Highly transparent (up to 92% light transmittance) wood composites have been developed. The process of fabricating the transparent wood composites includes lignin removal followed by index-matching polymer infiltration resulted in fabrication of the transparent wood composites with preserved naturally aligned nanoscale fibers. The thickness of the transparent wood composite can be tailored by controlling the thickness of the initial wood substrate. The optical transmittance can be tailored by selecting infiltrating polymers with different refractive indices. The transparent wood composites have a range of applications in biodegradable electronics, optoelectronics, as well as structural and energy efficient building materials. By coating the transparent wood composite layer on the surface of GaAs thin film solar cell, an 18% enhancement in the overall energy conversion efficiency has been attained.

The present invention concerns an elastic fibrous material, based on a fiber network, also including an elastomeric component, which material has been formed into a flat structure with two surfaces. Further, the invention concerns a method of manufacturing said elastic fibrous material by forming a fiber network, containing an elastic polymer, foaming the fiber network, adding it into one or more layers on a support, followed by curing.

A three-dimensional substrate has a first surface, a second surface, land areas and comprises three-dimensional protrusions extending outward from the second surface of the three-dimensional substrate. The three-dimensional protrusions are surrounded by the land areas. The three-dimensional substrate is a laminate comprising at least two layers in a face to face relationship. The second layer comprise a tissue layer facing outward from the second surface of the three-dimensional substrate. The tissue layer comprises at least 80% pulp fibers by weight of the tissue layer.

Methods and apparatus to form venting pathways in pressure sensitive adhesives for laminate stacks are disclosed. An example method includes forming a laminate stack including a gas permeable nonwoven layer and a pressure sensitive adhesive layer. The pressure sensitive adhesive layer has a first surface and a second surface located opposite the first surface. The first surface contacts the gas permeable nonwoven layer. The method further includes processing the laminate stack by reducing a ductility of the pressure sensitive adhesive layer such that venting pathways are formed in the pressure sensitive adhesive layer in response to a mechanical strain applied to the pressure sensitive adhesive layer via a trapped gas. The venting pathways extend through a thickness of the pressure sensitive adhesive layer to enable the trapped gas to pass through the pressure sensitive adhesive layer from the second surface to the first surface.

In present invention, various embodiments provide a photothermotropic composite film. The composite film comprises a matrix and one or more nanostructures comprising a metal oxide semiconductor which is configured to convert radiant energy to thermal energy. The matrix has a property which is changeable based on the thermal energy received by the matrix from the metal oxide semiconductor. In a preferred embodiment, hybridization of the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel and antimony-tin oxide (ATO) is provided as the composite film. In this film, the ATO absorbs at near-infrared (NIR) region and acts as nanoheater to induce the optical switching of the hydrogel. The behaviour of this composite film can be used as a new generation of autonomous passive smart windows for climate-adaptable solar modulation.

This invention relates to a washable floor mat comprising a reinforcement layer. The floor mat includes a textile component and a base component. The textile component contains a reinforcement layer which dramatically reduces and/or eliminates edge deformation that often occurs as a result of the washing process. The textile component and the base component may be joined together to form a single piece floor mat. Alternatively, the textile component and the base component may be releasably attachable to one another by at least one surface attraction means to form a multi-component floor mat. The floor mat is designed to be soiled, washed, and re-used, thereby providing ideal end-use applications in areas such as building entryways.

The present disclosure describes techniques for fabricating a textile article that incorporates bristle-like filaments that protrude away from a surface plane of the textile article. More specifically, a textile article is fabricated from a laminate formed by curing a reinforcement fiber matrix and a resin substrate. The resin substrate may include magnetic particles the react to a magnetic field introduced during the curing process. Prior to cure, the influence of a magnetic field may cause the magnetic particles within the resin substrate to protrude away from a surface plane of the wet laminate, thus causing the resin substrate itself to form bristle-like filaments. The shape and contour of a design (i.e., arrangement of bristle-like filaments) may be functionally controlled by an arrangement of magnets, and/or magnetic particles used to generate the magnet field that manipulates the resin substrate during the curing process.

Breathable barrier fabrics for protective garments that form liquid impervious seams when overlapped and sealed together via heat-sealing, and the seams formed thereby. The breathable barrier fabric is a heat-sealable, liquid impervious fabric composed of a breathable, liquid impervious thermoplastic film layer having a first melting point and a nonwoven layer bonded to a first surface of the thermoplastic film layer. The nonwoven layer has a second melting point that is higher than the first melting point of the thermoplastic film layer. A second nonwoven layer having the second melting temperature may be bonded to a second surface of the thermoplastic film layer opposite the first surface such that the inner film layer has a lower melting point than the outer nonwoven layers. The heat-sealable, liquid impervious fabric has a moisture vapor transmission rate of at least 800 g/m.sup.2/day as determined by ASTM E96-00.

A carpet waste composite and method for making the same are disclosed. In one embodiment of the method, unadulterated layers of carpet having a backing side and a tufted side are provided. An initial unfused carpet layer is made by placing two cleaned, unadulterated layers of carpet tufted side-to-tufted side with homogenous and non-adhesive, non-binding contact therebetween. Heat and pressure followed by cooling are applied to furnish an initial fused carpet layer. An iterative unfused carpet layer is created by placing two cleaned, unadulterated layers of carpet tufted side-to-tufted side with the initial fused carpet layer interposed therebetween using non-adhesive, non-binding contact. Heat and pressure followed by cooling are applied to furnish an iterative fused carpet layer. The process of adding layers may continue as required.

A hybrid composite tube includes a metallic tube, a first silica fiber layer positioned radially of the metallic tube, a fiber reinforced polymer layer positioned radially of the first silica fiber layer, and a second silica fiber layer positioned radially of the fiber reinforced polymer layer, wherein the first silica fiber layer thermally insulates the fiber reinforced polymer layer and the second silica fiber layer thermally insulates the fiber reinforced polymer layer.