A method of fabricating a casting, the method including applying a substrate to a sacrificial mold, the sacrificial mold including a shaped non-planar receiving surface to receive the substrate and provide a casting of the substrate having a shaped structure corresponding to the receiving surface; and subjecting the sacrificial mold and casting to freeze drying conditions and sublimating the sacrificial mold from the casting to form a cast article including the shaped non-planar structure.

A method includes applying to a substrate a solution including a polymeric compound to form a release layer on the substrate; applying ion-conducting elements on the release layer; applying a matrix polymer on the release layer, wherein the matrix polymer surrounds at least some of the ion-conducting elements; and removing the release layer to separate the matrix polymer from the substrate such that the ion-conducting elements remain embedded in a carrier layer of the matrix polymer and form an ion-conducting membrane.

A method includes applying to a substrate a solution including a polymeric compound to form a release layer on the substrate; applying ion-conducting elements on the release layer; applying a matrix polymer on the release layer, wherein the matrix polymer surrounds at least some of the ion-conducting elements; and removing the release layer to separate the matrix polymer from the substrate such that the ion-conducting elements remain embedded in a carrier layer of the matrix polymer and form an ion-conducting membrane.

A polyimide precursor solution is disclosed, and a colorless transparent polyimide film manufactured from the polyimide precursor solution. The polyimide precursor solution has diamines, a first dianhydride represented by biphenyl dianhydride, a second dianhydride represented by rigid alicyclic dianhydride, a third dianhydride represented by non-alicyclic dianhydrides and organic solvent. The colorless polyimide films have a modulus of 4.5 GPa or higher, a glass-transition temperature (T.sub.g) of 370° C. or higher, and a yellow index of 3.0 or lower. These polyimide films can be used as substrates for thin film transistor (TFT), touch sensor panel (TSP), and cover window applications in flexible display such as organic light-emitting diode (OLED), flexible liquid crystal display (LCD) and other fields.

A polyimide precursor solution is disclosed, and a colorless transparent polyimide film manufactured from the polyimide precursor solution. The polyimide precursor solution has diamines, a first dianhydride represented by biphenyl dianhydride, a second dianhydride represented by rigid alicyclic dianhydride, a third dianhydride represented by non-alicyclic dianhydrides and organic solvent. The colorless polyimide films have a modulus of 4.5 GPa or higher, a glass-transition temperature (T.sub.g) of 370° C. or higher, and a yellow index of 3.0 or lower. These polyimide films can be used as substrates for thin film transistor (TFT), touch sensor panel (TSP), and cover window applications in flexible display such as organic light-emitting diode (OLED), flexible liquid crystal display (LCD) and other fields.

A method includes applying to a substrate a solution including a polymeric compound to form a release layer on the substrate; applying ion-conducting elements on the release layer; applying a matrix polymer on the release layer, wherein the matrix polymer surrounds at least some of the ion-conducting elements; and removing the release layer to separate the matrix polymer from the substrate such that the ion-conducting elements remain embedded in a carrier layer of the matrix polymer and form an ion-conducting membrane.

A method includes applying to a substrate a solution including a polymeric compound to form a release layer on the substrate; applying ion-conducting elements on the release layer; applying a matrix polymer on the release layer, wherein the matrix polymer surrounds at least some of the ion-conducting elements; and removing the release layer to separate the matrix polymer from the substrate such that the ion-conducting elements remain embedded in a carrier layer of the matrix polymer and form an ion-conducting membrane.

Three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical morphologies widely exist in natural and biomimetic materials, which impart preferential functions including liquid and mass transport, energy conversion, and signal transmission for various applications. While notable progress has been made in the design and manufacturing of various hierarchical materials, the state-of-the-art approaches suffer from limited materials selection, high costs, as well as low processing throughput. Herein, by harnessing the configurable elastic crack engineering-controlled formation and configuration of cracks in elastic materials, an effect normally avoided in various industrial processes, the present invention provides a facile and powerful technique to enable the faithful transfer of arbitrary hierarchical structures with broad material compatibility and structural and functional integrity. The present invention provides a cost-effective, large-scale production method of a variety of flexible, inexpensive, and transparent 3D hierarchical and biomimetic materials.

Three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical morphologies widely exist in natural and biomimetic materials, which impart preferential functions including liquid and mass transport, energy conversion, and signal transmission for various applications. While notable progress has been made in the design and manufacturing of various hierarchical materials, the state-of-the-art approaches suffer from limited materials selection, high costs, as well as low processing throughput. Herein, by harnessing the configurable elastic crack engineering-controlled formation and configuration of cracks in elastic materials, an effect normally avoided in various industrial processes, the present invention provides a facile and powerful technique to enable the faithful transfer of arbitrary hierarchical structures with broad material compatibility and structural and functional integrity. The present invention provides a cost-effective, large-scale production method of a variety of flexible, inexpensive, and transparent 3D hierarchical and biomimetic materials.

Provided is a curable composition which has chargeability into silicone molds and curability at excellent levels, less causes the silicone molds to swell, and allows the silicone molds to have better durability and a longer service life in repeated use. The curable composition according to the present invention contains curable compounds and a cationic initiator and is used for production of an optical component by molding using silicone molds. The curable compounds include (A) a cycloaliphatic epoxy compound in a content of 10 weight percent or more of the totality of all the curable compounds contained in the curable composition. Of the totality of all the curable compounds contained in the curable composition, 10 to 50 weight percent is a curable compound or compounds having a molecular weight of 400 or more.