A composition for curable films, a curable film made thereof, and a cured product obtained by curing the curable film are disclosed. The curable film contains fused silica and/or hollow glass microspheres, a rubber composition containing at least one diene-based rubber, and a toluene soluble maleimide resin. The curable film is thin and has excellent processibilities. The cured product has desirable dielectric and thermomechanical characteristics that are suitable to be used as a dielectric material for printed circuit boards, especially for multilayer printed circuit boards and high-density interconnect printed circuit boards.

A rubber-reinforcing cord (12) of the present invention includes at least one strand. The strand includes at least one filament bundle and a coating provided to cover at least a portion of the surface of the filament bundle. The coating contains a polymer and cellulose nanofibers, and does not contain a resorcinol-formaldehyde condensate. The polymer contains at least one selected from a polyurethane and a rubber component. In the coating, the content of the cellulose nanofibers is 0.1 to 10 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymer. The proportion of the coating in the rubber-reinforcing cord is 18 vol % or more.

Provided are a rubber composition for producing a foam having a high expansion ratio, a high-expansion-ratio foam, a tire, an acoustic member, a sealing material, a hose, a belt, a wire covering, a thermal insulation material, an expansion ratio improver for rubber, a method for improving the expansion ratio of a foam, and a method for producing a high-expansion-ratio foam. A rubber composition for producing a foam having a high expansion ratio, comprising the following components (a), (b), (c), and (d): (a) a rubber component; (b) a chemical foaming agent; (c) a compound represented by the following formula (1) or a salt thereof; and (d) at least one member selected from the group consisting of vulcanizing agents and crosslinking agents:

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wherein R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, or an aralkyl group; R.sup.2, R.sup.3, and R.sup.4 are the same or different and each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aralkyl group, or an aryl group; and each of these groups optionally further has one or more substituents.

The present invention relates to a masterbatch to for use in a process of preparing a composite material, the masterbatch comprising a blend of a first amorphous polymer with carbon nanotubes, and at least 5% by weight of carbon nanotubes based on the total weight of the masterbatch, preferably from 5% to 15%, wherein the masterbatch exhibit a high load melt flow index HLMI1 of less than 40 g/10 min determined at 200 C. under a load of 21.6 kg according to ISO1133 and the first amorphous polymer has a melt flow index MFI1 of at least 10 g/10 min determined at 200 C. under a load of 5 kg according to ISO1133H. The invention also relates to the process for preparing such masterbatch and to process of preparing a composite material using said masterbatch.

Provided is a rubber composition for tire treads containing a diene rubber, from 1 to 20 parts by weight of a silica containing millable silicone rubber compound, and from 0.2 to 20 parts by weight of thermally expandable microcapsules, per 100 parts by weight of the diene rubber. A rubber hardness of the millable silicone rubber compound is from 10 to 50.

A method for producing a synthetic rubber, the method including: an emulsification step of continuously feeding a solution or a dispersion of a synthetic rubber obtained by dissolving or dispersing the synthetic rubber in an organic solvent and an aqueous solution of an emulsifier to a mixer and mixing to continuously obtain an emulsion; a first removal step of removing the organic solvent from the emulsion continuously obtained in the emulsification step in a container while the emulsion is continuously transferred to the container regulated to a pressure condition of 700 to 760 mmHg; and a second removal step of removing the organic solvent from the emulsion that has undergone the first removal step under a pressure of less than 700 mmHg.

A sealing compound comprising an inventive extended sealing gel, a process for producing this sealing compound, the use of sealing gels in sealing compounds, and the use of sealing gel-containing sealing compounds in tyres

According to the process for preparing a vulcanized rubber composition of the invention comprising (a) a step of preparing a master batch comprising a modified conjugated diene polymer and silica, (b) a step of preparing a master batch comprising an isoprene rubber and silica, (c) a step of kneading the master batch obtained in (a) and the master batch obtained in (b), and (d) a step of vulcanizing a kneaded product obtained in (c), wherein the obtained vulcanized rubber composition comprises a phase A comprising a modified conjugated diene polymer and a phase B comprising an isoprene rubber, which are incompatible with each other, an abundance ratio of silica in the phase A satisfies 0.50.9 (Relation 1), and a proportion of the modified conjugated diene polymer satisfies 0.40.8 (Relation 2) it is possible to improve performance on ice and abrasion resistance and to provide a vulcanized rubber composition having excellent performance on ice and abrasion resistance, and a studless tire with a tread made using the same.

The invention relates to an alkoxysilane polysulfide, of formula (I):

(R.sup.3O).sub.3-n(R.sup.1).sub.nSiCH.sub.2(R.sup.2)CHZS.sub.xZHC(R.sup.2)CH.sub.2Si(R.sup.1).sub.n(OR.sup.3).sub.3-n(I),

in which: R.sup.1, which are identical or different, each represent a monovalent hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms; R.sup.2, which are identical or different, each represent a monovalent hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R.sup.3, which are identical or different, each represent a monovalent hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 6 carbon atoms; Z, which are identical or different, each represent a divalent hydrocarbon bonding group comprising from 1 to 16 carbon atoms; x is an integral or fractional number greater than or equal to 2; and n is an integer equal to 0, 1 or 2.

Expanded rubber articles and processes for making such, comprising: partially curing an expandable rubber formulation by heating it in a first mould cavity to form a moulded blank; releasing the moulded blank from the first mould cavity and allowing the moulded blank to expand to form an expanded moulded blank; and further curing and expanding the expanded moulded blank by heating it to form the expanded rubber article comprising an expanded rubber part, wherein the expanded moulded blank is heated in a second mould cavity. Optionally, the expanded moulded blank is contacted with a further rubber formulation and a substrate comprising a base material and an elastomer bonding layer in the second mould cavity to form an expanded rubber article additionally comprising a solid rubber part and a substrate.