A porous fired granulated body is formed by consolidating numerous alumina particles to each other while letting mainly interconnected pores remain in network form across an entire cross section of a granulated body particle. The pores have an inner diameter controlled by a droplet diameter of a pore forming agent and have numerous precipitated alumina crystals formed on inner surfaces thereof. Manufacture is performed by spraying the pore forming agent (emulsion) onto a raw material to form a coating layer of the pore forming agent on a surface of the raw material particle and controlling the inner diameter of the pores. A porous fired granulated body of alumina having a high specific surface area and having higher strength for the same specific surface area can thus be provided by a simple manufacturing method.

A method for manufacturing a concrete product includes providing a metal-based cementing agent, and an acid-based cement reacting agent of the form H.sub.nXO.sub.m, where “X” is an element selected from group consisting of phosphorous, carbon, sulfur and boron, “n” and “m” are selected so that the cement reacting agent is an acid, and “X” will bond with the metal-based cementing agent to form a metal cement. The method further includes providing an aggregate defined by an exposed surface area having metallic aggregate linking elements thereon which can chemically bond with “X” in the presence of the acid-based cement reacting agent, and providing a hydroxide-supplying additive. The method includes combining together the metal-based cementing agent, the acid-based cement reacting agent, the aggregate and the hydroxide-supplying additive, and allowing the metal-based cementing agent and the acid-based cement reacting agent to react and bond with the aggregate to form the concrete product.

A method for producing a form-stable phase-change material to nucleate sugar alcohols includes directionally freezing a slurry of solid chitosan and solvent and additives, providing a frozen slurry including unidirectional pillars of frozen solvent that force suspended solid particles into interstices, exposing the frozen slurry to conditions causing sublimation of the solvent of the frozen slurry to remove frozen solvent and provide a body having pillars of vacancies therein, sintering the body to provide a scaffold including the pillars of vacancies therein, graphitizing the scaffold by heating in argon, treating the scaffold with aqueous base, and adding a molten sugar alcohol phase-change material to the scaffold such that the molten phase-change material is drawn into the pillars of vacancies by capillary action to provide the form-stable phase-change material having reduced hysteresis of the melting point of the sugar alcohol phase-change material.

A process and an apparatus for refining molten glass. The apparatus includes a porous body having an inlet, an outlet, and a plurality of pores through which molten glass can flow between the inlet and the outlet. The plurality of pores are defined by walls having wall surfaces that are configured to interact with the molten glass as the molten glass flows between the inlet and the outlet to help refine the molten glass.

The present disclosure provides an aerogel composition which is durable and easy to handle, which has favorable performance in aqueous environments, and which also has favorable combustion and self-heating properties. Also provided is a method of preparing an aerogel composition which is durable and easy to handle, which has favorable performance in aqueous environments, and which has favorable combustion and self-heating properties. Further provided is a method of improving the hydrophobicity, the liquid water uptake, the heat of combustion, or the onset of thermal decomposition temperature of an aerogel composition.

The present disclosure provides an aerogel composition which is durable and easy to handle, which has favorable performance in aqueous environments, and which also has favorable combustion and self-heating properties. Also provided is a method of preparing an aerogel composition which is durable and easy to handle, which has favorable performance in aqueous environments, and which has favorable combustion and self-heating properties. Further provided is a method of improving the hydrophobicity, the liquid water uptake, the heat of combustion, or the onset of thermal decomposition temperature of an aerogel composition.

The present disclosure provides an aerogel composition which is durable and easy to handle, which has favorable performance in aqueous environments, and which also has favorable combustion and self-heating properties. Also provided is a method of preparing an aerogel composition which is durable and easy to handle, which has favorable performance in aqueous environments, and which has favorable combustion and self-heating properties. Further provided is a method of improving the hydrophobicity, the liquid water uptake, the heat of combustion, or the onset of thermal decomposition temperature of an aerogel composition.

The present disclosure provides an aerogel composition which is durable and easy to handle, which has favorable performance in aqueous environments, and which also has favorable combustion and self-heating properties. Also provided is a method of preparing an aerogel composition which is durable and easy to handle, which has favorable performance in aqueous environments, and which has favorable combustion and self-heating properties. Further provided is a method of improving the hydrophobicity, the liquid water uptake, the heat of combustion, or the onset of thermal decomposition temperature of an aerogel composition.

A ceramic substrate is provided. A thickness of the ceramic substrate ranges from 1 to 4 mm, and a thermal conductivity of the ceramic substrate ranges from 0.8 to 2.5 W/m.Math.k. In an embodiment, the thickness of the ceramic substrate ranges from 1.5 to 3 mm. In an embodiment, the thermal conductivity of the ceramic substrate ranges from 1.0 to 2.0 W/m.Math.k.

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a composite sheet including a porous sintered ceramic component having a thickness of less than 2 mm and a resin filled into pores of the sintered ceramic component, wherein the resin is a semi-cured product of a resin composition including a compound having a cyanate group and the content of triazine rings in the resin is 0.6 to 4.0 mass %.