Several embodiments disclosed herein pertain to polymer compositions with optical enhancing agents. In some embodiments, the compositions are provided as polymer (layers including medical films), devices, or parts of devices. Some embodiments provide methods of making such compositions and articles of manufacture comprising them, as well as methods of using polymer compositions or the articles made therefrom. In several embodiments, the polymer formulation includes a base polymer and an optical enhancing additive. In some embodiments, surprisingly, the optical enhancing additive confers upon the polymer film improved stability, including thermal stability.

A curable green epoxy resin composition is described. More particularly, the curable green epoxy resin composition includes a biobinder isolated from bio-oil produced from animal waste, such as from swine manure. The biobinder can act as a curing agent for an epoxy resin component in the resin composition. Cured green epoxy resins, prepregs containing the curable green epoxy resin, and related composite materials are described. In addition, methods of preparing the curable green epoxy resin composition and of curing the curable green epoxy resin.

The rubber-plastic composite foamed material of the present invention is made by mixing and foaming a plurality of components including 100 parts by weight of rubber, 5-70 parts by weight of hollow glass microspheres, 1-50 parts by weight of carbon black, 5-50 parts by weight of soften oil, 1-50 parts by weight of sulfur ointment, 0.5-10 parts by weight of antioxidant, 0.5-15 parts by weight of crosslinking agent and 2-12 parts by weight of foaming agent. By including hollow glass microspheres into the composition, the rubber-plastic composite foamed material of the present invention exhibits better compression resistance and heat retention.

The present invention relates to a polymer composition comprising at least one block copolymer and a specific amount of at least one oil component. The block copolymer, which is the polymeric matrix of the inventive composition, is built up from at least one vinyl aromatic monomer M.sub.A and at least one conjugated diene monomer M.sub.B, in particular the block copolymer is a styrene butadiene block copolymer (SBC).

A thermally expandable rubber composition, including a) at least one solid rubber A from the group made of styrene-butadiene rubber, cis-1,4-polybutadiene, synthetic isoprene rubber, natural rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM), nitrile rubber, butyl rubber and acrylic rubber; b) processing oil PO, comprising at least one Treated Distillate Aromatic Extract (TDAE); c) at least one vulcanization system VS; d) at least one filler G; e) at least one blowing agent BA selected from the list of bicarbonate, polycarboxylic acids and salts of polycarboxylic acids. The thermally expandable rubber composition provides good adhesion on metal substrates after curing at curing-temperatures around 160° C.

A process is provided for making a silica masterbatch, that contains silica and solution-made rubber. The silica masterbatch has physical properties similar to those found in a comparable dry-mixed composition, but the silica masterbatch can be incorporated more easily and less expensively into tires and other rubber products than the dry-mixed composition. A process is also provided for making a masterbatch of silica, a solution-made rubber and an emulsion-made rubber.

A thermoplastic elastomer composition including (A) ethylene rubber by 10 to 90 wt %, and (B) propylene polymer by 10 to 90 wt %, where a total amount of the thermoplastic elastomer composition is 100 wt %, is provided. A pressed sheet obtained by press-molding the thermoplastic elastomer composition under molding conditions has a sink-in temperature of 115° C. or higher. The sink-in temperature is measured based on JIS K7196-1991 as a temperature measured when a pressure load sinks in from a sheet surface by 100 μm. The molding conditions are such that the thermoplastic elastomer composition is hot press molded at a temperature of 200° C. with a maximum pressure of 10 MPa for 5 min, and thereafter cold press molded at a temperature of 23° C. with a maximum pressure of 10 MPa for 5 min, so as to prepare the pressed sheet.

Polymer compositions comprising styrene butadiene block-copolymers (SBC) can be used for shrink-wrap films, a stiff star-shaped SBC block copolymer A having two short branches of a single copolymer block (B/S).sub.Ai and two long branches of the structure S.sub.t-[(B/S).sub.A].sub.n-(B/S).sub.Ai or [(B/S).sub.A].sub.n-(B/S).sub.Ai are used in said polymer composition, and the production of shrink-wrap films and of multilayer films is described.

This invention relates to eco-friendly dip formable solutions and dispersions for making dip formed articles. Some embodiments of the invention include coatable, dip formable, or emulsifiable solution composition comprising one or more styrenic block copolymers in cyclic natural terpenes, such as citrus peel extract which can be used to form an article. In some embodiments dip formable solutions and dispersions comprise of styrenated block copolymers and polyolefins. In some embodiments the styrenated block copolymers are saturated, unsaturated, or a blend. In some embodiments, the styrenated block copolymers comprises an oil or a plasticizer. In some embodiments the articles are made from an emulsion. In some embodiments the articles are made from a plastisol.

The present invention relates to processes for making compatibilized high aspect ratio barrier additives and polymer compositions that comprise compatibilized high aspect ratio barrier additives. The invention also relates to compositions produced by these processes, and articles formed from polymer compositions of this invention. The barrier additives provide passive barriers to gas molecules such as oxygen and carbon dioxide minimizing transit of such molecules through sidewalls of polymer articles containing the barrier additives.