Disclosed is a flame-retardant polyphenylene ether resin composition having high rigidity and high impact strength. More particularly, disclosed is a flame-retardant polyphenylene ether resin composition having high rigidity and high impact strength which enhances environmental stress cracking resistance and impact resistance, compared to general materials, while exhibiting superior mechanical strength such as flame retardancy, tensile strength, flexural strength, flexural modulus, etc. through addition of particularly glass fiber, maleic anhydride-grafted polyphenylene ether, a thermoplastic styrenic elastomer, an ethylene terpolymer and an epoxy resin to a polyphenylene ether resin, and thus, may be used as a material of automobile battery cell modules or electric/electronic components.

Provided is a black shaped product having low specific gravity, an excellent balance of heat resistance and fluidity, extremely few white spots at the shaped product surface, and excellent aluminum vapor deposition external appearance. The black shaped product is obtained through shaping of a resin composition containing 5 mass % to 95 mass % of a polyphenylene ether (A), 2 mass % to 94.96 mass % of a styrene resin (B), and 0.04 mass % to 3 mass % of carbon black (C). The black shaped product includes a mirror surface part at the surface thereof. The number of white spots present within a 52.4 mm.sup.2 area of the mirror surface part is 30 or less.

Provided is a black shaped product having low specific gravity, an excellent balance of heat resistance and fluidity, extremely few white spots at the shaped product surface, and excellent aluminum vapor deposition external appearance. The black shaped product is obtained through shaping of a resin composition containing 5 mass % to 95 mass % of a polyphenylene ether (A), 2 mass % to 94.96 mass % of a styrene resin (B), and 0.04 mass % to 3 mass % of carbon black (C). The black shaped product includes a mirror surface part at the surface thereof. The number of white spots present within a 52.4 mm.sup.2 area of the mirror surface part is 30 or less.

Provided is a highly flame-retarded polyphenylene ether resin composition that, even when ignited, efficiently forms bulky porous char serving as a combustion barrier layer and, as a result, can reduce heat release and smoke production during combustion, and that is also easily colorable. The polyphenylene ether resin composition contains a polyphenylene ether (A), an organosulfonic acid and/or organosulfonic acid alkali metal salt (C), and an aromatic phosphate flame retardant (D). The polyphenylene ether resin composition contains 50 mass % or more of the polyphenylene ether (A) per 100 mass % of the polyphenylene ether resin composition and has a maximum heat release rate (HRR (max)) of 250 kW/m.sup.2 or less as measured in accordance with ISO 5660-1 using a cone calorimeter.

Purification of a poly(phenylene ether) includes contacting a liquid feed solution with a hydrated acidic clay adsorbent under conditions effective to provide a liquid effluent solution. The liquid feed solution includes a poly(phenylene ether), an organic acid impurity, and an amine impurity. The weight average molecular weight of the poly(phenylene ether) of the liquid effluent solution is within 1 percent of the weight average molecular weight of the poly(phenylene ether) of the feed solution, and the concentration of the amine impurity and the organic acid impurity of the liquid effluent solution is reduced by at least 40 percent relative to the concentration of the each impurity in the feed solution. Compositions and articles comprising a purified poly(phenylene ether) are also described.

Disclosed are fluorinated vinyl polymer resin compositions, and prepregs and laminate materials containing the same. The fluorinated vinyl polymer resin composition includes a fluorine-substituted vinyl polymer resin and a functional polymer, where the fluorine-substituted vinyl polymer resin has the chemical structure: ##STR00001## where the maximum particle size is less than about 100 microns, at least one of the substituents R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4 includes a fluorine atom, and where n is greater than about 100. The fluorinated vinyl polymer resin composition can be incorporated in prepreg and laminate materials.

Disclosed are fluorinated vinyl polymer resin compositions, and prepregs and laminate materials containing the same. The fluorinated vinyl polymer resin composition includes a fluorine-substituted vinyl polymer resin and a functional polymer, where the fluorine-substituted vinyl polymer resin has the chemical structure: ##STR00001## where the maximum particle size is less than about 100 microns, at least one of the substituents R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4 includes a fluorine atom, and where n is greater than about 100. The fluorinated vinyl polymer resin composition can be incorporated in prepreg and laminate materials.

A polymer composition comprising at least one polyaryletherketone, at least one polyarylene sulfide, and a plurality of reinforcing fibers is provided. The composition has a melt viscosity of about 250 Pa-s or less as determined in accordance with ISO Test No. 11443:2005 at a shear rate of 1,000 seconds.sup.1 and temperature of about 380 C.

A polyphenylene ether includes a repeating unit derived from a phenol of the formula (1), a repeating unit derived from a phenol of the formula (2), and a structural unit derived from a phenol of the formula (3).

Provided are a gasket for nonaqueous electrolyte battery which is having higher heat resistance and lower cost and better moldability although including a polypropylene resin, and a method for manufacturing the gasket. The gasket comprises, as the main components, a resin obtained by alloying polypropylene and polyphenylene ether and is shaped by injection-molding. The method for manufacturing a gasket being produced by injection molding using one obtained by previously kneading a material containing polypropylene, polyphenylene ether, and a molding aid, etc. with a twin-screw kneading extruder and cooling and solidifying a resin composition discharged from the twin-screw kneading extruder.