Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a substrate etching system and process. A method may include generating a first solution comprising a first polymer resin and a second polymer resin, receiving a second solution comprising the first polymer resin and a third solution comprising the second polymer resin, assessing a viscosity of the first solution, and adjusting the viscosity using the second solution and the third solution according to a downstream viscosity range.

The invention refers to a method for producing expanded polymer pellets, which comprises the following steps: melting a polymer comprising a polyamide; adding at least one blowing agent; expanding the melt through at least one die for producing an expanded polymer; and pelletizing the expanded polymer. The invention further concerns polymer pellets produced with the method as well as their use, e.g. for the production of cushioning elements for sports apparel, such as for producing soles or parts of soles of sports shoes. A further aspect of the invention concerns a method for the manufacture of molded components, comprising loading pellets of an expanded polymer material into a mold, and connecting the pellets by providing heat energy, wherein the expanded polymer material of the pellets or beads comprises a chain extender. The molded components may be used in broad ranges of application.

Disclosed is a graft copolymer comprising an arylene-ether oligomer group having at least one polyolefin moiety bound thereto, wherein the arylene-ether oligomer has a number average molecular weight of less than 5,000 g/mole and the polyolefin has Mw of less than 10,000 g/mole. Also disclosed is a method to prepare a graft copolymer comprising reacting a neat or diluted arylene-ether oligomer with a vinyl or vinylidene-terminated polyolefin at a temperature of at least 80 or 100 or 120 C. to form heated reaction components; further reacting a Brnsted acid or Lewis acid with the heated reaction components to form a polyolefin-arylene-ether oligomer.

The present invention provides packages comprising an inner surface comprising polyalkylene ether modified polyolefin. In some embodiments, the polyalkylene ether modified polyolefin is the reaction product of an amine-terminated polyalkylene ether and a maleated polyolefin.

An optical compensation film with unique retardation including a compatible blend of a positive birefringent (C+) component, a negative birefringent (C?) component and a compatibilizing component may be prepared as follows: a block copolymer is prepared containing one of the birefringent materials, for example a negative birefringent material, and a less birefringent component. The copolymer is then blended with the second birefringent material, for example a positive birefringent material to form a compatible blend, even though the two birefringent materials are not compatible. The less birefringent component of the copolymer does not have to be compatible with the birefringent component in the copolymer. These films display unique retardation properties and can be used to improve the performance of optical devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, in-plane switching mode LCDs (IPS-LCD), 3D glasses, optical switches, and waveguides where controlled light management is desirable.

Provided herein is a thermoplastic elastomer hydrogel and methods of making such. The hydrogel comprises a glass formed from poly(styrene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) in which the coronal chain end has been functionalized with photodimerizable groups (AB-photo) and a liquid medium at a concentration between about 32:1 and about 2:1 liquid medium/AB-photo by weight. The hydrogel has a fatigue resistance to at least 500,000 compression cycles.

Methods of making a graphitic carbon-carbon composite from thermosetting polymer resin include (a) infusing bis-Schiff base resin into a carbon fiber reinforcement to form an uncured resin embedded composite, (b) positioning the uncured resin embedded composite on a substrate under a vacuum enclosure, (c) curing the bis-Schiff base resin at a first elevated temperature under vacuum to form a polymer matrix composite, (d) heating the polymer matrix composite at a second elevated temperature under inert atmosphere to form a porous carbon-carbon composite, (e) re-infusing bis-Schiff base resin into the porous carbon-carbon composite and curing under vacuum at a third elevated temperature to generate a reinfused porous carbon-carbon composite, and (f) heating the reinfused porous carbon-carbon composite at a fourth elevated temperature under inert gas to form the graphitic carbon-carbon composite. Further, the second elevated temperature and/or at least one instance of the fourth elevated temperature is greater than 1800? C.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a polymer electrolyte material which has excellent proton conductivity even under the conditions of a low humidity or a low temperature and is excellent in mechanical strength and fuel barrier properties, and which moreover can achieve high output, high energy density and long-term durability in forming a polymer electrolyte fuel cell therefrom, and a polymer electrolyte form article using the same and a method for producing the same, a membrane electrode assembly and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, each using the same. The present invention employs the following means. Namely, the polymer electrolyte material of the present invention is a polymer electrolyte material including a constituent unit (A1) containing an ionic group and a constituent unit (A2) substantially not containing an ionic group, wherein a phase separation structure is observed by a transmission electron microscope and a crystallization heat measured by differential scanning calorimetry is 0.1 J/g or more, or a phase separation structure is observed by a transmission electron microscope and the degree of crystallinity measured by wide angle X-ray diffraction is 0.5% or more. Also, the polymer electrolyte form article, the membrane electrode assembly and the polymer electrolyte fuel cell of the present invention are characterized by being composed of such polymer electrolyte materials.

A novel mussel-inspired injectable hydrogel with self-healing and anti-biofouling capabilities is developed, possessing great potential as drug delivery carrier. The hydrogel can heal autonomously from repeated structural damage and also effectively prevent nonspecific cell attachment and biofilm formation.

A thermoplastic composition including a mixture of three particular and different polyolefins, including one of a polyamide-grafted polyolefin having particular polyamide grafts (type and quantity), for example, a polyamide-grafted polymer having a polyolefin trunk containing a residue of at least one unsaturated monomer and a plurality of polyamide grafts. Also, a thermoplastic film and, more specifically, a film for encapsulating a photovoltaic module incorporating the polyamide-grafted polyolefin composition.