A cohesive granular material comprises granules made of a stiff substance and having a grain size in the range from 55 m to 2.0 mm; an elastomeric substance connecting the granules, a Young's modulus of the elastomeric substance being at maximum 0.5 times a Young's modulus of the stiff substance; and voids between the granules, the voids being interconnected and providing a fluid permeability to the cohesive granular material.

A cohesive granular material comprises granules made of a stiff substance and having a grain size in the range from 55 m to 2.0 mm; an elastomeric substance connecting the granules, a Young's modulus of the elastomeric substance being at maximum 0.5 times a Young's modulus of the stiff substance; and voids between the granules, the voids being interconnected and providing a fluid permeability to the cohesive granular material.

A method of fabricating an article includes providing an arrangement of loose nanowires, forming the loose nanowires into a gas turbine engine airfoil by depositing the loose nanowires into a mold that has a geometry of the gas turbine engine airfoil, and bonding the loose nanowires together into a unitary cellular structure that has the geometry of the gas turbine engine airfoil.

A fluorescent member includes: a plurality of fluorescent particles; an inorganic binder; and a plurality of pores. An upper surface of the fluorescent member is a light extraction surface of the fluorescent member. The plurality of pores are localized in a vicinity of at least one of the plurality of fluorescent particles in a cross section that is parallel to the upper surface of the fluorescent member and extends through the fluorescent particles and the pores.

A carbon composite comprises: at least two carbon microstructures; and a binding phase disposed between the at least two carbon microstructures; wherein the binding phase includes a binder comprising one or more of the following SiO.sub.2; Si; B; B.sub.2O.sub.3; a metal; or an alloy of the metal, and the metal is at least one of aluminum; copper; titanium; nickel; tungsten; chromium; iron; manganese; zirconium; hafnium; vanadium; niobium; molybdenum; tin; bismuth; antimony; lead; cadmium; or selenium.

A carbon composite comprises: at least two carbon microstructures; and a binding phase disposed between the at least two carbon microstructures; wherein the binding phase includes a binder comprising one or more of the following SiO.sub.2; Si; B; B.sub.2O.sub.3; a metal; or an alloy of the metal, and the metal is at least one of aluminum; copper; titanium; nickel; tungsten; chromium; iron; manganese; zirconium; hafnium; vanadium; niobium; molybdenum; tin; bismuth; antimony; lead; cadmium; or selenium.

An alumina body having nano-sized open-cell pores, the alumina body is formed from ?-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and Al(OH).sub.3. The alumina body has porosity of greater than 36-percent by volume and a mean pore flow diameter less than 25-nm. The alumina body retains porosity of over 20-volume percent for temperatures up to 1510? C. for 1-hour. The nano-sized open-cell porous body can be scaled to any 3-dimensional structure.

Carbon opals, a form of colloidal crystal, are composed of ordered two-dimensional or three-dimensional arrays of Monodispersed Starburst Carbon Spheres (MSCS). Methods for producing such carbon opals include oxidizing as-synthesized MSCS, for example by heating in air, to increase surface charge. Such oxidation is believed to decrease settling rates of a colloidal suspension, enabling formation of an ordered colloidal crystal. Inverse opals, composed of any of a wide variety of materials, and based on a carbon opal template, have a reciprocal structure to a carbon opal. Inverse opals are formed by methods including: forming a carbon opal as described, impregnating a desired material into pores in the carbon opal to produce a hybrid structure, and removing the carbon portion from the hybrid structure.

Carbon opals, a form of colloidal crystal, are composed of ordered two-dimensional or three-dimensional arrays of Monodispersed Starburst Carbon Spheres (MSCS). Methods for producing such carbon opals include oxidizing as-synthesized MSCS, for example by heating in air, to increase surface charge. Such oxidation is believed to decrease settling rates of a colloidal suspension, enabling formation of an ordered colloidal crystal. Inverse opals, composed of any of a wide variety of materials, and based on a carbon opal template, have a reciprocal structure to a carbon opal. Inverse opals are formed by methods including: forming a carbon opal as described, impregnating a desired material into pores in the carbon opal to produce a hybrid structure, and removing the carbon portion from the hybrid structure.

A method for fabricating an alumina body having nano-sized open-cell pores, the alumina body is formed from ?-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and Al(OH).sub.3. The alumina body has porosity of greater than 36 percent by volume and a mean pore flow diameter less than 25 nm. The alumina body retains porosity of over 20 volume percent for temperatures up to 1510? C. for 1 hour. The nano-sized open-cell porous body can be scaled to any 3-dimensional structure.