Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Energy

Saginaw Valley State University

Piotr Tomasik

Christopher H Schilling

Gerald J Small

Ryszard J Jankowiak

David S Karpovich

Chris Schilling

Marek Sikora

A method for producing biodegradable plastic from natural materials containing polysaccharides by treating the polysaccharide-containing materials with a basic aqueous solution, subsequently treating the mixture with a modifying material that converts pendant hydroxyl groups at any carbon atom of the anhydroglucose units of the saccharide to create polysaccharide carboxylate, and then reacting the product with proteins to produce a biodegradable copolymer with electrostatic chemical bonds between protein and polysaccharide carboxylate molecules. The process provides relatively inexpensive methods for preparing biodegradable plastics that are useful for manufacturing various articles.

Biodegradable plastics

A ceramic composition having at least one nanometric ceramic powder, at least one lower saccharide, and water. The composition is useful in many industrial applications, including preparation of stronger and substantially defect-free green and sintered ceramic bodies.

Lower saccharide nanometric materials and methods

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for ceramic analysis, in particular, a method for analyzing density, density gradients and/or microcracks, including an apparatus with optical instrumentation for analysis of density, density gradients and/or microcracks in ceramics. The method provides analyzing density of a ceramic comprising exciting a component on a surface/subsurface of the ceramic by exposing the material to excitation energy. The method may further include the step of obtaining a measurement of an emitted energy from the component. The method may additionally include comparing the measurement of the emitted energy from the component with a predetermined reference measurement so as to obtain a density for said ceramic.

Method and apparatus for ceramic analysis

Growing community of inventors

Cracow, Poland

Piotr Tomasik