The present invention relates to a process for treating a polyamide-based material comprising silica fibers and/or fillers, by impregnation with at least one hydrophobic additive in supercritical CO.sub.2. The invention also relates to a polyamide-based material comprising silica fibers and/or fillers and impregnated with at least one hydrophobic additive, obtained via such a process, and to the use thereof as an electrically insulating component in an electrical device, in particular in a circuit breaker.

Provided is a semiaromatic polyamide fil having an average linear expansion coefficient in the width direction, measured under conditions of 20 to 125? C., of ?90 to 0 ppm/? C.

A polymeric film and process for making same, the film comprising residues of 5(6)-amino-2-(p-aminophenyl) benzimidazole, aromatic diamine, and aromatic diacid-chloride, in the form of polymer having a polymer chain including a salt of formula I, wherein C+ is a sodium, potassium, or calcium cation, the film having a thickness of about 1 to 50 micrometers, and a dielectric constant of 4.5 or greater at 2 GHz in the absence of any particulate additives that increase the dielectric constant of the film.

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An optical film has a base material and a hardcoat layer, in which a pencil hardness is 2H or higher, the number of times of folding endurance measured by an MIT tester is 1000 or more, an incident ray is made incident on the optical film from 60 with respect to a normal direction of the optical film, an angle width within which 10% of outgoing ray peak intensity is obtained is 6 or less, and an intensity of outgoing ray at 50 from the normal direction is 1% or less of the outgoing ray peak intensity. A method for manufacturing an optical film has a step of applying a hardcoat layer forming composition to a base material to provide a coating film, and a step of curing the coating film while bringing the coating film into contact with one smooth metal roll.

The present invention relates to a process for treating a polyamide-based material comprising silica fibers and/or fillers, by impregnation with at least one hydrophobic additive in supercritical CO.sub.2.

The invention also relates to a polyamide-based material comprising silica fibers and/or fillers and impregnated with at least one hydrophobic additive, obtained via such a process, and to the use thereof as an electrically insulating component in an electrical device, in particular in a circuit breaker.

A polymer material comprises one or more different doping elements. The or at least one of the different doping elements at least partially absorbs an electromagnetic radiation emitted by a human or animal body and at least partially emits an electromagnetic radiation in an infrared range, preferably in an infrared C range. A textile material comprises the polymer material according to the invention. The invention further relates to medical and non-medical uses of the polymer material according to the invention and to a manufacturing method of the polymer material according to the invention.

A graphene-reinforced polymer matrix composite comprising an essentially uniform distribution in a thermoplastic polymer of about 10% to about 50% of total composite weight of particles selected from graphite microp articles, single-layer graphene nanoparticles, multilayer graphene nanoparticles, and combinations thereof, where at least 50 wt % of the particles consist of single- and/or multi-layer graphene nanoparticles less than 50 nanometers thick along a c-axis direction. The graphene-reinforced polymer matrix is prepared by a method comprising (a) distributing graphite microparticles into a molten thermoplastic polymer phase comprising one or more matrix polymers; and (b) applying a succession of shear strain events to the molten polymer phase so that the matrix polymers exfoliate the graphite successively with each event until at least 50% of the graphite is exfoliated to form a distribution in the molten polymer phase of single- and multi-layer graphene nanoparticles less than 50 nanometers thick along a c-axis direction.

A process to manufacture a solution of aramid includes: i) combining a solvent and a base to result in a solvent-base mixture, ii) adding aramid material to the solvent-base mixture to obtain a composition, and iii) mixing the composition to obtain a solution of aramid, wherein at least 1 Mol of base per liter of solvent is added to obtain the solvent-base mixture. An aramid solution, processes to further process the solution, and a continuous aramid fiber with high elongation.

The present disclosure provides a carbon fiber dome. The carbon fiber dome includes at least two carbon fiber prepreg layers. The at least two carbon fiber prepreg layers include carbon fiber prepregs made by at least two weaving methods. In addition, the present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing the carbon fiber dome as described above. The method includes the following steps: using prepreg resin to pre-impregnate carbon fiber materials made by at least two weaving methods; and pre-impregnating the carbon fiber materials made by at least two weaving methods for bonding each other.

Branched aramid nanofibers (ANFs) can be made by controlled chemical splitting of micro and macroscale aramid fiber by adjusting the reaction media containing aprotic component, protic component and a base. Branched ANFs have uniform size distribution of diameters in the nanoscale regime (below 200 nm) and high yield exceeding 95% of the nanofibers with this diameter. The method affords preparation of branched ANFs with 3-20 branches per one nanofiber and high aspect ratio. Branched ANFs form hydrogel or aerogels with highly porous 3D percolating networks (3DPNs) frameworks that are made into different shapes. Polymers and nanomaterials are impregnated into the 3DPNs through several methods. Gelation of branched ANFs facilitates layer-by-layer deposition in a process described as gelation assisted layer-by-layer deposition (gaLBL). A method of manufacturing battery components including ion conducting membranes, separators, anodes, and cathodes is described. The method of manufacturing of materials with high mechanical performance based on branched ANFs and 3DPNs from them is disclosed.