A method of producing a methacrylate block copolymer includes operations of (a) preparing a polymer solution comprising a methacrylate polymer block by polymerizing a methacrylate monomer using a polymerization initiator and a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent in the presence of water or an organic solvent; (b) preparing a polymer solution comprising an acrylate polymer block-containing methacrylate diblock copolymer by adding an acrylate monomer and a styrene monomer to the polymer solution prepared in operation (a); (c) preparing a polymer solution comprising a methacrylate polymer block-containing methacrylate triblock copolymer by adding a methacrylate monomer to the polymer solution prepared in operation (b); and (d) collecting a polymer prepared after operations (b) and (c) and removing the RAFT agent present at a terminal of the polymer by using an amine-based organic material.

Disclosed herein are hydrogel precursor solutions, hydrogels, and methods of preparation and uses of the same. The hydrogels may be gelled at room temperature, in the absence of added light or heat, to yield ultra-strong hydrogel fibers suitable for load-bearing applications, or as adhesives or coatings. The hydrogels may include a polymerized polymer containing acrylic acid, additional acrylic acid, an organic acid such as citric acid, and an oxidizing agent such as a persulfate salt. Silver-lignin nanoparticle suspensions may be used to initiate a free radical oxidative decarboxylation reaction in the disclosed compositions. Hydrogels may be prepared from such compositions through incubation leading to gelling. The gelled hydrogels may be stretched or spun into hydrogel fibers having desirable mechanical properties, such as strength, stretchability, and adhesion.

Flame retardant mixtures and the production and use thereof

The invention relates to a flame retardant mixture comprising 99.9999% to 87% by weight of diorganylphosphinic salts as component A) and 0.0001% to 13% by weight of iron as component B), where the sum total of A) and B) is 100% by weight; and to processes for preparation thereof and to the use thereof.

The present invention relates to a novel thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer, T-frames made thereof as well as the use of the new TPU in manufacturing of T-frames for intrauterine systems for contraception and therapy.

A resin composition containing carbon nanotubes as a component (A), an olefin based polymer that satisfies the following conditions (1) to (3) as a component (B), and a thermoplastic resin as a component (C), in which the blended amount of the component (A) is from 15 to 40% by mass with respect to 100% by mass of the total amount of the components (A) to (C), and the blended amount of the component (B) is from 0.5 to 2 times the blended amount of the component (A): (1) a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of from 35,000 to 150,000, (2) a molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn) of 3 or less, and (3) a softening point of from 80 to 130 C.

The present application provides an aqueous emulsion polymer free of ethyl acrylate comprising (a) monomers (i) methyl acrylate, (ii) butyl acrylate and (iii) methacrylic acid; (b) crosslinker and (c) at least one surfactant. The present invention also provides the use of such emulsion polymers along with acid, cationic polymer, oil and other additives as low pH rheology modifiers and suspending aids for surfactant based micelle technology, emulsions and complex fluids in personal care, home care and industrial applications.

Disclosed herein are hydrophobic vinylamine-containing polymers useful as papermaking performance additives for enhancing paper softness with little or no negative effect on paper dry strength properties. The hydrophobic vinylamine-containing polymers are produced by incorporating hydrophobic functional property into primary amine moiety of the vinylamine-containing polymers via reactions with reactive hydrophobes. The hydrophobically modified vinylamine-containing polymers can be further used as base polymers for polymerization with a vinyl monomer by free radical initiated polymerization. The compositions of those hydrophobic vinylamine-containing polymers have shown improved softness, reduced coefficient friction to paper products while maintained or improved dry strength properties of the paper products.

A method for preparing a hydrogel comprising mixing a solution of a polymer with a photoinitiator, where the polymer comprises multiple subunits each having a non-aromatic unsaturated functional group, and irradiating the mixture with visible light to produce the hydrogel.

The present invention provides a manufacturing method of carbon nanotube conductive microspheres and conductive glue in comparison with a manufacturing method of carbon nanotube conductive microspheres provided by the present invention provides and the conventional two-step method which needs to prepare the plastic or resin microspheres and then plating the conductive metal, it is not necessary to respectively prepare the plastic or resin microspheres and the conductive layer, instead, the carbon nanotube are mixed in the polymer microspheres when the styrene monomer, the crosslinking agent and the initiator have a crosslinking reaction to form the polymer microspheres with a method of spray-granulation. Only one step is needed to prepare the conductive microspheres with carbon nanotube as the conductive medium, which can simplify the process, reduce the process, save cost. With mixing the carbon nanotube inside the polymer microspheres, the thermal mismatching between the carbon nanotubes and the resin can be illuminated, to ensure the conductive properties of conductive microspheres. Furthermore, the entire preparing process has no heavy metal salts; the bio-toxicity is reduced and no environmental pollution. The present invention provides a conductive glue, which comprises the carbon nanotube conductive microspheres manufactured by the manufacturing method of carbon nanotube conductive microspheres are easy to manufacture, lower cost, lower impact of thermal mismatching, great conductive properties, and no environmental pollution.

[Problem] Provided is a thermoplastic resin composition excellent in weather resistance. [Solution] A thermoplastic resin composition containing (a) a thermoplastic resin and (b) an ionically bonded salt represented by the following Chemical Formula (1) or (2): ##STR00001##
in the Chemical Formulae (1) and (2) above, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a substituted or unsubstituted linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having from 1 to 30 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having from 6 to 30 carbon atoms, or a substituted or unsubstituted arylalkyl group having from 7 to 31 carbon atoms, A is a linear or branched alkylene group having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, n represents an integer of 0 to 50, Q1 and Q2 each independently represent at least one kind selected from the group consisting of an ammonium ion, an imidazolium ion, a pyridinium ion, a pyrrolidinium ion, a pyrrolinium ion, a piperidinium ion, a pyrazinium ion, a pyrimidinium ion, a triazolium ion, a triazinium ion, a quinolinium ion, an isoquinolinium ion, an indolinium ion, a quinoxalinium ion, a piperazinium ion, an oxazolinium ion, a thiazolinium ion, and a morpholinium ion.