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.

A closed loop recycling process of manufacturing a foam part includes dispersing a filler material recycled from an additive manufacturing (AM) process in at least one foam reactant and pouring or injecting the at least one foam reactant with the filler material into a mold and forming the foam part. The foam part has a foam matrix with between 2.5 wt. % and 30 wt. % of the filler material. The filler material can be a recycled powder from a selective laser sintering process that is not graded (i.e., sized) before being dispersed in the at least one foam reactant. For example, the recycled powder can be a recycled polyamide 12 (rPA12) powder with an average particle diameter of less than 100 micrometers. Also, the least one foam reactant can be a polyol reactant and an isocyanate reactant such that a polyurethane foam matrix with recycled rPA12 filler material is formed.

A foam abrasive for grinding a workpiece includes a main part made of foam, in particular polyurethane foam, and abrasive grains which are fixed to at least one surface of the foam abrasive via a base binder made of thermoplastic polyurethane. The abrasive grains are covered with a cover binder.

A method of forming a polymeric foam material is provided and includes providing a precursor material having a first thickness, the precursor material being an open-cell foam material and applying a uniaxial compressive force to the precursor material to compress the precursor material to a second thickness, the compressive force causing a cell structure of the precursor material to collapse. The method also includes heating the precursor material at a molding temperature for a first time period while the compressive force is applied, the first time period being sufficient to heat the precursor material to a softening temperature, removing the compressive force from the precursor material, and maintaining the cell structure of the precursor material in a collapsed state.

This invention discloses a reticulated film composite and a method of fabricating a reticulated film composite suitable as a 3 dimensional porous and conductive matrix which contains up to 80% porosity and exhibits high recovery after compression. The reticulated film composite is produced by casting and drying of a slurry which exhibits a high yield stress (i.e. greater than 50 dyne/cm2) and comprised of a high MW resin dissolved in a solvent (i.e. having solution viscosity of higher than 100 cp at 5% in NMP at room temperature) and dispersed nanoparticles of carbon of high specific surface areas (i.e. greater than 1 m2/g preferably greater than 10 m2/g), examples include but not limited to conductive carbon, carbon nanotubes, graphene, activated carbon or mixture thereof. This reticulated film composite exhibits high electrical conductivity (i.e. volume resistivity of less than 10,000 Ω.Math.cm) and superior dimensional stability even at elevated temperatures (i.e. at 140° C.). It will exhibit a recovery of height or porosity after being compressed to over 50% of its height. The composite of this invention is suitable as an electrically conductive composite, as a gas diffusion layer in a fuel cell, or as a high efficiency electrode in super capacitors

A reactive mixture and method for making a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) flexible foam having a predominantly open-cell structure (open-cell content of ≥50% by volume calculated on the total volume of the foam and measured according to ASTM D6226-10) and an apparent density below 200 kg/m.sup.3.

There is provided a porous polyimide film in which the pore distribution width A represented by the following formula is 1.15 or less, the average pore diameter is within a range of 0.50 μm to 3.0 μm, and the air permeation speed is 30 seconds or less:
A=(D.sub.84/D.sub.16).sup.1/2 wherein D.sub.16 is the pore diameter at 16% cumulation from the small diameter side of pores, and D.sub.84 is the pore diameter at 84% cumulation from the small diameter side of pores.

The present invention provides a porous body, the swelling of which under acidic conditions is suppressed, and a method for producing the porous body. The first porous body of the present invention is formed of a copolymer of an epoxy compound and a curing agent, wherein the porous body is a porous body containing no primary to tertiary amino groups and has an interconnected pore structure in which holes provided inside the porous body communicate with each other. The second porous body of the present invention is formed of a copolymer of an epoxy compound and a curing agent, wherein the porous body is a porous body containing no nitrogen atom to be quaternized by acid treatment, and has an interconnected pore structure in which holes provided inside the porous body communicate with each other.

New shape memory polymer compositions, methods for synthesizing new shape memory polymers, and apparatus comprising an actuator and a shape memory polymer wherein the shape memory polymer comprises at least a portion of the actuator. A shape memory polymer comprising a polymer composition which physically forms a network structure wherein the polymer composition has shape-memory behavior and can be formed into a permanent primary shape, re-formed into a stable secondary shape, and controllably actuated to recover the permanent primary shape. Polymers have optimal aliphatic network structures due to minimization of dangling Chains by using monomers that are symmetrical and that have matching amine and hydroxl groups providing polymers and polymer foams with clarity, tight (narrow temperature range) single transitions, and high shape recovery and recovery force that are especially useful for implanting in the human body.

New shape memory polymer compositions, methods for synthesizing new shape memory polymers, and apparatus comprising an actuator and a shape memory polymer wherein the shape memory polymer comprises at least a portion of the actuator. A shape memory polymer comprising a polymer composition which physically forms a network structure wherein the polymer composition has shape-memory behavior and can be formed into a permanent primary shape, re-formed into a stable secondary shape, and controllably actuated to recover the permanent primary shape. Polymers have optimal aliphatic network structures due to minimization of dangling chains by using monomers that are symmetrical and that have matching amine and hydroxl groups providing polymers and polymer foams with clarity, tight (narrow temperature range) single transitions, and high shape recovery and recovery force that are especially useful for implanting in the human body.