The present invention provides a process for producing a surface-modified layer system comprising a substrate (2) and a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) (1) anchored to its surface. The SAM (1) is comprised by aryl or rigid alicyclic moiety species. The process comprises providing a polymorphic SAM (1) anchored to the substrate (2), and thermally treating (4) the SAM to change from a first to a second structural form thereof. The invention also provides a thermolithographic form of process in which the thermal treatment (4) is used to transfer a pattern (3) to the SAM (1), which is then developed.

The invention provides a frameless photo-energy assembly including a photo-energy converter, wherein an edge of the photo-energy converter is sealed by an adhesive tape, comprising an adhering layer for adhesion and cushioning; and an aging-resistant protective layer. The adhering layer is used to contact the edge of an article and comprises: a substrate layer; optionally, a first adhesive layer and a second adhesive layer situated at both sides of the substrate layer oppositely, wherein the first adhesive layer being used to be contact with the article. The aging-resistant protective layer is situated on the adhering layer, which comprises: an optional primer layer, which is situated on the adhering layer; and a film layer, which is situated on either the primer layer or the substrate or the second adhesive layer. The invention further provides an adhesive tape for sealing an edge of an article and an article made of the assembly.

A tabbed seal as well as a method of manufacture is provided for sealing containers such as bottles, jars and the like. The tabbed seal is formed with a lower sheet-like structure having a non-foam, heat-distributing layer thereon.

A water vapour-permeable building sheet material, that may be adhered in overlapping relationship against a building structure, includes a water vapour permeable membrane having first and second opposing surfaces, wherein the surface energy of the second opposing surface is less than 35 mN/m; an adhesive layer that is vapour permeable, applied to the first face of the membrane; and an adhesive region applied to the second opposing surface. Two segments of the sheet material may be placed in overlapping relationship so that adhesive in the adhesive layer applied to the first face of the membrane of one of two segments adheres to the adhesive region applied to the second opposing face of the other of the two segments to form a substantially air impermeable boundary between the two segments, when overlapping, preventing lateral migration of air between the two segments. A building envelope may be so formed.

A three-dimensional object comprises substantially planar or flat substrate layers that are folded and stacked in a predetermined order and infiltrated by a hardened material. The object is fabricated by positioning powder on all or part of multiple substrate layers. On each layer, the powder is selectively deposited in a pattern that corresponds to tiles that each have a slice of the object. For each slice, powder is deposited in positions that correspond to positions in the slice where the object exists, and not deposited where the object does not exist. The tiles of each substrate layer are folded and aligned in a predetermined order. Multiple folded substrate layers mat be combined into a single stack. The powder is transformed into a substance that flows and subsequently hardens into the hardened material in a spatial pattern that infiltrates positive regions, and does not infiltrate negative regions, in the substrate layers.

An in-mold label includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface. When the in-mold label is molded on to, or into, a plastic product, the first surface faces outward with respect to the plastic product and the second surfaces faces inward with respect to the plastic product. The substrate includes a full graphics area on the second surface. Ink is applied in the full graphics area to provide a full graphics image. To facilitate the molding process, each of the substrate and the ink having a complementary property to a property of the plastic product.

A thermal transfer sheet includes a transfer layer on a substrate. The transfer layer has one or more layers. The critical shearing stress of the transfer layer is within the range of 0.9×10.sup.8 N/m.sup.2-2×10.sup.8 N/m.sup.2. The transfer layer has a release force of 7.5×10.sup.−2 N/cm or less, while the transfer layer is continuously transferred onto a transfer receiving article by use of a thermal printer under conditions including an applied energy of 0.127 mJ/dot and a conveying speed for the thermal transfer sheet of 84.6 mm/sec. The transfer layer transferred onto the transfer receiving article is released from the thermal transfer sheet at a release angle of 50°.

Provided is a seal-type thermal transfer image-receiving sheet capable of providing a seal section having novel designability. A seal-type thermal transfer image-receiving sheet includes a release section and a seal section integrated. The seal section is provided peelably from the release section. The seal section has a layered structure in which a pressure-adhesive layer and a receiving layer capable of receiving a sublimable dye are layered in the order mentioned from the side of the release section. When the seal section is peeled off from the release section, a reference plate and the seal section peeled off are superposed together, and a reflection density of the reference plate is measured from the side of the seal section, the value of the reflection density is 15% or more, on the presupposition that the reflection density of the reference plate before the superposition with the seal section is set to 100%.

Embodiments of the presently disclosed system include a thin thermoplastic or thermosetting polymer film loaded with non-polymeric inclusions that are susceptible to heating under a time-varying magnetic field. Insertion of this additional heating layer into a structural or semi-structural heterogeneous laminate provides an on-demand de-bonding site for laminate deconstruction. For example, in some embodiments when the heating layer is inserted between a cured Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) layer and a Polymeric/Metallic film stackup layer, the heating layer can be selectively heated above its softening point (e.g., by using energy absorbed from a locally-applied time-varying magnetic field) to allow for ease of applique separation from the CFRP layer.

A 3D object according to the invention comprises substrate layers infiltrated by a hardened material. The 3D object is fabricated by a method comprising the following steps: Position powder on all or part of a substrate layer. Repeat this step for the remaining substrate layers. Stack the substrate layers. Transform the powder into a substance that flows and subsequently hardens into the hardened material. The hardened material solidifies in a spatial pattern that infiltrates positive regions in the substrate layers and does not infiltrate negative regions in the substrate layers. In a preferred embodiment, the substrate is carbon fiber and excess substrate is removed by abrasion.