An inorganic fiber containing silica and magnesia as the major fiber components and which further includes an intended chromium oxide additive to improve the dimensional stability of the fiber. The inorganic fiber exhibits good thermal insulation performance at 1400? C. and greater, retains mechanical integrity after exposure to the use temperature, and which remains soluble in physiological fluids. Also provided are thermal insulation product forms that are made from a plurality of the inorganic fibers, methods of preparing the inorganic fiber, and methods of thermally insulating articles using thermal insulation prepared from a plurality of the inorganic fibers.

The invention concerns a novel silica sol material and its use for producing bioabsorbable and biodegradable silica gel materials having improved properties. The materials such as for example fibers, fibrous nonwoven webs, powders, monoliths and/or coatings are used, for example, in medical technology and/or human medicine, in particular for wound treatment.

An extrusion method and apparatus are described for producing ceramics, glass, glass-ceramics, or composites suitable for use as proppants. The method includes forming one or more green body materials, extruding the green body materials to form a green body extrudate, separating and shaping the green body extrudate into individual green bodies, and sintering the green bodies to form proppants. The apparatus includes a means for forming an intimate mixture of green body materials, means to produce a green body extrudate, means for separating and shaping the green body extrudate into individual green bodies, and means to sinter the green green bodies to form proppants.

An inorganic fiber containing silica and magnesia as the major fiber components and which further includes intended addition of lithium oxide to improve the thermal stability of the fiber. The inorganic fiber exhibits good thermal performance at 1260 C. and greater, low linear shrinkage, retains mechanical integrity after exposure to the use temperature, and exhibits low biopersistence in physiological fluids. Also provided are thermal insulation product forms prepared from a plurality of the inorganic fibers, methods of preparing the inorganic fiber and of thermally insulating articles using thermal insulation prepared from a plurality of the inorganic fibers.

An inorganic fiber containing silica and magnesia as the major fiber components and which further includes an intended chromium oxide additive to improve the dimensional stability of the fiber. The inorganic fiber exhibits good thermal insulation performance at 1400 C. and greater, retains mechanical integrity after exposure to the use temperature, and which remains soluble in physiological fluids. Also provided are thermal insulation product forms that are made from a plurality of the inorganic fibers, methods of preparing the inorganic fiber, and methods of thermally insulating articles using thermal insulation prepared from a plurality of the inorganic fibers.

An inorganic fiber containing silica and magnesia as the major fiber components and which further includes intended addition of lithium oxide to improve the thermal stability of the fiber. The inorganic fiber exhibits good thermal performance at 1260 C. and greater, low linear shrinkage, retains mechanical integrity after exposure to the use temperature, and exhibits low biopersistence in physiological fluids. Also provided are thermal insulation product forms prepared from a plurality of the inorganic fibers, methods of preparing the inorganic fiber and of thermally insulating articles using thermal insulation prepared from a plurality of the inorganic fibers.

An article having a superhydrophobic or oleophobic ceramic polymer composite surface is formed by the coating of the surface with a fluid comprising a polymer, copolymer, or polymer precursor and a plurality of glass, ceramic, or ceramic-polymer particles. The particles have fluorinated surfaces and at least a portion of the polymer's repeating units that are fluorinated or perfluorinated. The composite can be a cross-linked polymer.

Traditionally, the manufacturing of ceramic metal oxide membranes is often expensive and extremely labor intensive due to the often necessary post-processing steps. The present invention discloses to a novel single-step process, to produce ceramic metal oxide membranes. More specifically, this invention relates to reactive electrospinning where a sol-gel solution containing alkoxides is electrically charged and formed a Taylor cone at the tip of a needle in an environment controlled chamber, and the Taylor cone rejects a continuous stream of alkoxide nanofibers which polymerized to form a ceramic metal oxide membrane (with and without a polymer substrate present). The manufactured membranes may be used for various applications, including dye sensitized solar cells and for carbon dioxide capturing.

A method for preventing and/or treating a disease associated with increased interleukin-1 and/or interleukin-6 and/or interleukin-8 activity and/or disease, in which a reduction in the activity of interleukin-1 and/or interleukin-6 and/or interleukin-8 is beneficial for healing includes utilizing a silicon-containing, biodegradable material containing a polyhydroxysilicic acid ethyl ester compound, with the proviso that wound defects including chronic diabetic-neuropathic ulcer, chronic leg ulcer, bedsores, secondary-healing infected wounds, non-irritating, primary-healing wounds, ablative lacerations and/or abrasions, are excluded from said disease that is prevented and/or treated with the silicon-containing, biodegradable material.

Organic-inorganic hybrid nanofibres comprising two phases: a first mineral phase comprising a structured mesoporous network with open porosity; and a second organic phase comprising an organic polymer, wherein said organic phase is basically not present inside the pores of the structured mesoporous network. A membrane and an electrode comprising said nanofibres. A fuel cell comprising said membrane and/or said electrode. A method of preparing said nanofibres by electrically assisted extrusion (electrospinning).