One purpose of the present invention is to provide a liquid-crystal compound which exhibits liquid crystallinity at low temperatures. Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a thermally responsive material which exhibits liquid crystallinity and rubber elasticity at low temperatures (around room temperature) ever, though a large amount of a liquid-crystal compound is contained therein, and a method for producing this thermally responsive material. A liquid-crystal compound according to the present invention is obtained by adding an alkylene oxide and/or styrene oxide to a mesogenic group-containing compound that has an active hydrogen group.

Described herein is a process for producing a polyurethane where (a) polyisocyanate, (b) polymeric compounds having groups reactive toward isocyanates, (c) catalysts, (d) compounds of a general formula R(S).sub.n, where R is any desired moiety, n is any desired number from 1 to 8, and S is a moiety of formula 1:

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and optionally (e) blowing agents, (f) chain extenders and/or crosslinking agents, and (g) auxiliaries and/or additional substances are mixed to give a reaction mixture, and the reaction mixture is reacted to completion to give the polyurethane.

Multi-piece golf balls containing a dual-core structure are provided. The core structure includes an inner core (center) comprising a foam composition, preferably foamed polyurethane. The outer core layer is preferably formed from a non-foamed thermoplastic composition such as ethylene acid copolymer ionomer. Preferably, the specific gravity (density) of the foam inner core is less than the density of the outer core layer. The ball further includes a cover of at least one layer and may include at least one casing layer. The core structure and resulting ball have relatively good resiliency.

The present disclosure relates to processes for the production of a polyurethane material, where (a) di- and/or polyisocyanates, (b) compounds which have hydrogen atoms reactive toward isocyanate groups and which do not include compounds having carbon-carbon double bonds, (c) compounds including at least one carbon-carbon double bond, (d) optionally catalyst that accelerates the urethane reaction, and (e) optionally other auxiliaries and additives are mixed to give a reaction mixture and the mixture is hardened at temperatures above 120? C. The present disclosure further relates to a polyurethane material obtainable by this process, and also to the use of the polyurethane material, in particular of a polyurethane fiber-composite material as structural components.

Phenyl isocyanates are removed from a solvent stream obtained from an MDI and/or PMDI manufacturing process by reaction in the presence of a carbodiimidization catalyst to form the corresponding N,N-diphenylcarbodiimides. The N,N-diphenylcarbodiimides can be recycled into the MDI and/or PMDI manufacturing process where they can react with MDI and/or PMDI to form uretonimines. The uretonimines have at most minimal effect on the properties and usefulness of the MDI and/or PMDI product and so can be left in the MDI and/or PMDI product.

Provided is a novel liquid crystalline elastomer that can reversibly undergo phase transition between a liquid crystalline phase and an isotropic phase thereof in a relatively low temperature region. A liquid crystalline elastomer precursor comprising a mesogenic group to which an oxide compound is attached, wherein the liquid crystalline elastomer precursor has a molecular moiety excluding the mesogenic group, the molecular moiety having at least one ester bond and at least two active hydrogen groups. A liquid crystalline elastomer comprising the liquid crystalline elastomer precursor cross-linked by a trifunctional or higher-functional isocyanate compound and/or polyol compound, wherein the liquid crystalline elastomer has a molecular moiety excluding the mesogenic group, the molecular moiety having at least one ester bond, and the liquid crystalline elastomer reversibly changes a state thereof between a liquid crystalline phase and isotropic phase thereof in response to a change in temperature thereof.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of polyurethanes where (a) polyisocyanate, (b) polymeric compounds having groups reactive toward isocyanates, (c) catalysts, (d) a CH-acidic compound of the general formula R.sup.1CH.sub.2R.sup.2, where R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 independently of one another are an electron-withdrawing moiety of the general formula C(O)R.sup.3 or CN, where the moiety R.sup.3 is selected from the group consisting of NH.sub.2, NHR.sup.4NR.sup.5R.sup.6, OR.sup.7 or R.sup.8, where R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.6, R.sup.7, and R.sup.8 are independently selected from the group consisting of aliphatic, araliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons, which may have substitution, and optionally (e) blowing agent, (f) chain extender and/or crosslinking agent, and (g) auxiliaries and/or additives are mixed to give a reaction mixture, and the reaction mixture is allowed to complete a reaction to give the polyurethane. The present invention further relates to polyurethanes produced by this process and to the use of these polyurethanes in the interior of means of transport.

A use of a polymerizable ultraviolet absorber is disclosed, which is applied to a polyurethane preparation. The polymerizable ultraviolet absorber is obtained by reacting an UV absorber having a reactive hydrogen group with a polyisocyanate having three NCO groups. In addition, a composition for forming polyurethane comprising the aforementioned polymerizable ultraviolet absorber is also disclosed.

To provide a laminate comprising a pair of polycarbonate optical sheet or film which are laminated together through a polarizing film layer and an adhesive layer of a photochromic composition comprising (I) a polyurethane urea resin and (II) a photochromic compound and having excellent photochromic properties, adhesion, heat resistance, perspiration resistance and excellent adhesion to a lens substrate.

The present invention provides a coating composition comprising 1% to 99% of a blend of two or more aspartic ester functional amines, 20% to 70% of an acrylate-containing compound; and 10% to 70% of one or more polyisocyanates, wherein the coating composition is 100% solids and wherein the coating composition has a maximum viscosity of no more than 600 cps at one hour. The ready-to-apply coating produced from this composition has extended working times without exhibiting zippering and may find use on countertops and floors.