Method of making fibrillose articles

A method of making a porous fibrillose body from a plurality of fibrils bonded together into a self-supporting structure comprising the steps of:

• a. preparing a substantially homogeneous pasty mixture comprising about 5% to about 45% by volume of fibrils and about 95% to about 55% by volume of a non-newtonian liquid vehicle comprising water and a sufficient amount of an insoluble organic hydrosorbent to thicken said vehicle to a viscosity of about 20 poise to about 1000 poise at 100 reciprocal seconds shear rate and to provide a said mixture which is capable of withstanding mixing shear energies of at least about 60 Joules/cm.sup.3 without separation of said water from said hydrosorbent;
• b. injecting said pasty mixture into a molding cavity of a die under a pressure of at least about 2000 psi so as to shape said mixture to a desired shape for said body;
• c. freezing said mixture in said molding cavity to form a self-supporting, frozen precursor of said body;
• d. ejecting said frozen precursor from said cavity;
• e. while still frozen, subjecting said frozen precursor to a sufficient vacuum for a sufficient time to freeze-dry said precursor, and temporarily bind said fibrils together by means of said hydrosorbent;
• and
• f. heating said precursor sufficiently to remove said hydrosorbent and to permanently bond said particles.