The present invention provides a porous non-metallic material including a material body, the material body is composed of pore cavities and cavity walls formed by surrounding the pore cavities in three-dimensional space. The pore cavities are uniformly distributed, and each pore cavity is three-dimensionally interconnected. The pore cavities are uniformly distributed means that the pore cavities are uniformly distributed under any unit-level volume on the porous material. The present invention provides a specific and clear measurement method for pore cavities distribution uniformity of the porous material, that is, the pore distribution uniformity of the porous material and the hierarchical structure thereof is measured on the scale of the small unit-level volume. Such porous structure is highly uniform, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the properties of the porous material.

The present invention provides a porous non-metallic material including a material body, the material body is composed of pore cavities and cavity walls formed by surrounding the pore cavities in three-dimensional space. The pore cavities are uniformly distributed, and each pore cavity is three-dimensionally interconnected. The pore cavities are uniformly distributed means that the pore cavities are uniformly distributed under any unit-level volume on the porous material. The present invention provides a specific and clear measurement method for pore cavities distribution uniformity of the porous material, that is, the pore distribution uniformity of the porous material and the hierarchical structure thereof is measured on the scale of the small unit-level volume. Such porous structure is highly uniform, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the properties of the porous material.

There is provided a porous polyimide film in which the pore distribution width A represented by the following formula is 1.15 or less, the average pore diameter is within a range of 0.50 m to 3.0 m, and the air permeation speed is 30 seconds or less:

A=(D.sub.84/D.sub.16).sup.1/2 wherein D.sub.16 is the pore diameter at 16% cumulation from the small diameter side of pores, and D.sub.84 is the pore diameter at 84% cumulation from the small diameter side of pores.

A process for preparing a polymeric composition for forming a lithium-ion or sodium-ion battery electrode or a supercapacitor electrode or for exhibiting magnetic properties, to such a polymeric composition obtained by means of this process, to a mixture which is a precursor of the composition, obtained by means of a first mixing step of the process, and to this electrode. The process for preparing this composition comprises: a) hot-mixing, via the melt process and without solvent, at least one active material, a binder-forming polymeric phase and a sacrificial polymeric phase so as to obtain a mixture, and b) at least partially eliminating said sacrificial polymeric phase so as to obtain said composition which comprises the active material(s) according to a weight fraction greater than 80%. The sacrificial phase is used in step a) according to a weight fraction in the mixture being greater than or equal to 15%.

A process for preparing a polymeric composition for forming a lithium-ion or sodium-ion battery electrode or a supercapacitor electrode or for exhibiting magnetic properties, to such a polymeric composition obtained by means of this process, to a mixture which is a precursor of the composition, obtained by means of a first mixing step of the process, and to this electrode. The process for preparing this composition comprises: a) hot-mixing, via the melt process and without solvent, at least one active material, a binder-forming polymeric phase and a sacrificial polymeric phase so as to obtain a mixture, and b) at least partially eliminating said sacrificial polymeric phase so as to obtain said composition which comprises the active material(s) according to a weight fraction greater than 80%. The sacrificial phase is used in step a) according to a weight fraction in the mixture being greater than or equal to 15%.

A trifluoroacetic acid-based etchant is described that can remove a sacrificial component of a multi-component polymer, e.g., a self-assembled block copolymer. The etchant can operate at a high etch rate and with excellent selectivity. The etchant can remove a hydrolysable sacrificial component such as a polylactide block from a self-assembled block copolymer. The etchant enables the macroscopic preservation of the nanostructure morphologies of self-assembled copolymers (e.g., poly(styrene-block-lactide) copolymers) and can yield pristine porous films of the non-hydrolysable component of the starting multi-component polymer.

A trifluoroacetic acid-based etchant is described that can remove a sacrificial component of a multi-component polymer, e.g., a self-assembled block copolymer. The etchant can operate at a high etch rate and with excellent selectivity. The etchant can remove a hydrolysable sacrificial component such as a polylactide block from a self-assembled block copolymer. The etchant enables the macroscopic preservation of the nanostructure morphologies of self-assembled copolymers (e.g., poly(styrene-block-lactide) copolymers) and can yield pristine porous films of the non-hydrolysable component of the starting multi-component polymer.

A microporous membrane according to the present invention is a microporous membrane containing a copolymerized high density polyethylene and a high density polyethylene, wherein a content of an -olefin unit having 3 or more carbon atoms in the microporous membrane is 0.01 mol % or more and 0.6 mol % or less, and a viscosity average molecular weight of the microporous membrane is less than 300,000. In addition, a battery separator according to the present invention contains the above microporous membrane. Further, a battery according to the present invention contains the above battery separator.

A microporous membrane according to the present invention is a microporous membrane containing a copolymerized high density polyethylene and a high density polyethylene, wherein a content of an -olefin unit having 3 or more carbon atoms in the microporous membrane is 0.01 mol % or more and 0.6 mol % or less, and a viscosity average molecular weight of the microporous membrane is less than 300,000. In addition, a battery separator according to the present invention contains the above microporous membrane. Further, a battery according to the present invention contains the above battery separator.

Star block copolymers having 3 to 8 arms are formed as a 3D foam scaffold having tailor-made pore sizes that mimic an actual cell size of a specific animal and/or human tissue and/or organs. The pore sizes are made within the elastomeric foams via a salt leaching process wherein a salt of a specific particle size is blended within the star block copolymers and crosslinked as by polyisocyanate compounds. Water or other suitable solvent are utilized to dissolve and leach out the salt leaving an open pore system. Animal and/or human cells are then injected into the 3D elastomeric foam scaffold that contains pendant liquid crystals on the star block copolymer whereby with the aid of nutrients, cells are formed within the pore system that are viable for at least three months. The size of the pore is predetermined to produce a desired cultured cell having a desired size. The tissue and/or cells within the elastomeric scaffold can be applied to animal and/or human tissue and/or organs whereupon they grow and reconstruct the damaged, injured, diseased, etc., area and result in a healthy, repaired, and viable tissue or organ. The elastomeric liquid crystal containing foam scaffold will degrade naturally and/or also be consumed by the growing cells so that it no longer exists. In other words, a specific type of animal or human cell can be culturally produced having a predetermined average cell diameter that is substantially or essentially the same diameter of a natural cell.