The invention concerns an article comprising layers of polylactic acid and a process of making the same. A layer is of foamed polylactic acid. A layer preferably comprises an impact modifier. The article can be used in the field of packaging.

An apparel textile yarn includes a polyamide. The polyamide includes a nylon and a polyetheramine. The polyetheramine has a molecular weight of at least 1500 and an Amine Hydrogen Equivalent Weight (AHEW) of less than 10 percent higher than the idealized AHEW for the polyetheramine. The polyamide may have a moisture regain ranging from about 10% to about 30%.

Provided are a polyester white film and a back sheet for a solar cell module using the same, and in particular, provided is a polyester white film having improved light reflectance.

A method for control of a plastic filament extruder includes the steps of providing a plastic filament extruder; introducing a quantity of plastic chips to the extruder; activating a heater to heat a mold body of the extruder to a target temperature; activating an electric motor in response to the mold body reaching the target temperature, thereby causing an auger to drive plastic chips the mold body and out of an extrudate sizing die; monitoring the electric current draw of the electric motor; and upwardly adjusting the target temperature of the mold body in response to a threshold increase in the electric current draw of the electric motor. Steps may also include maintaining the mold body within a temperature range about the target temperature and of deactivating the electric motor in response to the target temperature exceeding a threshold deviation above the temperature of the mold body.

The present invention is a strip of a thermoplastic elastomer composition to be wound spirally on a cylindrical drum to form an inner liner for a tire. The strip is composed of a layer stack of a first layer made of a thermoplastic elastomer composition containing 0.1 part by mass to 50 parts by mass of an organic derivative of clay mineral relative to 100 parts by mass of a styrene-isobutylene-styrene triblock copolymer, and a second layer made of a thermoplastic elastomer composition containing at least one of a styrene-isoprene-styrene triblock copolymer and a styrene-isobutylene diblock copolymer. The strip has a strip main body with a thickness of 0.05 mm to 1.0 mm and ear portions with a thickness thinner than the thickness of the strip main body and a width of 0.5 mm to 5.0 mm disposed on opposite sides thereof.

The present invention provides a process for extruding and pelletising a propylene copolymer. The copolymer has a content of comonomer from 5 to 40% by mole, a melt flow rate MFR.sub.2 measured at 230° C. under a load of 2.16 kg of from 0.5 to 15 g/10 min and a content of cold xylene soluble material of from 20 to 60% by weight. The process comprises extruding the propylene copolymer through a die plate into an underwater pelletiser and cutting strands of the propylene copolymer into pellets in the underwater pelletiser, wherein the ratio of the mass flow rate of the propylene copolymer to the mass flow rate of the cooling water is from 0.020 to 0.060; and the propylene copolymer comprises a polymeric nucleating agent.

A method for producing a hollow fiber pre-product for a dialysis membrane is disclosed. The dialysis membrane includes a distribution of the pore sizes which follows an exponential function such as an e-function. The inverse value of the exponential coefficient (K) is at least 30 nm.sup.2. The dialysis membrane includes at least 50 pores per μm.sup.2 and the share of a free flow area at a surface of the dialysis membrane amounts to at least 2.5%.

Aspects of articulating devices and methods are disclosed. An exemplary articulating device may comprise an interior core with a reinforcing extending along a central axis, an exterior layer bonded to the interior core by an interface, and a lumen extending through the exterior layer, exterior of the reinforcing element, and parallel to the central axis. A steering wire may be moveable in the lumen to articulate a distal end of the device relative to the central axis in response to a force applied to the steering wire. Related methods of manufacturing an articulating device are also described.

Example methods and articles of manufacture related to electrospun aramid nanofibers are provided. One example method may include forming a resultant solution by reacting a solution of aramids dissolved in a solvent with an electrophile. In this regard, the electrophile may perform a side chain substitution on the dissolved aramids. The example method may further include electrospinning the resultant solution to form an aramid nanofiber.

The invention relates to polycarbonates with extremely low residual levels of volatile constituents and thermal degradation products, and also improved optical properties, especially Yellowness Index (YI) and good thermal stability, from solvent-containing polymer melts. The invention further relates to an apparatus and a process for preparing these polycarbonates with the aid of a devolatilizing extruder with at least three devolatilizing zones, and zones for introducing entraining agent into dispersion are present upstream of at least three devolatilizing zones.