The present invention relates to a resin for a thermoplastic polyurethane yarn, comprising: thermoplastic polyurethane; and silica nanopowder. The present invention also relates to a method for producing a thermoplastic polymer yarn having a thickness of 50 denier or less by use of silica nanopowder having a particle size of 5-30 nm as a thickener. The thermoplastic polyurethane resin according to the present invention has desired processability and physical properties.

A method for preparing a sacrificial support material for use in printing a three-dimensional (3D) article includes providing a water-soluble thermoplastic polymer composite including a water-soluble thermoplastic polyethylene oxide graft polymer having a polyethylene oxide polymer backbone, and from about 0.05% to about 10% by weight of the polyethylene oxide polymer backbone of at least one polar vinyl monomer grafted to the polyethylene oxide polymer backbone. One or more nanoscopic particulate processing aids may be uniformly dispersed in the graft polymer in an amount of from about 0.05% to about 10% by weight of the water-soluble thermoplastic polymer composite. The water-soluble thermoplastic polymer composite may have a viscosity in the range of about 100 to about 10,000 Pa-sec. The method may also include forming the water-soluble thermoplastic polymer composite into the 3D printable sacrificial support material.

A method of printing a cellular solid (120) by direct bubble writing comprises introducing an ink formulation (102) comprising a polymerizable monomer and a gas (104) into a nozzle (106), which includes a core flow channel (108) radially surrounded by an outer flow channel (110). The ink formulation is directed into the outer flow channel (110) and the gas is directed into the core flow channel (108). The ink formulation (102) and the gas (104) are ejected out of the nozzle (106) as a stream of bubbles (112), where each bubble includes a core (114) comprising the gas and a liquid shell (116) overlying the core that comprises the ink formulation. After ejection, the polymerizable monomer is polymerized to form a solid polymeric shell (118) from the liquid shell (116), and the bubbles are deposited on a substrate (122) moving relative to the nozzle (106). Thus, a polymeric cellular solid (120) having a predetermined geometry is printed.

A method and apparatus to manufacture a coherent bundle of scintillating fibers is disclosed. A method includes providing a collimated bundle having a glass preform with capillaries therethrough known in the industry as a glass capillary array, and infusing the glass capillary array with a scintillating polymer or a polymer matrix containing scintillating nanoparticles.

The present disclosure provides a method for preparing a self-floating transparent nano ultrathin film. According to the present disclosure, the MXene film layer and the nano ultrathin film layer are sequentially subjected to suction filtration on the substrate material by utilizing a vacuum suction filtration technology, and thus a double-film structure is loaded on the substrate material; then an oxidant is subjected to oxidizing and bubbling on the MXene film layer in a permeation way, and thus the substrate material and the nano ultrathin film layer can be separated in a physical isolating manner. Finally, the nano ultrathin film is completely separated in a liquid phase floating separation manner. The nano ultrathin film prepared by the method provided by the present disclosure has a specific thickness and light transmittance through different loading capacities, and the substrate material can be repeatedly utilized.

An absorbent wound dressing comprises a hydrophilic porous substrate and polymer-stabilized silver nanoparticles distributed throughout the porous substrate. The silver nanoparticles have a particle size d.sub.50 in the range of about 45 nm to about 85 nm and the silver nanoparticles are present in the substrate in an amount of about 0.16% to about 1.5% by weight of the total weight of the substrate. The wound dressing produces a 7-day log reduction of 4 or more for bacteria in accordance with the Modified AATCC Test Method 100. The wound dressing is also non-cytotoxic in accordance with ISO 10993-5 standard procedure for medical device cytotoxicity assessment.

The present invention relates to processes for selective reshaping of nanoparticles in three dimensional articles, three dimensional articles produced by such processes, and methods of using such three dimensional articles. As a result of the aforementioned process, such three dimensional articles can have selective tuning that arises, at least in part, from the reshaped nanoparticles found in such articles. Such tuning provides the aforementioned articles with superior performance that can be advantageous in the areas including such as optical filters, multi-functional composites and sensing elements.

A method for fabricating three-dimensional structures. In-flight heating, evaporation, or UV illumination modifies the properties of aerosol droplets as they are jetted onto a target surface. The UV light at least partially cures photopolymer droplets, or alternatively causes droplets of solvent-based nanoparticle dispersions to rapidly dry in flight, and the resulting increased viscosity of the aerosol droplets facilitates the formation of free standing three-dimensional structures. This 3D fabrication can be performed using a wide variety of photopolymer, nanoparticle dispersion, and composite materials. The resulting 3D shapes can be free standing, fabricated without supports, and can attain arbitrary shapes by manipulating the print nozzle relative to the target substrate. Multiple materials may be mixed and deposited to form structures with compositionally graded material profiles, for example Bragg gratings in a light pipe or optical fiber, optical interconnects, and flat lenses.

Parts made by additive manufacturing are often structural in nature, rather than having functional properties conveyed by a polymer or other component present therein. Printed parts having piezoelectric properties may be formed using compositions comprising a plurality of piezoelectric particles dispersed in at least a portion of a polymer matrix comprising first polymer material and a sacrificial material, the sacrificial material being removable from the polymer matrix to define a plurality of pores in the polymer matrix. The piezoelectric particles may remain substantially non-agglomerated when combined with the polymer matrix. The sacrificial material may comprise a second polymer material. The compositions may define a composite having a form factor such as a composite filament, a composite pellet, a composite powder, or a composite paste. Additive manufacturing processes may comprise forming a printed part by depositing the compositions layer-by-layer and introducing porosity therein.

A composite film having a high dielectric permittivity engineered particles dispersed in a high breakdown strength polymer material to achieve high energy density.