A method for forming a resultant material. The method can include obtaining a base material including a fibrous material with a plurality of fiber portions extending from a face of the base material. The method further can include treating at least the face of the base material, the treating at least the face including applying heat along at least a portion of the face with a treatment unit to at least partially remove the plurality of fiber portions extending from the face.

The elastomeric electrode includes: a stretchable substrate 10 having wrinkles formed on one surface thereof, the peaks C and valleys T of the wrinkles being repeated; a wrinkled metal nanoparticle layer 20 including metal nanoparticles 21 and formed by deposition of the metal nanoparticles along the wrinkles of the substrate 10; and a wrinkled monomolecular layer 30 including a monomolecular material having one or more amine groups (—NH.sub.2) and formed by deposition of the monomolecular material onto the metal nanoparticle layer 20. Also disclosed is a method for preparing the elastomeric electrode.

Examples include a device including a nanovoided polymer element having a first surface and a second surface, a first plurality of electrodes disposed on the first surface, a second plurality of electrodes disposed on the second surface, and a control circuit configured to apply an electrical potential between one or more of the first plurality of electrodes and one or more of the second plurality of electrodes to induce a physical deformation of the nanovoided polymer element.

A substrate having a superhydrophobic surface and methods of manufacturing the same and uses thereof. The substrate comprises a frame of a first material of interconnected structures exhibiting cavities having the shape of inverted pyramids; and a second material comprising hydrophobic structures filling the cavities, wherein the sidewalls of the inverted pyramids form an angle α of 105°<α<135° against the surface. The hydrophobic structures, such as nanoparticles, provide excellent water repellency, whereas the structures formed by a mechanically durable substrate material, typically comprising microstructures, act as armor to resist abrasion. The substrates are robust, durable and abrasion resistant and can be used as surfaces in self-cleaning, anti-fouling or heat transfer materials as well as in transparent surfaces, in particular in solar cells.

The present disclosure properly calculates a wage for coating of a vehicle. An information processing apparatus of the present disclosure accepts specification of a first vehicle on which a third coating film is to be newly formed after a second coating film formed on a first coating film is peeled from a vehicle body. The information processing apparatus calculates a wage for operation of forming the third coating film for the first vehicle based on a period elapsed since peeling of the second coating film.

A surface conditioning device for railway track rails and/or railway vehicle wheels includes a DC power supply, a supply of gas, a plasma delivery head connected to receive DC power from the power supply and gas from the gas supply, and an igniter for igniting the gas in the plasma delivery head. In use, plasma is generated within the delivery head by ignition of the gas in the delivery head. Plasma with gas is blown from the delivery head onto a railway track rail and/or railway vehicle wheel, thereby conditioning the rail and/or wheel.

A composition that is easily applied, clear, well-bonded, and superhydrophobic is disclosed. In one aspect, the composition includes a hydrophobic fluorinated solvent, a binder comprising a hydrophobic fluorinated polymer, and hydrophobic fumed silica nanoparticles. Also disclosed is a structure including a substrate coated with the composition, as well as a method for making the composition and a method of coating a substrate with the composition.

Tubulars are immersed in electroless nickel coating solution to coat the tubulars. Prior to the coating step the tubulars are blasted with a clean medium and washed and rinsed in alkaline solution. The tubulars are arranged in a bunk for washing, rinsing and coating. LLDPE stretch wrap applied to outer portions of the tubulars prevents coating of the outer portions. The tubulars are electrically separated from the bunk and the coating solution tank, and the tank is provided with anodic protection to prevent coating of the tank. The bunk is provided with a header assembly to provide solution flow through the tubulars via nozzles on the header assembly in addition to flow caused by the vortex effect created by velocity of fluid exiting the nozzles. The bunk is arranged in the solution tank so that the tubulars are at an angle to horizontal to efficiently remove hydrogen gas. Solution flow to the header assembly is filtered to remove particulates.

A coating agent including a block copolymer capable of forming a lamellar microphase separation structure, and a liquid medium. The block copolymer includes a first block (A1) forming a non-adsorptive layer, and a second block (B1) forming a layer that is adhesive or fusible to a heat sealable substrate, the first block (A1) includes a copolymer having nitrile group-containing (meth)acrylic monomer units and alkyl group-containing (meth)acrylic monomer units, and the alkyl group-containing (meth)acrylic monomer units are included in a proportion of 0.1 mol-0.8 mol with respect to 1 mol of the nitrile group-containing (meth)acrylic monomer units.

The invention provides a filter fabric for providing anti pathogenic properties which has been coated with a composition comprising (a) 0.0001-99.9999% by weight of a compound of such as zinc pyrithione and (b) 0.0001-99.9999% by weight of an additional zinc salt selected from the group consisting of zinc acetate, zinc propionate, zinc oxalate, zinc benzoate, zinc gluconate, zinc ascorbate, zinc citrate, zinc lactate, zinc glycolate, zinc maleate, zinc fumarate, zinc polyacrylate and zinc polymaleate. The invention also provides a composition for imparting anti-viral properties to a breathable substrate material comprising two or more zinc salts selected from the group consisting of zinc acetate, zinc propionate, zinc oxalate, zinc benzoate, zinc gluconate, zinc ascorbate, zinc citrate, zinc lactate, zinc glycolate, zinc maleate, zinc fumarate, zinc EDTA, zinc glycinate, zinc polyacrylate, zinc polylactate, zinc polyglycolate and zinc polymaleate said zinc salts being present in effective amounts to impart anti-pathogenic properties.