A method for fabricating custom surface reflectance and spatially-varying bi-directional reflectance distribution functions (BDRFs or svBRDFs). The 3D printing method optimizes micro-geometry to produce a normal distribution function (NDF) that can be printed on surfaces with a 3D printer. Particularly, the method involves optimizing the micro-geometry for a wide range of analytic NDFs and simulating the effective reflectance of the resulting surface. Using the results of the simulation, the appearance of an input svBRDF can be reproduced. To this end, the micro-geometry is optimized in a data-driven fashion and distributed on the surface of the printed object. The methods were demonstrated to allow 3D printing svBRDF on planar samples with current 3D printing technology even with a limited set of printing materials, and the described methods have been shown to be naturally extendable to printing svBRDF on arbitrary shapes or 3D objects.

A cover panel, for at least partially transparently covering at least one display instrument in a vehicle, has a microstructure applied on at least one surface. The microstructure is suitable for scattering visible light which is incident on the cover panel. The at least one window region of the cover panel is cutout from the microstructure. A method for manufacturing such a cover panel uses a molding tool with an applied microstructure matrix for forming a microstructure on a part of the molding tool which is assigned to a surface of a molded cover panel. The parts of the molding tool which are assigned to window regions are cut out from the microstructure matrix.

A method for adjusting an etchability of a first borosilicate glass by heating the first borosilicate glass; combining the first borosilicate glass with a second borosilicate glass to form a composite; and etching the composite with an etchant. A material having a protrusive phase and a recessive phase, where the protrusive phase protrudes from the recessive phase to form a plurality of nanoscale surface features, and where the protrusive phase and the recessive phase have the same composition.

Stabilized precursor solutions can be used to form radiation inorganic coating materials. The precursor solutions generally comprise metal suboxide cations, peroxide-based ligands and polyatomic anions. Design of the precursor solutions can be performed to achieve a high level of stability of the precursor solutions. The resulting coating materials can be designed for patterning with a selected radiation, such as ultraviolet light, x-ray radiation or electron beam radiation. The radiation patterned coating material can have a high contrast with respect to material properties, such that development of a latent image can be successful to form lines with very low line-width roughness and adjacent structures with a very small pitch.

A light extraction substrate for an organic light-emitting device (OLED) which can improve the brightness of a display or an illumination system to which an OLED is applied by improving light extraction efficiency and a method of manufacturing the same. The light extraction substrate for an OLED includes an oxide or nitride thin film formed on a substrate body. The oxide or nitride thin film includes a base layer formed on the substrate body, a first texture formed on the base layer, the first texture having a plurality of first protrusions which protrude continuously or discontinuously from the base layer, and a second texture having a plurality of second protrusions which protrude continuously or discontinuously from each outer surface of the first protrusions.

Methods and apparatus to vent gas and vapor from a panel via venting channels for a decorative layer are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a decorative layer, an adhesive layer to couple the decorative layer to a panel, and a resin layer disposed between the decorative layer and the adhesive layer. The adhesive layer is coupled to a first side of the resin layer. The decorative layer is coupled to a second side of the resin layer. The first side of the resin layer defines venting channels to vent at least one of gas or vapor away from the decorative layer to deter the at least one of gas or vapor from exerting a pressure on the decorative layer to deter separation of a portion of the decorative layer from the resin layer. The venting channels have a depth to impede the adhesive layer from filling the venting channels.

Virus multilayers can be used as templates for growth of inorganic nanomaterials. For example, layer-by-layer construction of virus multilayers on functionalized surfaces form nanoporous structures onto which metal particles or metal oxide nanoparticles can be nucleated to result in an interconnected network of nanowires.

A biaxially stretched polypropylene film for capacitors which has protrusions on both sides and has a thickness (t1[μm]) of 1 μm to 3 μm, wherein Formulae (1) to (4) are satisfied by an A-side as one film surface and a B-side as another film surface:
|Pa−Pb|≧200;  (1)
0.350≦Pa/SRzA≦0.700;  (2)
500 nm≦SRzA≦1,200 nm;  (3)
50 nm≦SRzB≦500 nm;  (4)
wherein, in Formulae (1) to (4), Pa is a number per 0.1 mm.sup.2 of protrusions on the A-side, Pb is a number per 0.1 mm.sup.2 of protrusions on the B-side, SRzA is a ten-point average roughness of the A-side, and SRzB is a ten-point average roughness of the B-side.

A tool die for forming a green ceramic body. The tool die has a wear resistant coating that is deposited on a substrate and has an outer or free surface having a morphology that provides a mean roughness in a range from about 0.03 μm up to about 0.8 μm Rq. In one embodiment, the wear resistant coating has multiple alternating layers of fine grained and coarse grained materials. Methods of making the tool die and wear resistant coating are also provided.

The invention discloses a substrate with high fracture strength. The substrate according to the invention includes a plurality of nanostructures. The substrate has a first surface, and the nanostructures are protruded from the first surface. By the formation of the nanostructures, the fracture strength of the substrate is enhanced.