A method of reducing foamed density that results in a foamed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) component exhibiting reduced density. The foamed PVC component contains at least a PVC resin and a process aid blend. The process aid blend contains from 1 weight % to 60 weight % (based on the weight of the blend) of a functionalized process aid, and from 99 weight % to 40 weight % (based on the weight of the blend) of a non-functionalized process aid. The functionalized process aid includes at least one base polymer functionalized with a reactive epoxy, hydroxyl, β-keto ester, β-keto amide, or carboxylic acid functional group. The foamed PVC component containing the process aid blend has a lower density than a reference foamed PVC component made using the same process conditions and additives, but which contains only non-functionalized process aid and not the functionalized process aid.

Provided is a prepreg containing a urethane (meth)acrylate (A), an ethylenically unsaturated monomer (B), a polymerization initiator (C), and reinforcement fibers (D), characterized in that the urethane (meth)acrylate (A) is a reaction product of a polyisocyanate (a1) and a polyol (a2) having an ethylenically unsaturated group and an aromatic skeleton, and/or a reaction product of a polyisocyanate (a1), a polyol (a3) not having an ethylenically unsaturated group but having an aromatic skeleton, and a hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate (a4), and that the ethylenically unsaturated monomer (B) has a molecular weight of 320 or more and a weight reduction rate (%) of less than 2 when heated under atmospheric pressure at 150° C. for 3 minutes. The prepreg has excellent moldability and enables to produce a molded article having excellent physical properties such as flexural strength and interlaminar shear strength, and therefore the prepreg can be suitably used in automobile components and the like.

A method is provided for treating the surface of a molded part produced with a plastic having ester, ketone and/or ether bonds. The plastic is selected from the group including a polymer, copolymer, polymer blend and combinations of the same. The method includes a pretreatment step for cationically modifying the surface of the molded part. The cationic modification is carried out with a reactant dissolved in a solvent and having one or more amine, imine and/or amide groups.

A method of preparing a superabsorbent polymer, which enables the preparation of the superabsorbent polymer exhibiting an improved absorption rate while maintaining excellent absorption performances is provided. The method of preparing the superabsorbent polymer includes carrying out a crosslinking polymerization of a water-soluble ethylene-based unsaturated monomer having acidic groups which are at least partially neutralized, in the presence of an internal crosslinking agent having a predetermined chemical structure to form a water-containing gel polymer, gel-pulverizing the water-containing gel polymer, drying, pulverizing, and size-sorting the gel-pulverized water-containing gel polymer to form a base polymer powder, and carrying out a surface crosslinking of the base polymer powder by a heat treatment in the presence of a surface crosslinking agent, wherein the gel-pulverizing is carried out by extruding the water-containing gel polymer through a porous plate having a plurality of holes using a screw extruder mounted inside a cylindrical pulverizer under a condition that a chopping index is 28 (/s) or more.

An aqueous polymer dispersion is based on alkyl (meth)acrylates having long side chains. The aqueous polymer dispersion also contains at least one cosolvent and an emulsifier system containing at least two emulsifiers from the group of sulfosuccinates.

A gas barrier film formed of a cured product of a mixture including a polycarboxylic acid, a polyamine compound, and a polyvalent metal compound, in which in an infrared absorption spectrum of the gas barrier film, an area ratio of an amide bond represented by B/A is equal to or less than 0.380, an area ratio of a carboxylic acid represented by C/A is equal to or less than 0.150, and an area ratio of carboxylate represented by D/A is equal to or more than 0.520.

A first composition is disclosed that includes a fire-resistant thermoplastic resin. The fire-resistant thermoplastic resin includes 1-20 wt % of an aryl phosphate, includes 1-20 wt % of a phosphate polymer, and 60%-98% of a (meth)acrylic polymer, including units from at least one monomer, wherein the monomer is chosen from methyl methacrylate, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid esters, methacrylic acid esters, acrylonitrile and maleic anhydride. The first composition may further include a fabric or a composite material that is embedded with the fire-resistant thermoplastic resin. In some instances, the aryl-phosphate and the phosphonate polymer synergistically reduce an effective heat of combustion, a peak heat release, or a flame time as compared to a second composition that contains only one of the aryl phosphate or the phosphonate polymer.

Curable adhesive compositions are provided that can be cured using ultraviolet or visible light radiation. These curable adhesive compositions, which contain a curable (meth)acrylate copolymer, have a creep compliance that is less than 5(10.sup.−4) inverse Pascals at 25° C., a creep compliance that is greater than 1(10.sup.−3) inverse Pascals at 70° C., and a shear storage modulus greater than 40 kiloPascals when measured at 25° C. at a frequency of 1 radian/second.

A methacrylic resin having a cyclic structure in a main chain thereof, a shaped article, and an optical component or automotive part, in which the glass transition temperature is higher than 120° C. and 160° C. or lower, and the sign of the orientational birefringence when being oriented so as to have a degree of orientation of 0.03 is different from the sign of the orientational birefringence when being oriented so as to have a degree of orientation of 0.08.

Described herein are superabsorbent polymers that are made of copolymers of multiple charged monomers, where the charged moieties of different charged monomers have different distances from copolymer backbones. The copolymer-based superabsorbent polymers have significantly improved absorbency under load. The compositions and methods described herein are useful in a variety of absorbent products.