759results about How to "Improve material performance" patented technology

New composite materials having a high density of small particles, such as hollow microspheres, in a matrix material are disclosed. The microspheres are densely packed in the matrix material such that adjacent microspheres are positioned in contact with each other or very close together. Fiber flanking may be provided on the opposite sides of a layer of a core of composite material having the small particles and matrix material. Also disclosed are methods of making and using the composite materials.

Embodiments in accordance with the thin film write head of the present invention have a lower pole structure, an upper pole structure, and a multilayer write gap extending from an air bearing surface between the upper and lower pole structures. In preferred embodiments, the write gap comprises at least two of: (a) a first layer covering a lower pole tip portion of the lower pole structure, (b) a second layer covering turns of a semiconductor winding, or (c) a third layer covering a winding insulation stack. In more preferred embodiments, the write gap is formed of the first, the second, and the third write gap layers. An advantage of a write head with a multilayer write gap is that it allows better control of write gap thickness. As such, loss of write gap thickness can be compensated for by deposition of the second write gap layers, or by deposition of the third write gap layer. Some embodiments have one or more additional advantages in providing increased corrosion prevention, improving the integrity of conductor insulation, and / or improving the top pole magnetic material characteristics.

New composite materials having a high density of small particles, such as hollow microspheres, in a matrix material are disclosed. The microspheres are densely packed in the matrix material such that adjacent microspheres are positioned in contact with each other or very close together. Fiber flanking may be provided on the opposite sides of a layer of a core of composite material having the small particles and matrix material. Also disclosed are methods of making and using the composite materials.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a stent is provided, which contains at least one filament that has a longitudinal axis and comprises a bioabsorbable polymeric material. Polymer molecules within the bioabsorbable polymeric material are provided with a helical orientation which is aligned with respect to the longitudinal axis of the filament. The stent is at least partially bioabsorbed by a patient upon implantation or insertion of the stent into the patient.

A plasma arc torch that includes a torch body having a nozzle mounted relative to a composite electrode in the body to define a plasma chamber. The torch body includes a plasma flow path for directing a plasma gas to the plasma chamber in which a plasma arc is formed. The nozzle includes a hollow, body portion and a substantially solid, head portion defining an exit orifice. The composite electrode can be made of a metallic material (e.g., silver) with high thermal conductivity in the forward portion electrode body adjacent the emitting surface, and the aft portion of the electrode body is made of a second low cost, metallic material with good thermal and electrical conductivity. This composite electrode configuration produces an electrode with reduced electrode wear or pitting comparable to a silver electrode, for a price comparable to that of a copper electrode.

A family of materials wherein nanostructures and / or nanotubes are incorporated into a multi-component material arrangement, such as a metallic or ceramic alloy or composite / aggregate, producing a new material or metallic / ceramic alloy. The new material has significantly increased strength, up to several thousands of times normal and perhaps substantially more, as well as significantly decreased weight. The new materials may be manufactured into a component where the nanostructure or nanostructure reinforcement is incorporated into the bulk and / or matrix material, or as a coating where the nanostructure or nanostructure reinforcement is incorporated into the coating or surface of a “normal” substrate material. The nanostructures are incorporated into the material structure either randomly or aligned, within grains, or along or across grain boundaries.

Novel process for the preparation of finely divided, nano-structured, olivine lithium metal phosphates (LiMPO.sub.4) (where metal M is iron, cobalt, manganese, nickel, vanadium, copper, titanium and mix of them) materials have been developed. This so called Polyol” method consists of heating of suited precursor materials in a multivalent, high-boiling point multivalent alcohol like glycols with the general formula HO—(—C2H4O—).sub.n-H where n=1-10 or HO—(—C3H6O—).sub.n.-H where n=1-10, or other polyols with the general formula HOCH2—(—C3H5OH—).sub.n-H where n=1-10, like for example the tridecane-1,4,7,10,13-pentaol. A novel method for implementing the resulting materials as cathode materials for Li.-ion batteries is also developed.

Polymeric anion exchangers are used as host materials in which hydrated Fe(III) Oxides (HFO) are irreversibly dispersed within the exchanger beads. Since the anion exchangers have positively charged quaternary ammonium functional groups, anionic ligands such as arsenates, chromates, oxalates, phosphates, phthalates can permeate in and out of the gel phase and are not subjected to the Donnan exclusion effect. Consequently, anion exchanger-supported HFO micro particles exhibit significantly greater capacity to remove arsenic and other ligands in comparison with cation exchanger supports. Loading of HFO particles is carried out by preliminary loading of the anion exchange resin with an oxidizing anion such as MnO4− or OCl−, followed by passage of a Ferrous Sulfate solution through the resin.

The invention discloses a preparation method for graphene aerogel. The method comprises the following steps: preparing an aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution containing graphene oxide so as to obtain a graphene oxide dispersion liquid with a concentration of 1 to 10 mg / cm<3>; subjecting the graphene oxide dispersion liquid to freezing in the condition of no higher than minus 196 DEG C so as to obtain a frozen sample; subjecting the frozen sample to freezing and drying so as to obtain a frozen-dried sample; and subjecting the frozen-dried sample in an argon-hydrogen mixed gas environment to high-temperature reduction so as to obtain the required graphene aerogel, wherein the high-temperature reduction comprises the steps of burning at 350 to 450 DEG C for 2 to 3 hours and burning again at 900 to 1100 DEG C for 2 to 3 hours. The preparation method for the graphene aerogel provided by the invention adopts a liquid nitrogen freezing manner to obtain a graphene oxide aerogel precursor, the subsequent segmented high-temperature reduction process is combined, the frozen-dried sample undergoes high-temperature burning at different temperatures, polyvinyl alcohol is removed and graphene oxide is reduced at high temperature, so the graphene aerogel is finally obtained; meanwhile, the graphene aerogel obtained by using the method in the invention has stable structure, good homogeneity and stable material performance.

The invention relates to a wind turbine blade comprising a number of pre-fabricated strips arranged in a sequence along the outer periphery. The strips consist of a fibrous composite material, preferably carbon fibres, and consist of a wooden material, preferably plywood or wooden fibres held in a cured resin. The advantage is that it is possible to manufacture blades for wind turbines which are very stiff and generally have a high strength, but which nevertheless are easy to manufacture and also is much cheaper to manufacture compared to conventional manufacturing techniques. The invention also relates to methods for manufacturing prefabricated strips and for manufacturing wind turbine blades.

A thermoelectric device having at least one unipolar couple element (22) including two legs (22a) of a same electrical conductivity type. A first-temperature stage (24) is connected to one of the two legs. A second-temperature stage (28) is connected across the legs of the at least one unipolar couple element. A third-temperature stage (30) is connected to the other of the two legs. Methods for cooling an object and for thermoelectric power conversion utilize the at least one unipolar couple element to respectively cool an object and produce electrical power.