The present invention provides compositions and methods related to aerogel materials, including polyimide-based aerogels. In particular, aerogel materials optimized to have certain physical and chemical properties such as flexural and compressive strength are provided. In some embodiments, the aerogel materials can be at least partially carbonized.

The present invention relates to multi-layered hybrid and functional graded aluminum foam obtained from waste aluminum beverage cans, and to the production method thereof. This multi-layered aluminum composite foam can be used in bullet-proof armors in many fields such as aviation, defense industry, automotive and rail systems, in decreasing the impact effect in fast trains and automobiles, in vibration damping, in absorbing energy during impact and shock, in electromagnetic shields, as air buffer panel in carrying heavy vehicles such as tanks, in providing sound insulation on motorways and for flame retardant purposes.

The disclosure relates to glass articles having a decorative inorganic layer that is compatible with ion exchange processes and suitable for automotive glass. The inorganic layer comprises a plurality of pores in which polymerizable filler components have been deposited and cross-linked. The porous inorganic layer has a glass transition temperature of greater than 450° C. and a glass softening temperature of less than 650° C. The disclosure also provides glass articles containing the filled porous inorganic layer and methods for preparing the same.

A method of forming a sandwich structure including at least partially filling an open volume of an open cellular core with a sacrificial mold material, consolidating the sacrificial mold material to form a sacrificial mold, laying up a composite facesheet on each of at least two surfaces of the open cellular core, co-curing the composite facesheets by applying a consolidation temperature and a compaction pressure to the composite facesheets to form the sandwich structure, and removing the sacrificial mold. The compaction pressure is greater than a compressive strength of the open cellular core and less than a combined compressive strength of the open cellular core and the sacrificial mold.

The disclosure discloses a method for preparing a multifunctional ecological exterior wall, including: preparing a ceramic board of a ceramic thermal insulation waterproof layer; preparing a ceramic sound-absorbing board of a sound-absorbing layer; and installing a ecological exterior wall: leveling a surface of the wall of a building with cement slurry, and applying a cement bonding layer thereon; laying the ceramic thermal insulation waterproof board on the cement bonding layer, and applying the cement bonding layer on the ceramic board; laying the ceramic sound-absorbing board on the cement bonding layer and reserving a gap used to place a pipe; driving the screw-thread steel bolt from the surface of the ceramic sound-absorbing board into the wall obliquely; installing and fixing the pipe in the gap, which is reserved at the upper of the ceramic sound-absorbing board; planting a green plant on the surface of the ceramic board of the sound-absorbing layer.

Fire-retardant panels that include: a frame with multiple holes that reduce heat conduction through the panel; or a frame that includes two portions separated by a layer of fire-resistant material (e.g., gypsum, calcium silicate, or gypsum board). Some embodiments include skins (e.g., sheet metal) or insulation (e.g., between skin and fire-resistant material, for instance, within the frame). In particular embodiments, the fire-resistant material is (e.g., midway) between: two skins, two layers of insulation, two portions of the frame, or a combination thereof. The portions of the frame can be: sheet metal, attached (e.g., screwed) to the skin(s) or to each other, or extend around the perimeter. The frame can include: various elongated members, (e.g., parallel) bends, or holes that are: in at least one row, elongated, or slots (e.g., parallel to each other or to the skin).

Provided is a soundproof structure that is small and light and can reduce a noise with a high specific frequency of a sound source at a plurality of frequencies at the same time. The soundproof structure has a membrane-like member, a plate-like member that is disposed to face the membrane-like member and in which at least one through-hole is formed, and a support that is formed of a rigid body and supports the plate-like member and the membrane-like member, in which the membrane-like member is supported by the support so as to perform membrane vibration, in which a rear surface space is provided between the membrane-like member and the plate-like member, in which a first space is provided on a side opposite to the rear surface space with the plate-like member sandwiched therebetween, in which the membrane-like member, the support, the plate-like member, and the rear surface space form a first sound absorbing portion that absorbs a sound by membrane vibration, in which the plate-like member, the support, and the first space form a second sound absorbing portion that absorbs a sound by Helmholtz resonance, and in which assuming that a fundamental frequency of membrane vibration of the membrane-like member in a case where the plate-like member is regarded as a rigid body in which the through-hole is not formed in the first sound absorbing portion is f.sub.m1 and a fundamental frequency of Helmholtz resonance of the second sound absorbing portion is f.sub.h1, f.sub.m1<f.sub.h1 is satisfied.

The present invention provides a solar absorber incorporated bilayer foam solar evaporator for seawater and wastewater purification including a plurality of solar absorbers partially incorporated into a porous polymer framework and partially forming a thermal insulation layer proximal to solar irradiation. In particular, low-cost commercially available B.sub.4C powders are embedded into a porous polymer foam in a one-pot method to form a scaffold of boron carbide bilayer foam (BCBF) with good hydrophilic wettability, heat-shielding, and solar-thermal conversion. The boron carbide bilayer foam (BCBF) of the present invention enables a high cost-performance seawater desalination and wastewater purification at a high evaporation rate of 2.8 kg/m.sup.2/h with 93% solar evaporation efficiency under 1 sun illumination (or 1 kW/m.sup.2). The present invention thereby provides an excellent and cost-effective solar evaporator tool for industrial-level water purification. Following the present method to prepare the BCBF solar evaporator, the fabrication cost can be as low as 3.6 $/m.sup.2.

The invention relates to thermal management systems for devices that generate heat, including electronic devices such as portable electronics, for example, cell phones, electronic components, and/or battery systems. A multilayer phase change material composite structure may include multiple layers having different properties. For example, a PCM material composite layer may include a supporting structure having pores and a phase change material. Further, a layer of fire retardant material may be used in the multilayer phase change material. In some embodiments, additional layers such as coatings, thermal interface materials, and/or high thermal conductivity material may be present. A matrix formed from a porous supporting structure and a phase change material may be used to control and/or dissipate heat in a thermal management system. Support elements may provide stability. The thermal management system may mitigate conditions that could lead to a thermal runaway event and/or may influence conditions within the system during a potential thermal runaway event to reduce risk of fire. The thermal management system may include water, flame- and/or fire-retardant materials to control temperatures of an energy storage device and/or system. A housing may be used to surround a portion of a heat generating device such as an energy storage device or system, for example, an individual battery or a group of batteries, respectively. The housing or enclosure may include interior structures that surround and in some cases electrically isolate batteries from a thermal sink that includes a porous flame- and/or fire-retardant material having water in the pores.

Applying aerogel-containing insulation layer(s) to an article. The insulation layer comprising: aerogel particles; and at least one binder, comprising the steps of: providing the article to be coated; mixing the aerogel particles with the particles of a pulverulent binder and/or a pulverulent solid, for example expanded glass, to give a particle mixture; applying the particle mixture to the article to be coated by scattering the particle mixture onto the article to be coated; and activating the at least one binder of the at least one insulation layer, in order to provide a bond of the particle mixture to the article, wherein the aerogel particles are present in the particle mixture in a proportion of 5 to 95 percent by weight of the particle mixture.