A method of fabricating a casting, the method including applying a substrate to a sacrificial mold, the sacrificial mold including a shaped non-planar receiving surface to receive the substrate and provide a casting of the substrate having a shaped structure corresponding to the receiving surface; and subjecting the sacrificial mold and casting to freeze drying conditions and sublimating the sacrificial mold from the casting to form a cast article including the shaped non-planar structure.

A method of manufacturing a microfluidic architecture having at least one channel disposed therein. Steps can include pouring an uncured polymeric material into a mould to produce a first layer; at least partially curing the first layer; and forming the at least one channel by disposing a support material on the first layer; pouring an uncured polymeric material onto the first layer to form a second layer to thereby encapsulate the support material; and at least partially curing the second layer such that the first layer and second layer together form the microfluidic architecture; wherein the support material undergoes a phase change during the process of forming the at least one channel. The phase change of the support material enables the material to be more easily disposed and/or removed after formation of the channel.

A method of fabricating a casting, the method including applying a substrate to a sacrificial mold, the sacrificial mold including a shaped non-planar receiving surface to receive the substrate and provide a casting of the substrate having a shaped structure corresponding to the receiving surface; and subjecting the sacrificial mold and casting to freeze drying conditions and sublimating the sacrificial mold from the casting to form a cast article including the shaped non-planar structure.

A method for preparing a polishing pad includes: preparing a polishing pad transition structure formed with a plurality of grooves, openings of the plurality of grooves being all located on a same side surface of the polishing pad transition structure; filling the plurality of grooves of the polishing pad transition structure with inorganic nanoparticles; pouring a mixture of a liquid polymer and a curing agent on the polishing pad transition structure, and evacuating air in the liquid polymer and the plurality of grooves; and placing the polishing pad transition structure in an environment at a temperature higher than or equal to a first temperature threshold, and the cured liquid polymer and the polishing pad transition structure constituting the polishing pad.

A method of fabricating a casting, the method including applying a substrate to a sacrificial mold, the sacrificial mold including a shaped non-planar receiving surface to receive the substrate and provide a casting of the substrate having a shaped structure corresponding to the receiving surface; and subjecting the sacrificial mold and casting to freeze drying conditions and sublimating the sacrificial mold from the casting to form a cast article including the shaped non-planar structure.

A method for preparing a polishing pad includes: preparing a polishing pad transition structure formed with a plurality of grooves, openings of the plurality of grooves being all located on a same side surface of the polishing pad transition structure; filling the plurality of grooves of the polishing pad transition structure with inorganic nanoparticles; pouring a mixture of a liquid polymer and a curing agent on the polishing pad transition structure, and evacuating air in the liquid polymer and the plurality of grooves; and placing the polishing pad transition structure in an environment at a temperature higher than or equal to a first temperature threshold, and the cured liquid polymer and the polishing pad transition structure constituting the polishing pad.

A catheter for ablating tissue is provided. The catheter comprises an elongated generally-tubular catheter body having proximal and distal ends. An electrode assembly is provided at the distal end of the catheter body. The electrode assembly including a porous electrode arrangement that is generally transverse to the catheter body. The porous electrode arrangement comprises one or more electrodes electrically connected to a suitable energy source and a porous sleeve mounted in surrounding relation to the one or more electrodes and defining an open space between the porous sleeve and the one more electrodes. One or more irrigation openings fluidly connect the open space to a lumen extending through the catheter through which fluid can pass. In use, fluid passes through the lumen in the catheter, through the one or more irrigation openings, into the open space and through the porous sleeve.

A method for producing a composite tank is disclosed. The tank has a continuous fiber reinforcement, a prismatic shape, and a thickness e for the storage of a pressurized gas in an internal cavity of the tank. The tank comprises fibers extending between two non-contiguous faces of the tank through the internal cavity. The method includes: (i) obtaining a prismatic fibrous preform having a thickness e comprising three-dimensional continuous reinforcements throughout its thickness; (ii) impregnating an outer layer of the preform with a polymer over a thickness of less than of the thickness e so as to constitute a composite outer shell extending over all faces of the prism; and (iii) forming a sealed layer constituting an inner lining, having a thickness of less than 1/10th of the thickness e between the outer shell and the fibrous network contained in the cavity of the tank.

The present invention relates to a conductive two-dimensional polyaniline (PANT) nanosheets template. The method comprises polymerizing aniline on an ice surface. The PANI nanosheets show distinctly high current flows of 5.5 mA at 1 V and a high electrical conductivity of 35 S/cm, which mark a significant improvement over previous values on other PANIs reported over the past decades. These improved electrical properties of the PANI nanosheets are attributed to the long-range ordered edge-on -stacking of the quinoid ring, ascribed to the ice surface-assisted vertical growth of PANI. The PANI nanosheet can be easily transferred onto various types of substrates via float-off from the ice surfaces. In addition, PANI can be patterned into any shape using predetermined masks, and this is expected to facilitate the eventual convenient and inexpensive application of conducting polymers in versatile electronic device forms.

The present invention relates to a new method of synthesizing two-dimensional polyaniline (PANI) nanosheets using ice as a removable hard template. The method comprises polymerizing aniline on an ice surface. The synthesized PANI nanosheets show distinctly high current flows of 5.5 mA at 1 V and a high electrical conductivity of 35 S/cm, which mark a significant improvement over previous values on other PANIs reported over the past decades. These improved electrical properties of the PANI nanosheets are attributed to the long-range ordered edge-on n-stacking of the quinoid ring, ascribed to the ice surface-assisted vertical growth of PANI. The PANI nanosheet can be easily transferred onto various types of substrates via float-off from the ice surfaces. In addition, PANI can be patterned into any shape using predetermined masks, and this is expected to facilitate the eventual convenient and inexpensive application of conducting polymers in versatile electronic device forms.