There is provided a carbon material dispersion which has excellent dispersibility and in which the dispersibility is retained stably over a long period of time even when the carbon material dispersion contains a carbon material at a high concentration. The carbon material dispersion is a carbon material dispersion containing a carbon material, water, and a polymeric dispersant, wherein the polymeric dispersant is a polymer including 5 to 40% by mass of a constituent unit (1) derived from a monomer 1, such as 2-vinylpyridine, 50 to 80% by mass of a constituent unit (2) derived from a monomer 2 represented by formula (1) (wherein R.sub.1 represents a hydrogen atom or the like, A represents O or NH, X represents an ethylene group or a propylene group, Y represents O, NHCOO, or NHCONH, each of R.sub.2 represents a hydrogen atom or the like, n represents 20 to 100, and R.sub.3 represents a hydrogen atom or the like), and 0.5 to 40% by mass of a constituent unit (3) derived from a monomer 3 copolymerizable with above-described monomers. ##STR00001##

A magnetocaloric cascade contains a sequence of magnetocaloric material layers having different Curie temperatures T.sub.C, wherein the magnetocaloric material layers include a cold-side outer layer, a hot-side outer layer and at least three inner layers between the cold-side outer layer and the hot-side outer layer.

A magnetocaloric cascade contains a sequence of magnetocaloric material layers having different Curie temperatures T.sub.C, wherein the magnetocaloric material layers include a cold-side outer layer, a hot-side outer layer and at least three inner layers between the cold-side outer layer and the hot-side outer layer.

Disclosed are methods of preparing antifouling coatings on reverse osmosis membranes with initiated chemical vapor deposition. The coatings enhance the stability and lifetime of membranes without sacrificing performance characteristics, such as permeability or salt retention.

Disclosed are methods of preparing antifouling coatings on reverse osmosis membranes with initiated chemical vapor deposition. The coatings enhance the stability and lifetime of membranes without sacrificing performance characteristics, such as permeability or salt retention.

An ion-exchange membrane comprising a resin composition comprising a side-chain heteroaromatic resin having a structural unit represented by the following general formula 1:

##STR00001##

wherein, R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 are each optionally the same or different, and are each a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, R.sup.4 is a direct bond, a substituted or unsubstituted divalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or a substituted or unsubstituted divalent aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, and Hc is a substituted or unsubstituted heteroaromatic group having 4 to 30 carbon atoms, the group having at least one nitrogen atom in a heteroaromatic ring structure and containing a five-membered ring and/or six-membered ring structure, and a cation-exchangeable resin.

A high refractive index optical coating made by forming a solid thin layer of a polymer such as P4VP by a process such as iCVD and quaternizing and halogenating the solid layer with vaporized CH.sub.2I.sub.2, CH.sub.3I, and/or CH.sub.2Br.sub.2 to thereby form a resulting film that has a greatly increased refractive index and other desirable optical and other properties.

A high refractive index optical coating made by forming a solid thin layer of a polymer such as P4VP by a process such as iCVD and quaternizing and halogenating the solid layer with vaporized CH.sub.2I.sub.2, CH.sub.3I, and/or CH.sub.2Br.sub.2 to thereby form a resulting film that has a greatly increased refractive index and other desirable optical and other properties.