A process for forming a mat containing a fiber filler including providing one or more sources of extended length fiber; feeding the one or more sources of extended length fiber simultaneously to an automated cutting machine to produce chopped tow fibers; separating the chopped fiber tow into individual chopped fibers that form a fiber filler; coating the fiber filler with a binder; depositing the fiber filler on a first sheet of thermoplastic; covering the fiber filler with a second sheet of thermoplastic to form a stack; and moving the stack to a treatment chamber to form a fiber mat.

A composite material containing reinforcing fibers A and a matrix resin, the reinforcing fibers A being discontinuous fibers having a fiber length of at least 5 mm and containing reinforcing fibers A1 having a bundle width of less than 0.3 mm and a reinforcing fiber bundle A2 having a fiber width of 0.3-3.0 mm, inclusive, wherein the coefficient of variation CVi.sub.A2 of Vfi.sub.A2 is 35% or less in at least a minimum bundle width zone (i=1) and a maximum bundle width zone (i=n) when the reinforcing fiber bundle A2 is divided into a pre-set plurality of bundle width zones (total number of bundle width zones n≥3) and the volume ratio of the reinforcing fiber bundle A2 in each bundle width zone is Vfi.sub.A2. Also, a method for producing a molded article which uses the composite material.

The invention relates to a process for determining the susceptibility to nosocomical infections in a patient, comprising the measurement of the expression of sCD127 in a biological sample.

A method of treating silicon carbide fibers comprises phosphating heat treatment in a reactive gas so as to form a coating around each fiber for protection against oxidation. The coating comprises a surface layer of silicon pyrophosphate crystals and at least one underlying bilayer system comprising a layer of a phosphosilicate glass and a layer of microporous carbon.

A method of treating silicon carbide fibers comprises phosphating heat treatment in a reactive gas so as to form a coating around each fiber for protection against oxidation. The coating comprises a surface layer of silicon pyrophosphate crystals and at least one underlying bilayer system comprising a layer of a phosphosilicate glass and a layer of microporous carbon.

Systems and methods for plasma treating fiber tows (e.g., carbon fiber tows) are disclosed. The system may be a fiber tow treatment system, including an air-plasma source configured to emit a plasma stream and a support surface spaced apart from the air-plasma source and configured to contact the plasma stream when emitted. First and second guides may be on opposing ends of the support surface and configured to align a moving fiber tow between the support surface and the air-plasma source. The method may include continuously transferring a fiber tow through a first guide, across a support surface, and through a second guide; and air-plasma treating the fiber tow as it crosses the support surface such that a deflection of the fiber tow from the air-plasma treatment is limited by the support surface. The disclosed systems/methods may reduce the damage to fiber tows during plasma treatment.

An intermediate base material has high handleability and shape conformity to complicated shapes and serves to perform high-yield production, even by low pressure molding, of fiber reinforced plastic material that do not suffer from significant generation of molding defects, such as creases and voids, that can cause a decrease in strength and that has good mechanical characteristics, decreased variations therein, and high dimensional stability. The prepreg includes a layer containing reinforcement fibers impregnated with a resin composition and the impregnation rate with the resin composition in the prepreg is in a predetermined range. It is characterized by being an incised prepreg having a plurality of incisions, being at least partly formed of reinforcement fibers with a predetermined fiber length, and having a reinforcement fiber content by volume Vf in a predetermined range.

A continuous device (1) is provided for impregnating, in a single step, strands or ribbons of natural fibers (100) with a specific aqueous polymer dispersion to consolidate the fibers at the core of the fiber bundle and to improve their mechanical strength without any need for twisting. The device includes a stretching component (10) for elongating by the strand or the ribbon of natural fibers by stretching to give them a required yarn count, an impregnating component (20) for impregnating the fibers with the aqueous dispersion, a shaper for shaping/calibrating the wrung fibers, a dryer (40) for drying the shaped/calibrated fibers, and a conditioner (50) for conditioning the dried fibers to transform them into yarn or ribbon.

The present disclosure relates to roll-to-roll doping method of graphene film, and doped graphene film.

The present disclosure relates to roll-to-roll doping method of graphene film, and doped graphene film.