The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing hydrophilic biopolymers, particularly hydrophilic cellulosic material, particularly cellulose nanofibers like micro- or nanofibrillated cellulose, as described in claim 1; to novel materials comprising hydrophilic biopolymers and to the use of such hydrophilic biopolymers.

A method for preparing an aliphatic polyester resin powder includes the steps of a) heat dissolving a crystalline aliphatic polyester resin in an organic solvent to obtain an aliphatic polyester resin solution; b) cooling the aliphatic polyester resin solution to precipitate a solid, thereby obtaining a solid-liquid mixture; c) optionally adding an adjuvant to the solid-liquid mixture and mixing; and d) conducting solid-liquid separation and drying to obtain an aliphatic polyester resin powder suitable for selective laser sintering. The crystalline aliphatic polyester resin powder obtained has good antioxidant property, good powder flowability, moderate size, smooth surface, suitable bulk density, and suitable dispersibility and particle size distribution. The aliphatic polyester resin powder is particularly suitable for selective laser sintering method.

This invention provides a method for creating a large-scale of amphiphilic particles. The method includes: adding nanoparticles into a polycarbonate-based solution, adding a surfactant into the solution while performing ultra-sonication to generate polymer precipitation, creating at least one microsphere with the nanoparticles embedded onto it, subjecting the exposed hemisphere of the embedded nanoparticles to a further amphiphilic particles related modification, and dissolving the at least one microsphere in a polycarbonate-based solution in order to free said embedded nanoparticles from the at least one microsphere.

A composite material is provided including a polymer matrix and undercooled liquid metallic core-shell particles disposed in the matrix, wherein the particles each have an outer shell and a liquid metallic material as a core contained within the outer shell. The outer shell is frangible such that the liquid metallic material is released from at least some of the particles in response to a mechanical load applied to the composite and solidifies in-situ in the polymer matrix. As a result, the composite material can be self-strengthening and self-healing and can be reconfigurable in shape at ambient temperature.

The invention relates to a composition and method for producing a solid extracting agent for extraction of scandium from sulfuric acid solutions.

There is provided a solid extracting agent (Solex) for extraction of scandium from scandium-containing solutions comprising a styrene-divinylbenzene matrix with di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid. The extracting agent further comprises tri-n-octylphosphine oxide, tributyl phosphate, isododecane, in the following ratio of components, wt. %: di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid 32.0-37.5, tri-n-octylphosphine oxide 4.2-8.0, tributyl phosphate 0.8-1.7, isododecane 16.7-20.0, the remainder styrene-divinylbenzene, with the styrene/divinylbenzene ratio in the matrix equal to 75-80 to 20-25 wt. %. There is also provided a method of producing the Solex. The technical result is the production of a scandium-selective Solex with a high dynamic exchange capacity.

A bio-degradable plant pot having calcium carbonate. And a method for preparing a rooting plug. The method calls for mixing a composition having (i) 0.2%-10% w/w bio-degradable polymer and (ii) an organic non-hydroxylic solvent with plug mix, thereby preparing a rooting plug.

Methods for forming polymeric particles with a predetermined, controlled morphology, and methods for tuning the topology of polymeric particles through modification of components utilized in the formation process are described. An emulsion/condensation technique is used, including a first emulsifier in the aqueous phase and an organic phase that includes first and second solvents, a second emulsifier, and a polymer. The polymer is more soluble in the first solvent than the second solvent, and the second emulsifier is more soluble in the second solvent than the first solvent. Through modification of the relative amounts of the emulsifiers and solvents, particles with either smooth or rough surfaces can be formed. Particles are particularly useful as drug depots with controlled-release profiles.

Disclosed herein are various cable gel seal arrangements and thermoplastic gels useful therein. The thermoplastic gels are prepared from a composition including a styrene triblock copolymer, a styrene diblock copolymer, an oil extender, and an additive selected from poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide), a C9 resin, poly(alpha-methylstyrene), a coumarone-indene resin, and combinations thereof, wherein the additive has a T.sub.g from about 95 C. to about 200 C. The thermoplastic gels advantageously exhibit low compression set.

The present invention provides an ionic liquid represented by the following chemical formula (I):

[(CH.sub.3).sub.3N(CH.sub.2).sub.2(OH].sup.+[NH.sub.2LCOO].sup.

where L is (CH.sub.2).sub.2 or (CH.sub.2).sub.3. (I)

The present invention also provides an ionic liquid composition containing an ionic liquid; and water. The ionic liquid is represented by the above chemical formula (I). A molar ratio of [(CH.sub.3).sub.3N(CH.sub.2).sub.2OH].sup.+ to [NH.sub.2LCOO].sup. is not less than 0.86 and not more than 1.12. A weight ratio of the water to the ionic liquid composition is not more than 4.7%. The present invention provides an ionic liquid capable of dissolving cellulose without an cellulose-degrading enzyme (namely, an enzyme capable of hydrolyzing cellulose).

An inverse emulsion copolymer composition comprises (A) an aqueous phase comprising a cross-linked hydrophilic polyelectrolyte copolymer (A) obtained by the free radical copolymerisation of: (i) at least one anionic ethylenically unsaturated monomer bearing a negatively charged group and one polymerisable CC double bond, or at least one cationic ethylenically unsaturated monomer bearing a positively charged group and one polymerisable CC double bond, and (ii) at least one non-ionic ethylenically unsaturated cross-linking monomer bearing at least two polymerisable CC double bonds, and (iii) optionally, one or more hydrophilic non-ionic ethylenically unsaturated monomers bearing one polymerisable CC double bond, (B) an oil phase comprising a carrier oil (C), (D) (i) at least one water-in-oil emulsifying surfactant, and (D) (ii) at least one oil-in-water emulsifying surfactant; characterised in that the carrier oil component (C) of the oil phase comprises from 75% to 100%, by weight of the said carrier oil component (C), of farnesane (2, 6, 10-trimethyldodecane). The compositions are effective for use as thickeners for thickening aqueous solutions, including solutions which contain dissolved salts. The compositions also show excellent thickening in acidic solutions than counterpart compositions containing paraffinic oils.