Techniques for generating quantum light emitters that operate at room temperature and at telecom wavelengths are described. Quantum light emitters of the present disclosure may have various structures. For examples, an SWCNT may chirality of (6,5), (7,5), or (10,3). Quantum light emitters of the present disclosure may be doped with various compounds. In at least some examples, an SWCNT may be doped with an aryl dopant. In at least some examples, the aryl dopant may be an aryl diazonium dopant. Example aryl diazonium dopants include, but are not limited to, 3,5-dichlorobenzenediazonium (Cl.sub.2-Dz) and 4-methoxybenzenediazonium (MeO-Dz). Quantum light emitters of the present disclosure may be encapsulated in various materials. In at least some examples, an SWCNT may be encapsulated in a surfactant. An example surfactant is sodium deoxycholate (DOC). In at least some other examples, an SWCNT may be encapsulated in a polymer. In at least some examples, the polymer may be a polyfluorene polymer. An example polyfluorene polymer is a copolymer of 9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl and bipyridine (PFO-BPy).

Chemical reactors and their configuration with laser systems enable the lasers to deliver unprecedented power densities into the bulk of a suitably absorbing fluid, enabling, e.g., endothermic reactions in the gas phase, into which it may be otherwise challenging to deliver heat. These laser-based chemical reactors may be used to process a broad range of feedstocks. Two such processes involve laser-based methane pyrolysis and laser-based olefin production.

More specifically, granules made of biocompatible metal material, preferably osteoinductive metal, for use in vertebroplasty surgery, as well as the use of these granules for this purpose, are the object of the present invention.

Materials such as biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) and hydrocarbon-containing materials are processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems are described that can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy materials, or oil sands, oil shale, tar sands, bitumen, and coal to produce altered materials such as fuels (e.g., ethanol and/or butanol). The processing includes exposing the materials to an ion beam.

A carbon nanotube membrane including carbon nanotubes having a pre-selected bonding configuration or (m, n) chirality, wherein the carbon nanotube membrane has a substantial amount of carbon nanotubes having zigzag (m, 0) chirality and/or armchair (m, m) chirality. An apparatus for the treatment of a carbon-based membrane, a method for treating carbon based membranes, pellicles including carbon based membranes, lithographic apparatuses includes carbon nanotube membranes, as well as the use of carbon nanotube membranes in lithographic apparatuses and methods are also described.

A colored sapphire material and methods for coloring sapphire material using lasers are disclosed. The method for coloring the sapphire material may include positioning the sapphire material over an opaque substrate material, exposing the opaque substrate material to a laser beam passing through the sapphire material to impact the substrate material, and inducing a chemical change in a portion of the sapphire material exposed to the laser beam. The method may also include creating a visible color in the portion of the sapphire material as a result of the chemical change. The colored sapphire material may include a first transparent portion, and a second, colored portion substantially surrounded by the first portion. The second, colored portion may have a chemical composition different than that of the first portion.

Methods are provided for reducing one or more dimensions of individual pieces of biomass; treating biomass, such as size-reduced biomass; changing a molecular structure of a biomass material; and, optionally, subjecting the biomass to a primary process to form a product. The methods include processing biomass materials using a screw extrusion process, and treating the biomass material with a screw extrusion process in size-reduction and treating steps.

A method for treating a raw-material powder includes forming a layer of the raw-material powder and removing oxide film formed on a surface of the raw-material powder from which the layer has been formed.

Materials such as biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) and hydrocarbon-containing materials are processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems are described that can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy materials, or oil sands, oil shale, tar sands, bitumen, and coal to produce altered materials such as fuels (e.g., ethanol and/or butanol). The processing includes exposing the materials to an ion beam.

A solid state combinatorial synthesis of particulate diamond ranging in size from the macroscopic down to the nanoscale, which entails: a) forming a solution having a source of reactant atoms, a tetrahedranoidal compound reactant, and a solvent vehicle; b) forming liquid droplets of the solution; c) evaporating the solvent vehicle from the liquid droplets of the solution to form particles containing a homogenous solid mixture of the reactants; and d) exposing the particles of the homogeneous solid mixture to a high energy discharge thereby forming diamond particles.