Patent ID: 7135288

Claim:
A method of preparing a test article having an array of inorganic compositions comprising the steps of: a. casting a substrate slurry in a mold of a selected shape, said substrate slurry containing at least an inorganic powder, a solvent, and a polymerizable monomer; b. polymerizing said monomer so that said substrate slurry forms a hydrogel; c. drying said hydrogel to form a substantially solid ceramic green substrate; d. machining a plurality of cavities into at least one surface of said green substrate; e. rehydrating said green substrate by reintroducing said solvent; f. depositing test slurries into at least two of said cavities, each of said test slurries comprising at least a powder, a solvent, and a polymerizable monomer, at least two of said test slurries differing from said substrate slurry in at least one compositional characteristic, said at least two test slurries differing from each other in at least one compositional characteristic; and g. polymerizing said monomer in said test slurries in said cavities to form a plurality of test materials in said cavities, at least two of said plurality of test materials differing from said substrate in at least one compositional characteristic, at least two of said plurality of test materials differing from each other in at least one compositional characteristic.