University of California

Atlantic Richfield Company

Other

Pfizer Corporation

Ppg Industries, Inc.

Ensci Inc.

John D MacKenzie

Tetsuro Horiuchi

Edward J A Pope

Joseph J Hammel

Edward J Pope

Thomas J Clough

Yuhuan Xu

Kuo-Chun Chen

James M Goodwin

Haixing Zheng

Bruce E Rosen

Ren Xu

Jacques J Vidal

Edward T Wu

Nikhil C Trivedi

A process for making a porous ceramic composite with a bimodal pore size distribution includes the steps of mixing an organosilicon precursor, an alcohol, water, a catalyst, granules, particles, whiskers or powders of a fumed silica and granules, particles, whiskers or powders of a ceramic material and a combustible material having a diameter in a range of 500 angstroms to 500 microns to form a mixture, pouring the mixture into a mold, allowing the mixture to gel form a ceramic composite and drying the ceramic composite. The process also includes the step of heating the ceramic composite in either air or oxygen to burn away the combustible material. The organosilicon precursor is selected from a group consisting of tetramethoxysilane, tetraethoxysilane, tetrapropoxysilane and tetrabutoxysilane. The alcohol is selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, propanol and butanol.

Process for making porous ceramic composites with a bimodal pore size distribution

Amorphous ferroelectric materials are formed by a sol-gel type process and the ferroelectric properties stabilized by complete hydrolysis and polycondensation, and extraction of residual organic materials, preferably by heating at temperatures below the temperature at which crystallization may occur. Stable solutions of metal alkoxides are prepared by reacting or dissolving a metal alkoxide in alcohol such as absolute ethanol. The solution may be spincast on essentially any substrate, conductor or nonconductor, crystalline or amorphous, transparent or opaque, and even including plastics. Hydrolysis and polycondensation occur in situ to deposit an amorphous ferroelectric film. Residual alcohol is extracted by heating below the temperature at which crystallization occurs. Such films show P-E hysteresis loops and pyroelectric current. Such ferroelectric thin films are useable in electronic, opto-electronic and optical devices.

Method for forming amorphous ferroelectric materials

Diamond-containing ceramic composites useful as substrates and the like in the electronics industry as well as for abrasive and cutting applications and methods of making same are disclosed. More specifically, the sol-gel process is used to fabricate the composites by combining water, an organometallic precursor compound, alcohol or similar solvent between the water and the precursor compound, a catalyst, diamond powder and a thickening agent to form a moldable, wet, porous gel which can be dried at a temperature below the boiling point of any of the gel liquids to form a stabilized porous composite. The stabilized porous composite can be densified, by heat, in an essentially oxygen-free atmosphere to form a diamond-containing ceramic composite having low porosity.

Diamond-containing ceramic composites and methods of making same

A method is provided for preparing piezoelectric fibers by concentrating a solution containing at least two metal alkoxides, a carboxylic acid and lead alkanoate to form a viscous liquid. The viscous liquid is drawn into amorphous fibers and the fibers are calcined and sintered to form the crystalline piezoelectric fibers.

Method for making piezoelectric ceramic fibers

An associative data processor including a spin glass type amorphous magnetic film has input areas, output areas, and 'hidden' or associative areas. A coil provides selective magnetic biasing, and lasers provide selective digital input to the input and output areas, which are intercoupled by the associative areas. Following input of a number of digital patterns to the processor, and 'learning' by heating the associative areas, an incomplete input pattern may be applied, and the complete pattern read by sensing the polarization of reflected polarized light from the output areas.

Spin glass type associative processor system

A continuous, monofilamentous, alkali-resistant glass fiber especially useful in cementitious products is conveniently prepared from a glass-forming composition comprising a magnesium silicate such as talc and a calcium carbonate such as limestone. Either the fiber itself or a strand comprising a plurality of the fiber is advantageously coated with an alkali-resistant polymer such as butadiene-styrene to provide additional alkali resistance.

Alkali-resistant glass fiber

The invention relates to glasses formed from modified naturally occurring zeolites and in particular to alkaline-resistant glasses containing a high calcia loading.

Alkaline-resistant glass bodies and fibers

A glass composition is disclosed which is formed from a mixture comprising one or a plurality of natural mineral zeolites and having a melting point in the range of from about 1000.degree. to about 1500.degree. C. The glass compositions of this invention can be formed into various glass articles, including flat glass, glass containers, glass fiber and glass foam.

Glass composition, its method of formation and products made therefrom

A process is described for the formation of hollow glassy generally spherical particles ('microspheres') from natural mineral zeolites. A zeolite (or a mixture of zeolites) is rapidly heated to a temperature above its liquidus temperature to melt its surfaces, vaporize its combined water and cause it to expand to form the microspheres. The microspheres have diameters in the range of 1 to 500 millimeters and densities of about 0.1 to 2.0 g/cm.sup.3. They are useful as fillers and extenders in many materials such as plastics, and, because of their resistance to alkaline attack, are especially useful as fillers in cementitious materials.

Hollow spheres produced from natural zeolites

The rate of melting glass batch to a liquid state is improved by providing sloped surfaces on the batch to enhance run-off of liquid. The slopes are provided by feeding batch as toroidally shaped aggregates.

Glass melting enhancement by toroidal batch shaping

An improved method of making glass products is provided which comprises mixing particulate used-container glass with a selected treating agent to form a unique glass mix. The used-container glass has a preselected approximate concentration range of foreign inclusions and an average reflectance of about 5% to about 95%. The mix is heated to a temperature and pressure above the sintering and softening point of the glass but below its melting point and within a range sufficient to activate the treating agent to either foam or fill the glass. In the latter case, increased pressure is applied to form the glass into a hard pressed product, such as a tile, appearance. In the former case, foamed glass of distinctive appearance is produced. The used-container glass includes a plurality of particles of various colors, and the pressed product may have oxide pigments embedded in the surfaces thereof. The treating agent can be dolomite or other suitable treating agent.

Method of making glass products, novel glass mix and novel glass product

Solid animal excreta, such as solid livestock excreta, solid human excreta and solid poultry excreta, is converted to useful products by particulating the excreta and heat treating it in a closed heating zone at about 200.degree.C to about 1000.degree.C for a time sufficient to volatilize a portion thereof and provide the solid residue with a carbon content of about 1% to about 80 weight percent. The volatilized portion can be withdrawn from the heating zone and separately recovered by condensing the condensibles. This consists of an aqueous and a non-aqueous portion. The non-aqueous portion of the condensate is oleaginous in the form of an oil, grease or wax containing nitrogenous substances and is useful for a variety of purposes. The aqueous portion is rich in nitrogen and is useful as a fertilizer. The solid particulate residue can be employed as a foaming agent or filler for glass products and as a coloring agent or pigment in inks, paints and rubber products.

Growing community of inventors

Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

John D MacKenzie