The present invention relates to a system and method for the production of gypsum board using starch pellets. In accordance with the present disclosure, the starch necessary for board formation is provided in the form of starch pellets. These pellets are mixed with a gypsum slurry in a mixer. The pellets are initially insoluble and do not dissolve. However, during subsequent drying stages, the pellets become soluble and dissolve into the gypsum phase. This both provides the desired starch component and also results in the formation of voids within the set gypsum.

The present invention provides a polyimide precursor composition comprising an amic acid ester oligomer of Formula (1):

##STR00001##

and
a diamine of Formula (2) or (3):

##STR00002##

wherein G, P, R, R.sub.x, P, D, E and m are as defined herein.

The present invention also provides a dry film containing the polyimide precursor composition, as well as a polyimide film and polyimide laminate prepared from the composition.

A photochromic polyurethane laminate that is constructed to solve certain manufacturing difficulties involved in the production of plastic photochromic lenses is disclosed. The photochromic laminate includes at least two layers of a resinous material and a photochromic polyurethane layer that is interspersed between the two resinous layers and which contains photochromic compounds. The polyurethane layer is formed by curing a mixture of a solid thermoplastic polyurethane, at least one isocyanate prepolymer, at least one photochromic compound, and a stabilizing system.

A photochromic polyurethane laminate that is constructed to solve certain manufacturing difficulties involved in the production of plastic photochromic lenses is disclosed. The photochromic laminate includes at least two layers of a resinous material and a photochromic polyurethane layer that is interspersed between the two resinous layers and which contains photochromic compounds. The polyurethane layer is formed by curing a mixture of a solid thermoplastic polyurethane, at least one isocyanate prepolymer, at least one photochromic compound, and a stabilizing system.

The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a laminated material (S) comprising a fibrillated cellulose layer, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: (a) depositing a suspension (1) of fibrillated cellulose on a filtration membrane (2) and draining the suspension through that membrane so as to form a wet layer of fibrillated cellulose (A) having a dryness, that is to say a ratio between the mass of dry matter and the total mass of the fibrillated cellulose layer, of between 5% and 18%; (b) transferring the wet layer (A) under pressure to an at least partially hydrophilic surface of a substrate (B), so as to form the laminated material (S); (c) drying the laminated material. The invention also relates to a device for implementing the process.

The invention provides hydrophobic silica wet gel, hydrophobic silica aerogel, and methods that can be used to form an enhanced hydrophobic silica aerogel sheet having an advantageous combination of properties. Some embodiments of the invention provide a hydrophobic silica aerogel having advantageous properties, such as desirable performance on visible transmission, haze, or both.

A wooden material sheet including: a wooden material made of natural wood; a thermoplastic shape conforming layer and a support layer disposed on one face of the wooden material; and a colored pattern layer, a second adhesive layer, and a first adhesive layer disposed on the other face of the wooden material.

Methods for producing layered structures that include a conductive polymeric layer and a dielectric polymeric layer. The dielectric polymeric layer can be formed by curing a first volume of a dielectric polymeric material. A second volume of the dielectric polymeric material is doped with conductive particulates to yield a conductive polymeric material, which is then partially cured and solvated to create a conductive polymeric paste. The paste is applied to a surface of the dielectric polymeric layer, dried, and cured to form a conductive polymeric layer on the pre-strained dielectric polymeric layer yielding a layered structure that includes the conductive polymeric layer and the dielectric polymeric layer. A pre-strain is induced in the dielectric polymeric material by contacting a chemical thereto that causes swelling therein.

Disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing a natural cork film, which includes forming a thin cork layer by slicing a prepared natural cork material, forming a fiber layer by attaching a fiber sheet to one surface of the cork layer formed in the forming a thin cork layer, pre-treating a lamination of the cork layer and the fiber layer formed in the forming a fiber layer, for preventing discoloration of the cork layer, and forming a resin layer by attaching a resin sheet to the fiber layer passing through the pre-treating a lamination of the cork layer and the fiber layer. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the manufactured cork film from naturally discoloring due to light and to significantly reduce a phenomenon such as brittleness or wrinkling caused when the cork layer is decolorized alone.

The laminate comprises a porcelain sheet with a thickness of two to three millimetres, adhered to a base or support sheet made of MDF or particleboard or high density foam or polyethylene or polypropylene or ABS or foamed PVC or methacrylate or a metal sheet of aluminium or steel, using as the adhesion means a two-component polyurethane or a PUR adhesive, producing a laminate that encompasses the advantages of the nature of the two materials, the porcelain and the base, as well as saving material, and being lighter, having higher thermal and acoustic insulation levels, improved resistance to bending loads and allowing to add additional layers, such as a metal sheet of thickness from 0.1 to 1 mm in order to obtain a greater flatness, or a combination with rubber or elastomer layers to improve the acoustic insulation level.