A compound made by copolymerizing a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) chain transfer agent, an acrylate salt, and a polyethylene glycol diacrylate. A compound made by copolymerizing a polyethylene glycol, a glycerol ethoxylate, and an aliphatic diisocyanate.

Components for articles of footwear and athletic equipment are provided including a foam. A variety of foams and foam components and compositions for forming the foams are provided. In some aspects, the foams and components including the foams can have exceptionally high energy return while also having improved durability and softness. In particular, midsoles including the foams are provided for use in an article of footwear. Methods of making the compositions and foams are provided, as well as methods of making an article of footwear including one of the foam components. In some aspects, the foams and foam components can be made by injection molding or injection molding followed by compression molding.

Two part sole structures are provided having a first foam component containing a polyolefin resin with a polyurethane resin component adhered to a surface of the first foam component. For example, in some aspects, a sole structure or a portion thereof is provided having a first sole component containing a foam composition and a second sole component adhered to a surface of the first sole component, where the second sole component includes a polyurethane resin. The second sole component is in some aspects printed or extruded onto the surface of the foam. In particular, midsoles including the foams and having an outsole component on the ground facing portion are provided for use in an article of footwear. Methods of making the sole structures are provided, as well as methods of making an article of footwear including one of the sole structures.

Provided are an inorganic substance powder-filled resin composition having uniform dispersibility of inorganic substance powder and providing stable mechanical properties after forming even when the inorganic substance powder is highly filled and a formed article using the inorganic substance powder-filled resin composition. Provided is an inorganic substance powder-filled resin composition including a thermoplastic resin and inorganic substance powder in a mass ratio of 50:50 to 10:90, in which a neutralized product of a polymer made of 50% by mole to 100% by mole of an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid and 0% by mole to 50% by mole of another monomer as constitutional units is added. A formed body is prepared using this inorganic substance powder-filled resin composition.

Provided is a cation exchange membrane having a stable ion exchange performance during usage, being excellent in basic properties such as membrane resistance and ion transportation as well as strength, and useful for electrodialysis and a method for producing the same. The cation exchange membrane is composed of a polyvinyl alcohol copolymer including an anionic group-containing anionic polymer segment and a vinyl alcohol polymer segment, and having a microphase separation structure having a domain size (X) in a range from 0 nm<X≦150 nm. The method is composed of forming a membrane from a polyvinyl alcohol copolymer which is adjusted to contain salts in a proportion that the salt weight (C) relative to the polyvinyl alcohol copolymer weight (P) is [(C)/(P)] of 4.5/95.5 or lower.

A chemical blowing agent is described that includes at least one tertiary alkyl carbamate. The chemical blowing agent can be activated thermally and is suitable for foaming thermoplastic materials and can, for example, be incorporated into thermally expandable baffle and/or reinforcement elements, which can be used in automotive manufacturing and building insulation.

A frequently-touched surface for use by multiple users includes a surface protected by a laminate structure. The laminate structure includes a self-sterilizing sulfonated polymeric outer layer, sulfonated to a certain % to kill at least 95% microbes within 30 minutes of contact. The self-sterilizing sulfonated polymer layer can be applied to the frequently touched surface by any of coating, lamination, and spraying. The sulfonated polymer in embodiment is selected from perfluorosulfonic acid polymers, polystyrene sulfonates, sulfonated block copolymers, sulfonated polyolefins, sulfonated polyimides, sulfonated polyamides, sulfonated polyesters, sulfonated polysulfones, sulfonated polyketones, sulfonated poly(arylene ether), and mixtures thereof. The sulfonated polymer has a degree of sulfonation of at least 10%.

A method for stirring resin pellets, which includes stirring adhesive resin pellets in a liquid in a stirring tank equipped with a stirring impeller, under the condition satisfying the following relational expression (I):

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}\frac{\rho .Math..Math.{\left({\mathrm{Np}}^{1/3}.Math.\mathrm{nD}\right)}^2}{\Delta .Math..Math.\mathrm{pgdp}}\geqq 10& \left(I\right)\end{array}$

wherein ρ is the density of the liquid (kg/m.sup.3), Np is the power number of the stirring impeller, n is the rotational speed (1/s), D is the diameter of the stirring impeller (m), Δρ is the difference in density between the resin pellets and the liquid (kg/m.sup.3), g is the gravitational acceleration (m/s.sup.2), and dp is the particle diameter of the resin pellets (m).

Provided herein are materials and methods of reducing contamination in a biological substance or treating contamination in a subject by one or more toxins comprising contacting the biological substance with an effective amount of a sorbent capable of sorbing the toxin, wherein the sorbent comprises a plurality of pores ranging from 50 Å to 40,000 Å with a pore volume of 0.5 cc/g to 5.0 cc/g and a size of 0.05 mm to 2 cm and sorbing the toxin. Also provided are kits to reduce contamination by one or more toxins in a biological substance comprising a sorbent capable of sorbing a toxin, wherein the sorbent comprises a plurality of pores ranging from 50 Å to 40,000 Å with a pore volume of 0.5 cc/g to 5.0 cc/g and a size of 0.05 mm to 2 cm and a vessel to store said sorbent when not in use together with packaging for same.

The present invention relates to novel degradable branched-blockcopolymers, comprising a star-shaped copolymer central core or a linear copolymer central core, functionalized with photoreactive groups chosen among aryl-azide, (meth)acrylate or thiol groups. The present invention also relates to the use of these degradable branched-block copolymers as photo-crosslinkers to provide degradable photo-crosslinked elastomers as biomaterials suitable for medical and tissue engineering applications. A method for preparing a degradable photo-crosslinked polymer, preferably a degradable photo-crosslinked elastomer, starting from the branched-block copolymer of the invention via a shaping process and an irradiation step is also provided.