The present invention relates to a composite material, which is of particular use in wound treatment, and to a method for producing the same composite material. Said composite material comprises a hydrophilic polyurethane foam material comprising a first polyurethane polymer; a hydrophilic fiber material comprising a second polymer, wherein said second polymer is not a polyurethane polymer and wherein said fiber material is capable of absorbing and retaining a fluid. In the composite material according to the present invention, said first polymer is covalently bonded to said second polymer.

Drug delivery devices having a drug-permeable component and methods of making and using the same are provided. Drug delivery devices include a housing having a first and second wall structures that are adjacent one another and together form a tube defining a drug reservoir lumen. The second wall structure, or both the first wall structure and the second wall structure, are permeable to water, and the first wall structure is impermeable to the drug while the second wall structure is permeable to the drug, such that the drug is releasable in vivo by diffusion through the second wall structure.

Films and articles are described comprising a microstructured surface having an array of peak structures and adjacent valleys. For improved cleanability, the valleys preferably have a maximum width ranging from 10 microns to 250 microns and the peak structures have a side wall angle greater than 10 degrees. The peak structures may comprise two or more facets such as in the case of a linear array of prisms or an array of cube-corners elements. The facets form continuous or semi-continuous surfaces in the same direction. The valleys typically lack intersecting walls. Also described are methods of making and methods of use. The microstructured surface of the article can be prepared by various microreplication techniques such as coating, injection molding, embossing, laser etching, extrusion, casting and curing a polymerizable resin; and bonding microstructured film to a surface or article with an adhesive.

A three-dimensional shaped article has a sea-island structure including a cured object of a first shaping ink, which contains a hydrophobic resin, and a cured object of a second shaping ink, which contains a hydrophilic resin.

Modeling material formulation systems usable in additive manufacturing, 3D inkjet printing in particular, of three-dimensional objects, are provided. The formulations comprise two or more curable materials, such that an average molecular weight of the curable materials in each formulation is no more than 500 grams/mol, such that each formulation features a viscosity of no more than 50 centipoises at a temperature of 35 C. Kits comprising the formulations or formulation systems and additive manufacturing processes utilizing same are also provided.

A molding device produces a porous film from a molding material which is an emulsion. In a case where a volume of a dispersed phase is X1 and a volume of a continuous phase is X2, the molding material has a value of X1/(X1+X2) within a range of 0.5 or more and 0.9 or less. In the molding material, a specific gravity of the dispersed phase is greater than a specific gravity of the continuous phase. The molding material includes a water phase containing a curable compound as the continuous phase, and forms a liquid film on a support. Thereafter, the curable compound in the liquid film is cured. After curing, the dispersed phase is removed.

A capillary transfer pipette includes a draw tube having a distal end defining a draw tube opening through which liquid is drawn via capillary action, a proximal end, and a lumen. A squeeze bulb is arranged proximally of the draw tube and defines a fluid chamber in fluid communication with the lumen, the squeeze bulb being compressible to dispense drawn liquid from the draw tube. An air vent hole is formed in at least one of the draw tube or the squeeze bulb, and is configured to vent air to facilitate drawing of liquid through the draw tube opening via capillary action. A volume indicating element may be provided on the draw tube, and the air vent hole may be located proximally of the volume indicating element. The lumen may be formed with a first diameter at the proximal end and a differing second diameter at the distal end. Methods of collecting liquid with, and of making, a capillary transfer pipette are also disclosed.

Plasma applications are disclosed that operate with argon or helium at atmospheric pressure, and at low temperatures, and with high concentrations of reactive species in the effluent stream. Laminar gas flow is developed prior to forming the plasma and at least one of the electrodes can be heated which enables operation at conditions where the argon or helium plasma would otherwise be unstable and either extinguish, or transition into an arc. The techniques can be employed to clean and activate a metal substrate, including removal of oxidation, thereby enhancing the bonding of at least one other material to the metal.

Provided is a polymeric material having a micro-nano composite structure, a device including the same, and a method of manufacturing the polymeric material. The polymeric material includes a polymer fiber or film, wherein the polymer fiber or film has, on a surface thereof, a micro-nano composite structure including a microstructure containing concavo-convex grooves having a microscale semi-cylindrical shape () and a nanopattern containing nanoscale protrusions formed on a surface of the microstructure. The polymeric material has excellent absorbency and hydrophilic or super-hydrophilic surface properties, and also has oleophobic or super-oleophilic properties in water, and thus may be effectively applied to fields such as oil-water separation, purification, and filters. The polymeric material may be readily manufactured through an environmentally friendly, large-area atmospheric pressure plasma process.

The invention provides a material for contact lenses, including a first siloxane macromer shown as formula (I): ##STR00001##
in formula (I), R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkyl groups, R.sub.4 is C.sub.1-C.sub.6 alkyl group, R.sub.5 is C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkylene group, R.sub.6 is OR.sub.7O or NH, R.sub.7 and R.sub.8 are C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkylene groups and m is an integer of about 1-2, n is an integer of about 4-80; a second siloxane macromer shown as formula (II): ##STR00002##
in formula (II), R.sub.9, R.sub.10 and R.sub.11 are C.sub.1-C.sub.4 alkyl groups, R.sub.12, R.sub.13 and R.sub.15 are C.sub.1-C.sub.3 alkylene group, R.sub.14 is a residue obtained by removing NCO group from an aliphatic or aromatic diisocyanate, and o is an integer of about 4-80, p is an integer of about 0-1; q is an integer of about 1-20; at least one hydrophilic monomer and an initiator.