The present specification relates to a method for manufacturing a polarizing plate and a polarizing plate. More particularly, the present specification relates to a method for manufacturing a polarizing plate locally having a depolarization region, and a polarizing plate.

The invention relates to a self-supporting polymer film having a thermoplastic polymer, a ketone, and at least one organic photochromic molecule including a chromophore, wherein preferably the at least one organic photochromic molecule including a chromophore is evenly distributed in the self-supporting polymer film. A typical self-supporting polymer film of the invention is a self-supporting photochromic aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane film imbibed with a ketone such as acetone and cyclohexanone, further including one or more of a diarylethene, a spirooxazine and a naphtopyran, preferably a polydialkylsiloxane-substituted naphtopyran. The invention also relates to a method for the manufacturing of such a self-supporting polymer film of the invention, and to the use of such a self-supporting polymer film in the manufacturing of an article. Furthermore, the invention relates to an article having a self-supporting polymer film of the invention.

Described herein are insulating structures that include at least one microporous layer including a plurality of pores, a porous layer adjacent to the microporous layer, and a monolithic aerogel structure extending through the plurality of pores of the microporous layer and through at least part of the porous layer. The microporous layer filters aerogel dust from cracked or damaged aerogel within the scaffold, slowing or preventing loss of dust from the insulating structures.

A thermally insulating sheet formed by a down core structure which is comprised solely of down feather material mixed with binding material which is heat fused together to form a homogeneous sheet core. The method of fabricating the homogeneous thermally insulating sheet to form the down core structure is described. This novel method restrains the down clusters and binding material during the process of mixing, depositing, conveying and heat fusing to form a homogeneous down core sheet. The down core structure is subjected to two separate heat treatments which produces a down core sheet having at least some of its outer surfaces being of higher bond density than the inside of the core.

Wear resistant articles are described herein which, in some embodiments, mitigate CTE differences between wear resistant components and metallic substrates. In one aspect, an article comprises a layer of sintered cemented carbide bonded to a layer of iron-based alloy via a metal-matrix composite bonding layer, wherein coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of the sintered cemented carbide layer, metal matrix composite bonding layer, and iron-based alloy layer satisfy the relation:

[00001]$x=\frac{\left(.Math.C.Math..Math.T.Math..Math.E.Math..Math.\mathrm{WC}-C.Math..Math.T.Math..Math.E.Math..Math.M.Math..Math.M.Math..Math.C.Math.\right)}{\left(.Math.C.Math..Math.T.Math..Math.E.Math..Math.M.Math..Math.M.Math..Math.C-C.Math..Math.T.Math..Math.E.Math..Math.\mathrm{Fe}.Math.\right)}$

wherein 0.5x2 and CTE WC, CTE MMC and CTE Fe are the CTE values for the sintered cemented carbide, metal matrix composite, and iron-based a

A method of forming a component includes depositing a ceramic material within an open-cell void of a polymer body. The ceramic material deposited around the periphery of the open-cell void structure forms a thermally-conductive path through the polymer body. The ceramic material circumscribes an open volume extending the entire length of the thermally-conductive path that is filled with a sealant such that fluids are incommunicable from the first surface to the second surface via the thermally-conductive path. A method of forming a heat exchanger includes forming a plurality of plates, each plate formed as a thermally-conductive polymer body. The method of forming the heat exchanger further includes arranging the plurality of plates within a housing to form a plate and frame heat exchanger configured to place a first flowpath in a heat exchange relationship with a second flowpath.

A composite structure for stab protection includes layers of flat structures placed on top of each other, and an embedding material, wherein, in at least some of the layers placed on top of each other, the flat structures of adjacent layers are offset relative to one another, the flat structures of the composite structure are at least partially embedded in the embedding material, and the composite structure includes separated connecting elements, wherein before they are separated, the separated connecting elements have connected at least some of the flat structures of adjacent layers with one another.

An integral multilayer joint seal. Layers of foam, layered co-planar to the adjacent surface, are interspersed with a barrier layer which extends beyond the foam layers to provide a protective surface, a surface for attachment atop adjacent substrates, or a connecting tab for use with adjacent joint seals. The foam layers may be uncompressed or partially compressed at the time of joint formation and may be composed of open or closed, or hybrid, cell foam. The foam may be impregnated with a fire retardant or may be composed of a fire retardant material, if desired. The barrier may have a tensile strength greater than the adjacent foam. The joint seal may have an elastomer, such as silicone, at its top and/or bottom, and may even include an elastomer layer within or about the barrier.

A floor element for forming a floor covering, the floor element comprising a decorative layer comprising a brittle material, and a resin material that permeates a lower surface of the decorative layer.

A panel for covering and/or soundproofing a wall of a vehicle includes a central layer produced by impregnating a flexible and porous material with a thermoformable resin, then rigidifying the thermoformable resin. The panel also includes two reinforcement layers arranged on either side of the central layer. The impregnation of the flexible and porous material with the thermoformable resin is carried out deep within the flexible and porous material by subjecting a powder of the thermoformable resin to an alternating electric field, the two reinforcement layers being made of a flexible or semi-rigid material.