A filament is fed to an extrusion head. The filament has a semi-crystalline polymeric reinforcement portion and a polymeric matrix portion. The reinforcement and matrix portions run continuously along a length of the filament. The reinforcement portion has a higher melting point and a higher crystallinity than the matrix portion. The temperature of the filament is raised in the extrusion head above the melting point of the matrix portion but below the melting point of the reinforcement portion so that the matrix portion of the filament melts within the extrusion head, thereby forming a partially molten filament within the extrusion head. The partially molten filament is extruded from the extrusion head onto a substrate, the reinforcement portion of the partially molten filament remaining in a semi-crystalline state as it is extruded from the extrusion head. Relative movement is generated between the extrusion head and the substrate as the partially molten filament is extruded onto the substrate in order to form an extruded line on the substrate. The matrix portion of the extruded line solidifies after the extruded line has been formed on the substrate.

A composite comprising: a barrier, said barrier being configured to selectively pass water, and said barrier being degradable in the presence of water; a matrix material for disposition within said barrier, wherein said matrix material has a flowable state and a set state, and wherein said matrix material is degradable in the presence of water; and at least one reinforcing element for disposition within said barrier and integration with said matrix material, wherein said at least one reinforcing element is degradable in the presence of water, and further wherein, upon the degradation of said at least one reinforcing element in the presence of water, provides an agent for modulating the degradation rate of said matrix material in the presence of water.

A composite comprising: a barrier, said barrier being configured to selectively pass water, and said barrier being degradable in the presence of water; a matrix material for disposition within said barrier, wherein said matrix material has a flowable state and a set state, and wherein said matrix material is degradable in the presence of water; and at least one reinforcing element for disposition within said barrier and integration with said matrix material, wherein said at least one reinforcing element is degradable in the presence of water, and further wherein, upon the degradation of said at least one reinforcing element in the presence of water, provides an agent for modulating the degradation rate of said matrix material in the presence of water.

Light weight composites with high flexural strength comprise epoxy foam sandwiched between two layers of facing material have high strength and low weight and can be used to replace steel structures. The facing layer may be fibrous material especially glass or carbon fibres, the facing material is preferably embedded into the epoxy matrix. Alternatively they may be matching box structures or concentric metal tubes. The sandwich structures may be prepared by laying up the fibre; coating and/or impregnating the layer with epoxy resin, laying a layer of heat activatable foamable epoxy material, providing a further layer of the fibrous material optionally coated and/or impregnated with epoxy resin on the foamable material and healing to foam and cure the epoxy materials. Alternatively they may be formed by extrusion of the foamable material between the surface layers.

A substantially planar sheet having two opposable surfaces, the sheet having at least one layer formed from a first optionally polymeric material and a second optionally polymeric material, the second material having a lower elasticity modulus (1% Secant) than the first material, incorporation of the second material producing a sheet having a tensile strength and/or elasticity modulus of about 90% or less of that of a sheet without such material when measured in any direction parallel to the sheet surface. Such conformable sheets and films are particularly useful for labelling and graphic art applications.

The present invention relates to a flooring material and a fabrication method thereof. Since the invention forms the flooring material using bio-degradable resin which can be fabricated with materials extracted from the reproducible resources, the invention solves the supply and demand problem of raw materials caused by the depletion of oil resources. Further, the invention improves the production efficiency of the flooring materials by applying a calendaring method during the fabrication process, emits few environmentally-harmful materials including CO.sub.2 or the like, and provides the environmentally-friendly flooring material which is discarded easily. In addition, the invention can solve the problem caused by the size change which occurs when a bio-degradable sheet is used, whereby a stably and continuously-usable flooring material is provided.

The present invention concerns a sizing composition for glass fibers comprising the following components: (a) A silane based coupling agent which is not an aminosilane; (b) A film former; (c) A borate; (d) A lubricant Characterized in that, at least 75 wt. % of the silane coupling agent present in the composition is dialkoxylated. It also concerns a glass fiber sized with the reaction product of said sizing composition, as well as a polymeric composite reinforced with such glass fibers.

A carbon nanotube aggregate according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes, in which: the carbon nanotubes each have a plurality of walls; a distribution width of a wall number distribution of the carbon nanotubes is 10 walls or more; a relative frequency of a mode of the wall number distribution is 25% or less; and a length of each of the carbon nanotubes is more than 10 μm. A carbon nanotube aggregate according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes, in which: the carbon nanotubes each have a plurality of walls; a mode of a wall number distribution of the carbon nanotubes is present at a wall number of 10 or less; a relative frequency of the mode is 30% or more; and a length of each of the carbon nanotubes is more than 10 μm.

Method of manufacturing a transparent electrically conductive substrate having an application process whereby a wet layer is formed by applying onto a substrate film a coating liquid comprising metallic nanowires dispersed in a solvent, and a drying process whereby the solvent contained in the abovementioned wet layer is removed by drying, characterised in that the abovementioned drying process includes a process whereby the orientation of the abovementioned metallic nanowires is altered by introducing a forced draft facing towards the substrate from a direction that is different from the longitudinal direction of the substrate film.

Provided is a structure for forming carbon nanofiber, including a base material containing an oxygen ion-conductive oxide, and a metal catalyst that is provided on one surface side of the base material.