Bare porous polymer monoliths, fluidic chips, methods of incorporating bare porous polymer monoliths into fluidic chips, and methods for functionalizing bare porous polymer monoliths are described. Bare porous polymer monoliths may be fabricated ex situ in a mold. The bare porous polymer monoliths may also be functionalized ex situ. Incorporating the bare preformed porous polymer monoliths into the fluidic chips may include inserting the monoliths into channels of channel substrates of the fluidic chips. Incorporating the bare preformed porous polymer monoliths into the fluidic chips may include bonding a capping layer to the channel substrate. The bare porous polymer monoliths may be mechanically anchored to channel walls and to the capping layer. The bare porous polymer monoliths may be functionalized by ex situ immobilization of capture probes on the monoliths. The monoliths may be functionalized by direct attachment of chitosan.

The present invention is directed to a biodegradable tough adhesive material comprising an interpenetrating networks (IPN) hydrogel comprising a first polymer network and a second polymer network, wherein the first polymer network comprises a first polymer covalently crosslinked with a biodegradable covalent crosslinker and the second polymer network comprises a second polymer crosslinked with ionic or physical crosslinks; a high density primary amine polymer; and a coupling agent. The present invention also provides methods preparing and using the biodegradable tough adhesive material.

Disclosed is a hydrogel preparation method using crosslinking structure control by electron beam irradiation and a hydrogel prepared by the same, and the hydrogel preparation method includes: (A) mixing two or more natural polysaccharides and a solvent at room temperature to prepare a preliminary hydrogel composition; (B) heating the preliminary hydrogel composition to a predetermined temperature or higher to cause the preliminary hydrogel composition to be loosened linearly with respect to a chain-coil structure of the natural polysaccharides, resulting in uniform mixing; (C) lowering the temperature of the preliminary hydrogel composition to room temperature to gel the preliminary hydrogel composition into a hydrogel, and allowing the two or more natural polysaccharides to form a mesh structure by chain entanglement to form an Interpenetrating Polymer Network (IPN) structure; and (D) selectively irradiating the hydrogel with a high-energy electron beam to control a crosslinking structure by using chain scission reaction in the IPN structure of the hydrogel. According to the present invention, it is possible to prepare a hydrogel composed of only two or more kinds of natural polysaccharides, and increase functionality, such as moisturizing effect, while maintaining sufficient physical strength by controlling the crosslinking structure by using a chain scission reaction through high-energy electron beam irradiation, it is possible to use excellent functionality, such as biocompatibility and biodegradability, and in particular, it is possible to adjust a mesh size to provide a natural polysaccharide hydrogel which enables the moisture or active substance entrapped in the natural polysaccharides to escape to the outside and be well delivered to the desired area.

Hydrogels are formed by the condensation of aromatic or heteroaromatic CN groups with aminothiol groups. Gelling takes place under physiological conditions, is biocompatible, and can be used for cell encapsulation.

Covalently linked linear polyethylenimine (PEI) clusters are provided that change conformation depending upon changes in counterion concentrations. The structures may be used for the storage, delivery, and/or transport of substances.

Crumb rubber obtained from recycled tires is subjected to an interlinked substitution process. The process utilizes a reactive component that interferes with sulfur bonds. The resulting treated rubber exhibits properties similar to those of the virgin composite rubber structure prior to being granulated, and is suitable for use in fabricating new tires, engineered rubber articles, and asphalt rubber for use in waterproofing and paving applications.

The invention relates to novel a high-volume swelling hydrogel which comprises a plurality of pores which are defined by an interpenetrating network, and/or a semi-interpenetrating network and/or simple cross-linked arrangement of a plurality of one or more species of hydrophilic polymers, optionally together with one or more biocompatible polymers and optionally together with one or more plasticising agents, characterised in that at least some of the pores are at least partially collapsed and/or flattened, and further characterised in that the interpenetrating network and/or semi-interpenetrating network and/or cross-linked arrangement which defines the collapsed and/or flattened pores is substantially unbroken. The invention also relates to a process for preparing such hydrogels, and to their use as an appetite suppressant.

The present inventions in various aspects provide elastic biodegradable polymers. In various embodiments, the polymers are formed by the reaction of a multifunctional alcohol or ether and a difunctional or higher order acid to form a pre-polymer, which is cross-linked to form the elastic biodegradable polymer. In preferred embodiments, the cross-linking is performed by functionalization of one or more OR groups on the pre-polymer backbone with vinyl, followed by photopolymerization to form the elastic biodegradable polymer composition or material. Preferably, acrylate is used to add one or more vinyls to the backbone of the pre-polymer to form an acrylated pre-polymer. In various embodiments, acrylated pre-polymers are co-polymerized with one or more acrylated co-polymers.

The present invention concerns a sphere, characterized in that it comprises at least one polymer of hyaluronate and glucomannan. It also concerns a polymer of hyaluronate and glucomannan characterized in that each bond between a hyaluronate group and a glucomannan group is an ester bond. In addition, it concerns their production process and their use, in particular as a filling or hydration agent.

The invention relates to systems and techniques for manufacturing articles containing cellulosic material, a coupling agent, and a binder resin, and related processes of making and using the cellulosic articles. In particularly exemplary embodiments, the manufactured articles are door skins, sometimes known as door facings, and doors made from the door skins. The article contains a lipophilic cellulosic material, a coupling agent, and a binder. The coupling agent is believed to increase the hydrophilicity (wettability) of the lipophilic cellulosic material.