The present invention relates to polymer compositions (C) for the preparation of porous article, notably microporous membranes or hollow fibers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process of preparing a porous article from at least one polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) polymer with an additive and at least one reinforcing filler followed by a step of shaping the article and contacting the article with water to dissolve the additive and create an interconnected pore network within the shaped article.

The present disclosure is directed to methods of forming polyimide gels. The methods generally include forming a polyamic acid and dehydrating the polyamic acid with a dehydrating agent in the presence of water. The resulting polyimide gels may be converted to polyimide or carbon xerogels or aerogels. The methods are advantageous in providing rapid or even instantaneous gelation, which may be particularly useful in formation of beads comprising the polyimide gels. Polyimide or carbon gel materials prepared according to the disclosed method are suitable for use in environments containing electrochemical reactions, for example as an electrode material within a lithium-ion battery.

Systems and methods for producing aerogel materials are generally described. In certain cases, the methods do not require supercritical drying as part of the manufacturing process. In some cases, certain combinations of materials, solvents, and/or processing steps may be synergistically employed so as to enable manufacture of large (e.g., meter-scale), substantially crack free, and/or mechanically strong aerogel materials.

A method of manufacturing a flexible intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite controlling for an effective pore size using removable pore-forming substances and physically incorporated, non-leaching antimicrobials. A flexible intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite controlled for an effective pore size composited physically incorporated, high-surface area, non-leaching antimicrobials, optionally in which the physically incorporated non-leaching antimicrobial exposes nanopillars on its surface to enhance antimicrobial activity. A kit that enhances the effectiveness of the intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite by storing the composite within an antimicrobial container.

A method of manufacturing a flexible intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite controlling for an effective pore size using removable pore-forming substances and physically incorporated, non-leaching antimicrobials. A flexible intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite controlled for an effective pore size composited physically incorporated, high-surface area, non-leaching antimicrobials, optionally in which the physically incorporated non-leaching antimicrobial exposes nanopillars on its surface to enhance antimicrobial activity. A kit that enhances the effectiveness of the intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite by storing the composite within an antimicrobial container.

A foam composition that includes a polymer material such as polyurethane or polyurea and a leachable water-soluble fine powder is provided. This composition can be used in a relatively simple process to obtain a foam body (porous body) that is uniform only at the surface or uniform throughout. The foam body can be suitably used as a golf ball member in golf balls required to have good controllability on approach shots. Also provided is a method for producing a foam member, which method includes the steps of molding the foam composition to obtain a solid molded body, and then leaching out and removing the water-soluble fine powder so as to obtain a foam-molded body.

Highly transparent (up to 92% light transmittance) wood composites have been developed. The process of fabricating the transparent wood composites includes lignin removal followed by index-matching polymer infiltration resulted in fabrication of the transparent wood composites with preserved naturally aligned nanoscale fibers. The thickness of the transparent wood composite can be tailored by controlling the thickness of the initial wood substrate. The optical transmittance can be tailored by selecting infiltrating polymers with different refractive indices. The transparent wood composites have a range of applications in biodegradable electronics, optoelectronics, as well as structural and energy efficient building materials. By coating the transparent wood composite layer on the surface of GaAs thin film solar cell, an 18% enhancement in the overall energy conversion efficiency has been attained.

Embodiments herein described provide devices for identifying and collecting rare cells or cells which occur at low frequency in the body of a subject, such as, antigen-specific cells or disease-specific cells. More specifically, the devices are useful for trapping immune cells and the devices contain a physiologically-compatible porous polymer scaffold, a plurality of antigens, and an immune cell-recruiting agent, wherein the plurality of antigens and the immune cell recruiting agent attract and trap the immune cell in the device. Also provided are pharmaceutical compositions, kits, and packages containing such devices. Additional embodiments relate to methods for making the devices, compositions, and kits/packages. Further embodiments relate to methods for using the devices, compositions, and/or kits in the diagnosis or therapy of diseases such as autoimmune diseases or cancers.

A method of manufacturing a flexible intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite controlling for an effective pore size using removable pore-forming substances and physically incorporated, non-leaching antimicrobials. A flexible intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite controlled for an effective pore size composited physically incorporated, high-surface area, non-leaching antimicrobials, optionally in which the physically incorporated non-leaching antimicrobial exposes nanopillars on its surface to enhance antimicrobial activity. A kit that enhances the effectiveness of the intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite by storing the composite within an antimicrobial container.

Disclosed herein are manufacturing/casting processes for the preparation of a foam.