A porous ceramic structure has a porosity of 20% to 99%, and includes one principal surface and another principal surface opposite to the one principal surface. At least one cut is formed from the one principal surface toward the other principal surface. An aspect ratio of a divided portion divided by the cut is greater than or equal to 3.

A porous ceramic structure has a porous ceramic aggregate configured from a plurality of porous ceramic particles, and the ratio of the number of corners at locations where two other porous ceramic particles are facing a corner of a porous ceramic particle with respect to the number of corners of the porous ceramic particles included in the porous ceramic aggregate is 80% or greater.

The invention relates to an addition for producing thermally conductive mortars and structural concrete, said addition being a specific powdery formulation in each case, which, when added as an addition to a conventional concrete or mortar, allows the production of a structural concrete or mortar with improved thermal characteristics (thermal conductivity ). If the addition is added to a conventional concrete in a plant, a structural concrete with increased thermal conductivities is produced, which can adapt to the thermal requirements of the building, thereby being highly suitable for the heat activation of structures or the geothermal activation of foundations. The concrete containing the addition takes on special rheological characteristics which, inter alia, allows a self-compacting concrete to be produced. If the addition is added to a conventional mortar in a mixer, a mortar is produced with very high thermal conductivities which make it highly suitable for geothermal probes.

The present invention is a system for repairing asphalt. The system includes a discrete quantity of an asphalt repair composition located within a container and an induction heater. The composition is a combination of an asphalt binder, aggregate particles, and induction particles. The average diameter of the induction particles ranges from approximately 10% above to approximately 10% below an average diameter of the aggregate particles used in the composition. The induction heater heats the composition within the container by generating a magnetic field that penetrates the container. The magnetic field creates eddy currents in the induction particles. These eddy currents in turn heat the composition. Because the induction particles are distributed throughout the composition, the composition heats rapidly.

The present invention provides a bidirectional energy-transfer system comprising: a thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete, disposed in a structural object; a location of energy supply or demand that is physically isolated from, but in thermodynamic and/or electromagnetic communication with, the thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete; and a means of transferring energy between the structural object and the location of energy supply or demand. The system can be a single node in a neural network. The thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete includes a conductive, shock-absorbing material, such as graphite. Preferred compositions are disclosed for the thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete. The bidirectional energy-transfer system may be present in a solar-energy collection system, a grade beam, an indoor radiant flooring system, a structural wall or ceiling, a bridge, a roadway, a driveway, a parking lot, a commercial aviation runway, a military runway, a grain silo, or pavers, for example.

The present invention includes a simple, scalable and solventless method of dispersing graphene into polymers, thereby providing a method of large-scale production of graphene-polymer composites. The composite powder can then be processed using the existing techniques such as extrusion, injection molding, and hot-pressing to produce a composites of useful shapes and sizes while keeping the advantages imparted by graphene. Composites produced require less graphene filler and are more efficient than currently used methods and is not sensitive to the host used, such composites can have broad applications depending on the host's properties.

The present invention includes a simple, scalable and solventless method of dispersing graphene into polymers, thereby providing a method of large-scale production of graphene-polymer composites. The composite powder can then be processed using the existing techniques such as extrusion, injection molding, and hot-pressing to produce a composites of useful shapes and sizes while keeping the advantages imparted by graphene. Composites produced require less graphene filler and are more efficient than currently used methods and is not sensitive to the host used, such composites can have broad applications depending on the host's properties.

The present invention provides a bidirectional energy-transfer system comprising: a thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete, disposed in a structural object; a location of energy supply or demand that is physically isolated from, but in thermodynamic and/or electromagnetic communication with, the thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete; and a means of transferring energy between the structural object and the location of energy supply or demand. The system can be a single node in a neural network. The thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete includes a conductive, shock-absorbing material, such as graphite. Preferred compositions are disclosed for the thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete. The bidirectional energy-transfer system may be present in a solar-energy collection system, a grade beam, an indoor radiant flooring system, a structural wall or ceiling, a bridge, a roadway, a driveway, a parking lot, a commercial aviation runway, a military runway, a grain silo, or pavers, for example.

A radiator includes a heat radiation ceramic material. The heat radiation ceramic material includes a first metal oxide as a principal component, the first metal oxide being a metal oxide having a wurtzite crystal structure; and a second metal oxide as a metal oxide having an average emissivity higher than or equal to 70% in a wavelength range of 3 m to 25 m inclusive. At least one of a trivalent metal-doped metal oxide where some metal atoms of the first metal oxide are substituted with trivalent metal atoms and a monovalent metal-doped metal oxide where some metal atoms of the first metal oxide are substituted with monovalent metal atoms is included as the second metal oxide.