Carbon opals, a form of colloidal crystal, are composed of ordered two-dimensional or three-dimensional arrays of Monodispersed Starburst Carbon Spheres (MSCS). Methods for producing such carbon opals include oxidizing as-synthesized MSCS, for example by heating in air, to increase surface charge. Such oxidation is believed to decrease settling rates of a colloidal suspension, enabling formation of an ordered colloidal crystal. Inverse opals, composed of any of a wide variety of materials, and based on a carbon opal template, have a reciprocal structure to a carbon opal. Inverse opals are formed by methods including: forming a carbon opal as described, impregnating a desired material into pores in the carbon opal to produce a hybrid structure, and removing the carbon portion from the hybrid structure.

Fibers sized with a coating of amorphous polyetherketoneketone are useful in the preparation of reinforced polymers having improved properties, wherein the amorphous polyetherketoneketone can improve the compatibility of the fibers with the polymeric matrix.

The present invention provides a carbon fiber cord having both high bending fatigue resistance and high adhesiveness. The disclosed carbon fiber cord is a carbon fiber cord for reinforcing a rubber product. This carbon fiber cord includes a carbon fiber, a first coating layer formed on the carbon fiber, and a second coating layer formed over the first coating layer. The first coating layer contains a phenolic resin and does not contain a rubber component. The second coating layer contains a rubber component. The mass ratio of the first coating layer to the total mass of the carbon fiber and the first coating layer is in a range of 0.5% to 10%.

The invention is directed to carbon fibers having high tensile strength and modulus of elasticity. The invention also provides a method and apparatus for making the carbon fibers. The method comprises advancing a precursor fiber through an oxidation oven wherein the fiber is subjected to controlled stretching in an oxidizing atmosphere in which tension loads are distributed amongst a plurality of passes through the oxidation oven, which permits higher cumulative stretches to be achieved. The method also includes subjecting the fiber to controlled stretching in two or more of the passes that is sufficient to cause the fiber to undergo one or more transitions in each of the two or more passes. The invention is also directed to an oxidation oven having a plurality of cooperating drive rolls in series that can be driven independently of each other so that the amount of stretch applied to the oven in each of the plurality of passes can be independently controlled.

Thermoplastic elastomer compositions are described comprising multigraft copolymers. The multigraft copolymers can comprise a rubbery polymeric backbone and a plurality of glassy polymeric side chains, each attached at one of a plurality of branch points randomly spaced along the backbone. The copolymer materials have high tensile strength, high strain at break, and low residual strain after elongation. The compositions can be used as adhesives and in a wide variety of high tech, medical, and commodity applications.

The present invention related to an electrical element (100, 101, 102) including an electrically conductive element (3, 5, 10, 31, 32, 51), characterized in that the electrical element also includes a first layer (1) of a polymer material with electrical conductivity gradient obtained from a polymer composition including at least one polymer and conductive carbonaceous fillers.

The invention relates to a planar structure for joining, in particular for the material-uniting joining, of at least two components. According to the invention, the planar structure is flexible and formed by at least one reaction strand. The reaction strand comprises a preferably cylindrical core, which is provided, at least in some areas, with a coating, which is constructed with a plurality of coaxially applied layers with a small thickness. To produce the layers, two different materials are used, the layers being constructed alternately with one of the two materials. Because of the high degree of flexibility of the reactive planar structure and its arbitrary area extent, components with a complex geometry in the region of the joint faces as well as large-format components can be joined in a material-uniting manner without problems. The reactive planar structure can be produced here using the methods known from textile engineering with virtually any dimensions and, in addition, by a continuous industrial production process. Moreover, the invention relates to a method for providing a material-uniting connection between two components, in particular by means of the planar structure according to the invention.

Systems and methods for the formation of nanostructures, including carbon-based nanostructures, are generally described. In certain embodiments, substrate configurations and associated methods are described.

A composite material that increases in temperature upon exposure to electromagnetic radiation includes single crystal silicon carbide whiskers and fibrils in a matrix material. Also disclosed are heat-generating objects that include the composite material, and a method of generating heat.

There is provided a material for molding including: carbon fiber bundles which are easily impregnated including carbon fibers and at least one impregnation aid in an amount of 3 to 15 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the carbon fibers, the at least one impregnation aid satisfying specific requirements; and a polycarbonate is adhered thereto in an amount of 50 to 2000 parts by mass.