Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

James P Mathers

Kathleen M Humpal

Brant Ulrick Kolb

Mark J Hendrickson

Holger Hauptmann

Gallus Schechner

William P Wood

Martin Goetzinger

Bryan C Feisel

Myles Lee Brostrom

John W Longabach

Paul D Pennington

Philip S Hall

Roberta R Naujok

Thomas E Forester

Roger W Lange

Robert G Frey

Moses Mekala David

Michael S Wendland

Neal A Rakow

Neeraj Sharma

Jun-Ying Zhang

David C May

Thomas P Hedblom

Michael B Hintz

John E Trend

Kyung H Moh

Richard J Poirier

Dora M Paolucci

Kathleen A Hachey

Chris J Goodbrake

Myles L Brostrom

Aerogel, calcined articles, and crystalline articles comprising ZrO. Exemplary uses of the crystalline metal oxide articles include dental articles (e.g., restoratives, replacements, inlays, onlays, veneers, full and partial crowns, bridges, implants, implant abutments, copings, anterior fillings, posterior fillings, and cavity liner, and bridge frameworks) and orthodontic appliances (e.g., brackets, buccal tubes, cleats, and buttons).

Aerogels, calcined and crystalline articles and methods of making the same

Zirconia-based particles, sols containing the zirconia-based particles, methods of making the sols and the zirconia-based particles, composites containing the zirconia-based particles in an organic matrix, and sintered bodies prepared from the zirconia-based particles are described. The zirconia-based particles are crystalline, have a primary particles size no greater than 100 nanometers, and are doped with a lanthanide element or with both a lanthanide element and yttrium.

Zirconia-based particles doped with a lanthanide element

Sintered bodies containing zirconia-based ceramic materials and partially sintered bodies that are intermediates in the preparation of the sintered bodies are described. The zirconia-based ceramic material is doped with lanthanum and yttrium. The grain size of the zirconia-based ceramic material can be controlled by the addition of lanthanum. The crystalline phase of the zirconia-based ceramic material can be influenced by the addition of yttrium.

Zirconia-based material doped with yttrium and lanthanum

A sorbent media protective device includes an enclosure having a gas inlet, gas outlet and a thin-film multilayer indicator. The thin-film multilayer indicator is proximate sorbent media that can sorb a vapor of interest flowing from the gas inlet towards the gas outlet. The indicator includes a porous detection layer whose optical thickness changes in the presence of the vapor, located between a semireflective layer and a reflective layer permeable to the vapor. With equilibration at the applied vapor concentration between at least a portion of the media and the vapor, the vapor can pass through the reflective layer into the detection layer and change the detection layer optical thickness sufficiently to cause a visibly discernible change in the indicator appearance if viewed through the semireflective layer.

Organic vapor sorbent protective device with thin-film indicator

A method of making a ceramic retroreflective element having enhanced strength and increased retained reflectivity. The method of the present invention comprises forming retroreflective elements by the following steps:

Method of making retroreflective elements

All-ceramic retroreflective elements which may be used in pavement markings comprising an opacified ceramic core and ceramic optical elements partially embedded into the core.

Durable retroreflective elements

Electrically conductive sputtering target comprising yttria and amorphous carbon, a method of making the same, and a method of using the same.

Sputtering target

This invention provides a transparent aluminum magnesium oxynitride ceramic, wherein greater than 0.5 weight percent of the total ceramic composition is magnesium oxide. The ceramic article of the present invention is useful in applications where it is desirable to have a transparent ceramic including, for example, in orthodontic brackets, ferrules, and gas tight envelopes.

Transparent aluminum oxynitride-based ceramic article

This invention provides a transparent ceramic article comprising aluminum oxide and aluminum magnesium oxynitride. The ceramic article of the present invention is useful in applications where it is desirable to have an optically transparent ceramic including, for example, in orthodontic brackets, ferrules, and gas tight envelopes.

Transparent ceramic composite article comprising aluminum oxide and

The present invention provides a nearly fully dense, microcrystalline, composite ceramic abrasive particle comprising grains of alumina, gamma-aluminum oxynitride and, optionally, a Periodic Group IVB metal nitride in the system Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 /ALON/Group IVB metal nitride. In another aspect, two different processes for making an abrasive particle such as an abrasive grit, comprising a multiphase mixture of microcrystalline components in this system using sol gel techniques and pressureless reaction-sintering, are disclosed.

Aluminum oxide/aluminum oxynitride/group IVB metal nitride abrasive

A moldable composiion comprising a mixture of magnesia, alumina, and silicon carbide powders or agglomerates thereof, the powders having an overall average size of at most 5.0 micrometers, preferably an average size in the range of 0.2 to 2.0 micrometers, optionally a polymeric binder, optionally a fluxing agent, and optionally a plasticizer or lubricant which exhibits litle or no controlled dimensional stability upon being fired to a cordierite ceramic material in a novel process. The process involves incorporation of silicon carbide powder into the moldable composition and the reaction of this silicon carbide upon firing to produce silicon dioxide. The cordierite ceramic material is useful where the dimensions of a shaped or molded part must be preserved after firing, as, for example, in the preparation of dental articles or as a mold for casting metals.

Dimensionally-controlled ceramics

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Woodbury, MN, United States of America

James P Mathers