A complex structure material includes a foam made of thermosetting resin and coverings made of thermoplastic resin. The foam includes a matrix and pores. At least some of the pores communicate with each other. The foam has a continuous porous structure formed by the matrix and the pores. The coverings cover inner walls of the pores in the foam.

The present invention includes a hydrogel and a method of making a porous hydrogel by preparing an aqueous mixture of an uncrosslinked polymer and a crystallizable molecule; casting the mixture into a vessel; allowing the cast mixture to dry to form an amorphous hydrogel film; seeding the cast mixture with a seed crystal of the crystallizable molecule; growing the crystallizable molecule into a crystal structure within the uncrosslinked polymer; crosslinking the polymer around the crystal structure under conditions in which the crystal structure within the crosslinked polymer is maintained; and dissolving the crystals within the crosslinked polymer to form the porous hydrogel.

An embodiment includes a system comprising: a monolithic shape memory polymer (SMP) foam having first and second states; wherein the SMP foam includes: (a) polyurethane, (b) an inner half portion having inner reticulated cells defined by inner struts, (c) an outer half portion, having outer reticulated cells defined by outer struts, surrounding the inner portion in a plane that provides a cross-section of the SMP foam, (d) hydroxyl groups chemically bound to outer surfaces of both the inner and outer struts. Other embodiments are discussed herein.

The present invention relates to a method of making a porous sponge-like formulation that can well absorb water, oil and organic solvents separately or combined. Methods of preparing said formulation and its use in medical, pharmaceutical, biotechnological, chemical as well as in wound care, home care, (agro-)environmental and construction material applications are also provided.

A graded-index optical element may include a nanovoided material including a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The nanovoided material may be transparent between the first surface and the second surface. Additionally, the nanovoided material may have a predefined change in effective refractive index in at least one axis due to a change in at least one of nanovoid size or nanovoid distribution along the at least one axis. Various other elements, devices, systems, materials, and methods are also disclosed.

A nanovoided polymer-based material may include a bulk polymer material defining a plurality of nanovoids and an interfacial film disposed at an interface between each of the plurality of nanovoids and the bulk polymer material. The interfacial film may include one or more layers of material. A method of forming a nanovoided polymer-based material may include (1) forming a bulk polymer material defining a plurality of nanovoids and (2) forming an interfacial film at an interface between each of the plurality of nanovoids and the bulk polymer material. Various other methods, systems, and materials are also disclosed.

The joint use of polyol ethers and ethylene oxide-rich alkyl alkoxylates as additives in filler-containing aqueous polymer dispersions for production of porous polymer coatings, preferably for production of porous polyurethane coatings, is described.

In some examples, a method includes forming a material layer on a substrate, partially polymerizing a component of the material layer, to form fluid-filled droplets within a partially polymerized matrix, deforming the material layer to form anisotropic fluid-filled droplets, and further polymerizing the partially polymerized matrix to form an anisotropic voided polymer, including anisotropic voids in a polymer matrix. The anisotropic voids may include anisotropic nanovoids. Example methods may further include depositing electrodes on the anisotropic voided polymer so that at least a portion of the anisotropic voided polymer is located between the electrodes. Examples may include forming electroactive elements including an anisotropic nanovoided polymer, and devices (such as sensors and/or actuators) including electroactive elements.

In some examples, a device includes a multilayer structure, a first electrode, and a second electrode, where the multilayer structure is located at least in part between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the multilayer structure includes a nanovoided polymer layer, and a solid layer. The solid layer may include a non-nanovoided layer. The nanovoided polymer layer may be an electroactive layer. The device may further include a control circuit configured to apply an electrical potential between the first electrode and the second electrode, which may induce a mechanical deformation of the multilayer.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to compositions suitable for manufacturing polyethylene foam. In one aspect, a composition suitable for making uncrosslinked low density polyethylene foam comprising at least 50 weight percent low density polyethylene based on the total weight of the composition, wherein the low density polyethylene has a density of 0.915 to 0.930 g/cm.sup.3 and a melt index (I.sub.2) of 1 to 4 g/10 minutes; and polytetrafluoroethylene having an average particle size of one micron to 15 microns.