The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a breast prosthesis, in which a first dispersion of a first granular material is introduced into a cross-linkable silicone compound. The silicone compound subsequently is cured in order to form a prosthesis body, wherein the prosthesis body is heated to a shrinking temperature which lies above the melting point of the thermoplastic material.

A substrate includes a double-network polymer system including a cross-linked, covalently-bonded polymer and a reversible, partially ionicly-bonded polymer, wherein the substrate has a moisture level less than or equal to 15 percent of the total weight of the substrate, and wherein the substrate includes a latent retractive force. A method for manufacturing a substrate includes producing a double-network hydrogel including a cross-linked, covalently-bonded polymer and a reversible, ionicly-bonded polymer; elongating by force the double-network hydrogel in at least one direction; dehydrating while still elongated the double-network hydrogel to form a substantially-dehydrated double-network polymer system; and releasing the force to produce the substrate.

A shrink film comprising a core layer comprising a glycol modified polyester, the core having an upper and lower surface; an upper skin layer disposed on the upper surface of the core layer and a lower skin layer disposed on the lower surface of the core layer, the skin layers each individually comprising (a) a resin material; and (b) an antiblocking agent.

Provided are a sequential joint behavior sheet using photo deformation and a method of controlling folding and unfolding thereof. The sequential joint behavior sheet includes at least three rigid parts, a first joint part joining two of the rigid parts that are adjacent to each other, and a second joint part joining two of the rigid parts that are adjacent to each other and spaced apart from the first joint part. Here, the first and second joint parts have a first state in which the same rigid state as the rigid parts is maintained, and a second state in which one rigid part performs a folding behavior with respect to the other rigid part of the two adjacent rigid parts between the first and second joint parts, the second state being reached when light is absorbed, and print patterns having different degrees of transparency are formed on a transparent high-molecular-weight polymer in the first and second joint parts, and thus a folding behavior is sequentially performed at the first and second joint parts due to different times taken to reach the second state through radiation of light according to degrees of transparency of the first and second joint parts.

The present invention discloses the fabrication and application of a shape memory polymer possessing transesterification-induced permanent reshaping. The ester-containing crosslinked polymer is obtained by crosslinking ester bearing polymer precursors or by reaction of monomers which yield ester bonds. The transition temperature falls between 20-150 C. The reshaping temperature is tuned by catalyst amount and should be 20 C. above the transition temperature. The breakthrough of the present invention lies in integrating shape memory effect and plastic deformation into the same polymer and triggering the respective function at different occasions. The permanent shape of as synthesized polymer could be modified arbitrarily and cumulatively. Therefore, the hierarchical structure which could not otherwise be obtained due to the limit of mold fabrication process should expand the practical application of SMPs.

A process of heat shrinking an article is provided. The process includes shaping a thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) into an article, the TPV having: a partially vulcanized rubber dispersed in a continuous thermoplastic phase, wherein more than 5 wt % of the rubber is extractable in boiling xylene, and wherein the thermoplastic phase comprises a thermoplastic resin having a Tm>110 C. and a propylene-based elastomer (PBE) having a Tm<110 C.; and heating the article to a temperature between about 100 C. and 250 C. to shrink the article.

The invention provides a roll of a white heat-shrinkable polyester-based film containing titanium oxide which can suppress occurrence of a processing trouble of a label or the like cut out from the roll, even when widening the roll. The roll of the white heat-shrinkable polyester-based film satisfies the following requirements: (1) the length of the film is 1,000-20,000 m and the width of the film is 400-10,000 mm, (2) the heat-shrinkage ratio in a main shrinkage direction is 50-85%, (3,4) the difference between the maximum and minimum heat-shrinkage ratio in the main shrinkage direction is 0-3% among samples which are sampled in each of the width and longitudinal directions of the film, and (5,6) the difference between the maximum and minimum apparent specific gravity is 0-0.01 g/cm.sup.3 among samples which are sampled in each of the width and longitudinal directions of the film.

The present disclosure provides a dual layer heat shrink tube having: an inner polymeric layer with a thickness t.sub.1 and an outer diameter D.sub.1; and an outer, expanded polymeric layer with a thickness t.sub.2 and an outer diameter D.sub.2 obtained by expanding a polymer tube from D.sub.2 to D.sub.2 and t.sub.2 to t.sub.2 at a selected temperature so that D.sub.2?2(t.sub.2)>D.sub.1, wherein a ring cut from a cross-section of the dual layer heat shrink tube, slit into a rectangle and gripped at cut ends by tension grips within a DMA, and subjected to a temperature sweep of 3? C./min at a frequency of 1 Hz from the onset of a melting endotherm of the inner polymeric layer to that of the outer, expanded polymeric layer is greater than 1? C. and less than 12? C. The disclosure further provides associated methods for preparing and using such tubes, as well as to products comprising such tubes.

An oral-care implement including a filament comprising an external material and at least a first internal material. The filament includes an elongated flexible body having a length, a longitudinal axis, and a longitudinal outer surface comprising the external material, the elongated body terminating with a tip having a tip surface comprising the external material, wherein the tip surface has therein a plurality of craters distributed throughout the tip surface in a predetermined pattern, each of the craters having a surface edge of a predetermined size and a predetermined shape, walls extending longitudinally from the surface edge and comprising the external material, and a bottom comprising the at least first internal material and situated at a depth from the surface edge, the surface edge being formed by the walls and the tip surface.

A shape memory polymer (SMP) intraocular lens may have a refractive index above 1.45, a Tg between 10 C. and 60 C., inclusive, de minimiz or an absence of glistening, and substantially 100% transmissivity of light in the visible spectrum. The intraocular lens is then rolled at a temperature above Tg of the SMP material. The intraocular device is radially compressed within a die to a diameter of less than or equal to 1.8 mm while maintaining the temperature above Tg. The compressed intraocular lens device may be inserted through an incision less than 2 mm wide in a cornea or sclera or other anatomical structure. The lens can be inserted into the capsular bag, the ciliary sulcus, or other cavity through the incision. The SMP can substantially achieve refractive index values of greater than or equal to 1.45.