A process for producing superabsorbent particles by polymerizing a monomer solution, comprising the steps of continuously polymerizing the monomer solution on the continuous belt of a belt reactor, comminuting the polymer gel obtained, rinsing the polymer gel obtained on the underside of the belt reactor into a separation unit with water, separating the polymer gel from the water in the separation unit and recycling the polymer gel into the comminution, wherein the polymer gel has a swelling capacity in water of at least 100 g/g, the dwell time of the polymer gel in the rinse water is less than 40 minutes, and the separation unit has openings with a clear width of at least 1 mm.

Systems and methods are described herein that create discrete volumes associated with solid-phase particles (e.g., drop-carrier particles) suspended in an immiscible phase (e.g., dropicles). One embodiment of the system includes a plurality of hydrogel-based drop-carrier particles containing a microscale voids or cavities that hold an aqueous phase droplet of fluid within each drop-carrier particle. The plurality of hydrogel drop-carrier particles associated with aqueous drops are suspended as individual elements in an immiscible oil phase. The microscale hydrogel drop-carrier particles containing the voids or cavities may be manufactured using microfluidic droplet generators. The dropicles may be used to analyze single-entities (e.g., single-molecules and single-cells) and analytes.

Method for producing a gel having a desired strength, by performing a step of removing a part or all of a solvent. Method for producing a gel containing a water-soluble organic polymer (A), a silicate salt (B), and a dispersant (C) for the silicate salt, including a desolvation step of removing a part or all of one or more solvents selected from the group consisting of water and a water-soluble organic solvent in the gel, or gelling a gel-forming composition containing the water-soluble organic polymer (A), the silicate salt (B), the dispersant (C) for the silicate salt, and one or more solvents selected from the group consisting of water and a water-soluble organic solvent and removing a part or all of the solvent in the composition.

There is set forth herein a method for providing a nanoparticle array. A nanoparticle network can be provided by nanoparticles combined with surfactant micelle chains. The nanoparticle network can be provided by distributing metal nanoparticles in a surfactant solution and agitating the surfactant solution comprising the nanoparticles to form a gel comprising the nanoparticle network which can be characterized by a distributed array of nanoparticles combined with surfactant micelle chains within a fluid. The gel can comprise a fluid in a continuous phase and the nanoparticles in a discontinuous phase. Apparatus having arrays of nanoparticles are also set forth herein.

Disclosed herein are methods of manufacturing injectable microgel scaffolds, including methods of producing, purifying and concentrating microgel particles therein. The microgel scaffolds of the present disclosure are useful for a wide range of applications, such as stabilizing an implanted medical device in an implant site in a subject. The microgel scaffolds are fluidic during application and annealed or crosslinked after application to the implant site in the subject. The microgel scaffolds may contain various therapeutic agents, including antibiotics and analgesics, throughout the gel.

A method of creating hydrocolloid beads includes forcing a hydrocolloid gel suspension through a plurality of nozzles, wherefrom the hydrocolloid gel forms into a plurality of gel drops and fall into a reactant bath. The drops are exposed to the reactant bath for a predetermined period of time, wherein the drops form firm or semi-firm beads as they remain in the reactant bath. The firm or semi-firm beads are removed from the reactant bath, rinsed, and dried.

The present embodiment relates generally to methods of performing surgical technique maxillary sinus floor augmentation with a lateral approach using a pre-portioned and ready pre-packaged bone graft composition in gelatin bags and method of producing gelatin bags. In addition the present inventions can be widely used in other medical fields such as dentistry, orthopedic surgery, spine surgery, plastic and reconstruction surgery, sport medicine, trauma surgery, phinoplasty surgery and veterinary.

Insulation can be manufactured by subjecting a liquid suspension of seaweed to shear to reduce particle size, to release seaweed fibers from the seaweed matrix, and to form a seaweed dispersion. Gelation of the seaweed dispersion is then induced to form a gel comprising a liquid containing a three-dimensional network of the seaweed fibers. The gel is then dried. Thermal insulation that can be produced by these methods includes a network of fibers that define pores with dimensions smaller than 1 micron. The network of fibers can comprise 70-98 weight percent seaweed and 2-30 weight percent crosslinker.

A nanocomposite includes a zirconia matrix and a metal oxide dispersed in the zirconia matrix and selected from the group consisting of bismuth oxide and tungsten oxide. The nanocomposite is in the form of nanoparticles having an average size of 5-25 nm. A linear attenuation coefficient of the nanocomposite is higher than a linear attenuation coefficient of pure zirconia for gamma-rays having energies of 0.059 MeV to 0.662 MeV. The nanocomposite includes, based on a total weight of the nanocomposite, 40-60 wt. % of Zr, 20-30 wt. % of O, and 20-30 wt. % of Bi or W.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) forms the basis of devices for applications including sensing devices, solar cells, photo-electrochromics, and photocatalysis. Such devices exploit different phases of TiO2 within such devices and accordingly it would be beneficial to have an amorphous TiO2 precursor which allows crystalline phase spatial patterning, for the crystallization of the amorphous TiO2 precursor to be triggered at low energies, and with the crystalline phase controllable at room-temperature without necessitating complex handling whilst providing TiO2 phases that are stable over a prolonged period of time. Accordingly, there are provided processes for providing a TiO2 precursor and controlling the conversion of the TiO2 precursor from amorphous-to-anatase, amorphous-to-rutile, amorphous-to-mixture of anatase/rutile or from amorphous-to-anatase-to-rutile in a simple and efficient manner.