Composites comprising polymeric nanofibers, metal oxide nanoparticles, and optional surface-segregating surfactants and precursor compositions are disclosed. Also disclosed are nonwoven mats formed from the composites and methods of making and using the composites. The composites enable the deployment of nanostructured materials for water treatment within a self-contained membrane with high water fluxes, as well as a number uses.

Composites comprising polymeric nanofibers, metal oxide nanoparticles, and optional surface-segregating surfactants and precursor compositions are disclosed. Also disclosed are nonwoven mats formed from the composites and methods of making and using the composites. The composites enable the deployment of nanostructured materials for water treatment within a self-contained membrane with high water fluxes, as well as a number uses.

The present disclosure provides scalable nanotube fabrics and methods for controlling or otherwise adjusting the nanotube length distribution of a nanotube application solution in order to realize scalable nanotube fabrics. In one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more filtering operations are used to remove relatively long nanotube elements from a nanotube solution until nanotube length distribution of the nanotube solution conforms to a preselected or desired nanotube length distribution profile. In another aspect of the present disclosure, a sono-chemical cutting process is used to break up relatively long nanotube elements within a nanotube application solution into relatively short nanotube elements to realize a pre-selected or desired nanotube length distribution profile.

The present disclosure provides scalable nanotube fabrics and methods for controlling or otherwise adjusting the nanotube length distribution of a nanotube application solution in order to realize scalable nanotube fabrics. In one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more filtering operations are used to remove relatively long nanotube elements from a nanotube solution until nanotube length distribution of the nanotube solution conforms to a preselected or desired nanotube length distribution profile. In another aspect of the present disclosure, a sono-chemical cutting process is used to break up relatively long nanotube elements within a nanotube application solution into relatively short nanotube elements to realize a pre-selected or desired nanotube length distribution profile.

Provided is a porous electrode substrate capable of reducing a drop in electromotive force when used in a battery. This porous electrode substrate comprises a carbon fiber sheet wherein carbon fibers are bound by a binder. For dust of 0.3 m or more in particle size, the dust generation amount per 1 m.sup.2 of the porous electrode substrate is 120,000/m.sup.2 or less, as determined by the following method: dust particles in a gas obtained by suctioning at 47.2 mL/s for 40 minutes using a dust collecting hood having an opening of 500 mm100 mm while traveling the sheet at a speed of 10 m/min from a position 200 mm below the sheet are used; the number of dust particles having a diameter within a predetermined range is measured by a particle counter; and the measured value is divided by 200 m.sup.2, which is a suction area, and the resulting value is defined as a dust generation amount per 1 m.sup.2.

Provided is a porous electrode substrate capable of reducing a drop in electromotive force when used in a battery. This porous electrode substrate comprises a carbon fiber sheet wherein carbon fibers are bound by a binder. For dust of 0.3 m or more in particle size, the dust generation amount per 1 m.sup.2 of the porous electrode substrate is 120,000/m.sup.2 or less, as determined by the following method: dust particles in a gas obtained by suctioning at 47.2 mL/s for 40 minutes using a dust collecting hood having an opening of 500 mm100 mm while traveling the sheet at a speed of 10 m/min from a position 200 mm below the sheet are used; the number of dust particles having a diameter within a predetermined range is measured by a particle counter; and the measured value is divided by 200 m.sup.2, which is a suction area, and the resulting value is defined as a dust generation amount per 1 m.sup.2.

Provided is a fiber-reinforced composite material shaped product having isotropy and mechanical strength and a random mat used as an intermediate material thereof. The random mat includes reinforcing fibers having an average fiber length of 3 to 100 mm and a thermoplastic resin, in which the reinforcing fibers satisfy the following i) to iii). i) A weight-average fiber width (Ww) of the reinforcing fibers satisfies the following Equation (1).
0.03 mm<Ww<5.0 mm(1) ii) An average fiber width dispersion ratio (Ww/Wn) defined as a ratio of the weight-average fiber width (Ww) to a number-average fiber width (Wn) of the reinforcing fibers is 1.8 or more and 20.0 or less. iii) A weight-average fiber thickness of the reinforcing fibers is smaller than the weight-average fiber width (Ww).

Provided is a fiber-reinforced composite material shaped product having isotropy and mechanical strength and a random mat used as an intermediate material thereof. The random mat includes reinforcing fibers having an average fiber length of 3 to 100 mm and a thermoplastic resin, in which the reinforcing fibers satisfy the following i) to iii). i) A weight-average fiber width (Ww) of the reinforcing fibers satisfies the following Equation (1).
0.03 mm<Ww<5.0 mm(1) ii) An average fiber width dispersion ratio (Ww/Wn) defined as a ratio of the weight-average fiber width (Ww) to a number-average fiber width (Wn) of the reinforcing fibers is 1.8 or more and 20.0 or less. iii) A weight-average fiber thickness of the reinforcing fibers is smaller than the weight-average fiber width (Ww).

A thermal conducting sheet, including: a binder resin; insulating-coated carbon fibers; and a thermal conducting filler other than the insulating-coated carbon fibers, wherein a mass ratio (insulating-coated carbon fibers/binder resin) of the insulating-coated carbon fibers to the binder resin is less than 1.30, and wherein the insulating-coated carbon fibers include carbon fibers and a coating film over at least a part of a surface of the carbon fibers, the coating film being formed of a cured product of a polymerizable material.

A thermal conducting sheet, including: a binder resin; insulating-coated carbon fibers; and a thermal conducting filler other than the insulating-coated carbon fibers, wherein a mass ratio (insulating-coated carbon fibers/binder resin) of the insulating-coated carbon fibers to the binder resin is less than 1.30, and wherein the insulating-coated carbon fibers include carbon fibers and a coating film over at least a part of a surface of the carbon fibers, the coating film being formed of a cured product of a polymerizable material.