A flexible cellular foam or fabric product is coated with a coating including highly thermally conductive nanomaterials. The highly thermally conductive nanomaterials may be carbon nanomaterials, metallic, or non-metallic solids. The carbon nanomaterials may include, but are not necessarily limited to, carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets. The highly thermally conductive nanomaterials may include but are not limited to nano-sized solids that may include graphite flakes, for example. When coated on a surface of flexible foam, the presence of nanomaterials may impart greater thermal effusivity, greater thermal conductivity, and/or a combination of these improvements. The flexible foam product may be polyurethane foam, latex foam, polyether polyurethane foam, viscoelastic foam, high resilient foam, polyester polyurethane foam, foamed polyethylene, foamed polypropylene, expanded polystyrene, foamed silicone, melamine foam, among others.

Biologically activated ion-exchange polymer salts are made by exchanging biologically active ionic agents onto ion-exchange polymers. The activated polymers are uniquely surface active and stable to thermal degradation and chemical and other forms of decomposition. The activated ion-exchange polymer salts may be processed and combined with polymer precursors using novel methods and materials to produce stable, biologically activated polymer composites, including antimicrobial and antifouling polymer composites.

The compressible sealing element (1) comprises at least one piece made of a resilient foam (17). This foam has an open-cell content of at least 50% and has such a hardness that it requires a force of less than 2000 N to compress the sealing element (1) per meter length thereof to such an extent that the volume of a rectangular cuboid circumscribing the sealing element is reduced by 40%. The sealing element comprises a water-impermeable cover layer (18) which extends at least over its top surface. The sealing element is intended for filling at least partially the gaps between the stock rails (13) and the switch rails (12) in a railway switch to prevent the switch from being blocked in particular by snow. Advantages of the new sealing element is that it can easier be inserted in these gaps and that it has a smaller effect on the force required to close the switch so that it can also be applied closer to the free extremity of the switch rail (12).

The invention relates to an aqueous coagulatable polymer dispersion comprising at least one polymer which is dispersed in an aqueous phase, thermoplastic micro-spheres which contain a propellant, and at least one additional component which is selected from the group consisting of polyols, polyamines, and thermoplastic polymers. The invention further relates to a coagulate which can be obtained by the thermal and/or mechanical and/or ultrasonically-initiated coagulation of the aqueous polymer dispersion according to the invention, to an adhesive comprising or consisting of the coagulate, to a substrate which is completely or partly coated with said coagulate, to a method for producing such a coated substrate, and to coated substrates which can be obtained using said method. The coagulate can be used as an adhesive or as a binder in 3D-printing methods.

A functional belt has a foam layer and at least one further functional layer. The foam layer and the further functional layer are joined to one another by laser transmission welding, in particular by NIR laser transmission welding. A method for producing a functional belt includes the following method steps: providing a compressible foam layer; providing a further functional layer bringing together the foam layer and the further functional layer and joining the compressible foam layer to the further functional layer by laser transmission welding, in particular by means of NIR laser transmission welding. A technical textile, in particular a fabric for use in a machine for the production or processing of a fibrous material web, preferably press felt of a paper machine, a sealing band or a textile-reinforced insulation material, includes, or is made of, such a functional belt.

A nanocomposite including an array of extended length fibers with nanofibers oriented in transverse relation to the extended length fibers. The nanofibers are mechanically interlocked with the extended length fibers using a connecting agent concentrated at contact locations between the extended length fibers and the nanofibers without saturating the composite. The resultant composite of fibers and connecting agent is characterized by significant internal porosity with an internal void volume not occupied by the connecting agent.

A self-modelling padding for garments or supports which has an elastomeric matrix having a cross-linked, three-dimensional open cell structure, and a self-modelling paste embedded in the elastomeric matrix is provided. The elastomeric matrix is configured to have a shape memory. The self-modelling paste has a plastic behavior.

Methods and materials used for production of constructs having a porous open or semi-open celled structure. Constructs may include a porous matrix as a base and a biocompatible conformal coating thereon.

The present invention relates to a gas separation membrane for separating a target gas species from a mixture of gas species, the membrane comprising: (i) a porous substrate having a first and second surface region between which the mixture of gas species will flow; (ii) a sealing polymer layer of different composition to the porous substrate that (a) forms a continuous coating across the second surface region of the substrate, and (b) is permeable to the mixture of gas species; and (iii) a selective polymer layer in the form of a cross linked macromolecular film that (a) is located on and covalently coupled to the sealing polymer layer, and (b) has a higher permeability to the target gas species relative to other gas species present in the mixture of gas species that is to be subjected to separation.

PLA polymers that can be expanded into microporous articles having a node and fibril microstructure are provided. The fibrils contain PLA polymer chains oriented with the fibril axis. Additionally, the PLA polymers have an inherent viscosity greater than about 3.8 dL/g and a calculated molecular weight greater than about 150,000 g/mol. The PLA polymer article may be formed by bulk polymerization where the PLA bulk polymer is made into a preform that is subsequently expanded at temperatures above the glass transition temperature and below the melting point of the PLA polymer. In an alternate embodiment, a PLA polymer powder is lubricated, the lubricated polymer is subjected to pressure and compression to form a preform, and the preform is expanded to form a microporous article. Both the preform and the microporous article are formed at temperatures above the glass transition temperature and below the melting point of the PLA polymer.