with one or more high molar mass precursor(s). The methods and systems generally employ the thermal diffusion/Soret effect to concentrate the low molar mass precursor at a reaction zone, where the presence of the high molar mass precursor contributes to this concentration, and may also contribute to the reaction and insulate the reaction zone, thereby achieving higher fiber growth rates and/or reduced energy/heat expenditures together with reduced homogeneous nucleation. In some embodiments, the invention also relates to the permanent or semi-permanent recording and/or reading of information on or within fabricated fibers and microstructures. In some embodiments, the invention also relates to the fabrication of certain functionally-shaped fibers and microstructures. In some embodiments, the invention may also utilize laser beam profiling to enhance fiber and microstructure fabrication.

In one aspect, a fiber delivery assembly is provided including a backing tape and a single-filament fiber coupled to the backing tape. In another aspect, a method of making a fiber delivery assembly is provided, which includes: providing a backing tape; providing a single-filament fiber; and coupling the single-filament fiber to the backing tape.

A method is for the production of a scintillator fiber. In an embodiment, the method includes provisioning a suspension of a binder dissolved in a solvent and a scintillator material; and pressing the suspension into a precipitation bath in which the binder is insoluble.

Disclosed are an inorganic nanofiber characterized in that the average fiber diameter is 2 μm or less, the average fiber length is 200 μm or less, and the CV value of the fiber length is 0.7 or less; and a method of manufacturing the same. In the manufacturing method, an inorganic nanofiber sheet consisting of inorganic nanofibers having an average fiber diameter of 2 μm or less is formed by electrospinning, and then, the inorganic nanofiber sheet is pressed using a press machine and crushed so that the average fiber length becomes 200 μm or less, and the CV value of the fiber length becomes 0.7 or less.

A catalyst-free synthesis method for the formation of a metalorganic compound comprising a desired (first) metal may include, for example, selecting another (second) metal and an organic solvent, with the second metal being selected to (i) be more reactive with respect to the organic solvent than the first metal and (ii) form, upon exposure of the second metal to the organic solvent, a reaction by-product that is more soluble in the organic solvent than the metalorganic compound. An alloy comprising the first metal and the second metal may be first produced (e.g., formed or otherwise obtained) and then treated with the organic solvent in a liquid phase or a vapor phase to form a mixture comprising (i) the reaction by-product comprising the second metal and (ii) the metalorganic compound comprising the first metal. The metalorganic compound may then be separated from the mixture in the form of a solid.

An additive manufacturing paste composition for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped article of a material of interest, said paste composition including 70-99.8 wt. % with respect to the weight of the composition of particles of the material of interest, the material of interest being one or more compounds selected from the group of metals and metal alloys and mixtures thereof, at least one binder component, at least one additive component, which is a lubricant, one or more solvents which are miscible with each other, wherein the sum of the concentration of the at least one additive component and the at least one binder is between 0.06 wt. % and 10.0 wt. %, with respect to the weight of the paste composition, and wherein at least one of the additive component and the binder component or the mixture thereof are shear-thinning.

A polymetalloxane is described having a constituent unit represented by the following general formula (1):

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, M a, b and m are as defined.

The present invention relates to an alumina fiber having the content of sodium oxide of 530 to 3,200 ppm and a mass ratio (A/B) of the content (A) of the sodium oxide to the content (B) of calcium oxide of 5 to 116.

A catalyst-free synthesis method for the formation of a metalorganic compound comprising a desired (first) metal may include, for example, selecting another (second) metal and an organic solvent, with the second metal being selected to (i) be more reactive with respect to the organic solvent than the first metal and (ii) form, upon exposure of the second metal to the organic solvent, a reaction by-product that is more soluble in the organic solvent than the metalorganic compound. An alloy comprising the first metal and the second metal may be first produced (e.g., formed or otherwise obtained) and then treated with the organic solvent in a liquid phase or a vapor phase to form a mixture comprising (i) the reaction by-product comprising the second metal and (ii) the metalorganic compound comprising the first metal. The metalorganic compound may then be separated from the mixture in the form of a solid.

The present invention relates to an alumina fiber having a mass ratio (A/C) of the content (A) of iron oxide as expressed in terms of ferric oxide to the content (C) of titanium oxide of 2 to 121; and a mass ratio (B/C) of the content (B) of calcium oxide to the content (C) of titanium oxide of 0.4 to 14, with a sum total of the content (A) of iron oxide, the content (B) of calcium oxide, and the content (C) of titanium oxide being 0.0170 to 0.1180% by mass.