Co-cured urethane and vinyl ester, epoxy, or unsaturated polyester gel coats having improved toughness and flexibility compared with conventional polyester gel coats are disclosed. The gel coats, which have 10-50 wt. % urethane content, adhere well to structural layers and can be used in a traditional in-mold process. Co-cured elastomeric coatings comprising from 50 to 95 wt. % of a urethane component and an unsaturated polyester, epoxy, or vinyl ester are also disclosed. Unlike conventional urethane coatings, the elastomeric coatings adhere well to structural layers and can be used in a traditional in-mold process. Castings or structural layers comprising a reinforced thermoset of co-cured urethane and vinyl ester, epoxy, or unsaturated polyester components, including 10-95 wt. % of the urethane component, are also described. The invention includes in-mold processes for making laminates that utilize the gel coats, elastomeric coatings, and/or structural layers. The in-mold process gives flexible, durable, urethane-containing laminates having good interlayer adhesion.

A new method for the making of a new composite of nanomaterials and fibers is disclosed, comprising at least a step in which the nanomaterials are incorporated into the fiber preform by applying ultrasound to an impregnated fiber preform and iterating the steps of the method until to obtain a desired concentration of nanomaterial incorporated into the composite. The method allows obtaining uniform composite of high quality with higher thermal conductivity which are also part of the present invention. A new ancillary material stacking sequence incorporating nanomaterial/fibers composite is also disclosed, in which the ancillary sequence is placing breather and bleeder between the release film and curing tool in order to eliminate accumulated matrix against the tool plate.

The disclosure provides a cross-linkable polymer composition, a core layer for an information carrying card comprising such cross-linked composition, resulting information carrying card, and methods of making the same. A crosslinkable polymer composition comprises a curable base polymer resin in a liquid or paste form, and a particulate thermoplastic filler. The base polymer resin is selected from the group consisting of urethane acrylate, silicone acrylate, epoxy acrylate, urethane, acrylate, silicone and epoxy. The particulate thermoplastic filler may be polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a copolymer of vinyl chloride and at least another monomer, or a polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a compound or blend thereof.

The disclosure provides a cross-linkable polymer composition, a core layer for an information carrying card comprising such cross-linked composition, resulting information carrying card, and methods of making the same. A crosslinkable polymer composition comprises a curable base polymer resin in a liquid or paste form, and a particulate thermoplastic filler. The base polymer resin is selected from the group consisting of urethane acrylate, silicone acrylate, epoxy acrylate, urethane, acrylate, silicone and epoxy. The particulate thermoplastic filler may be polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a copolymer of vinyl chloride and at least another monomer, or a polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a compound or blend thereof.

This prepreg comprises reinforcing fibers and a matrix resin composition. The matrix resin composition comprises at least an epoxy resin (component (A)), a radical polymerizable unsaturated compound (component (B)), and a polymer formed by radical polymerization of the component (B) (component (E)).

An epoxy resin composition includes: (A) an epoxy resin containing a compound represented by the following Formula (I); (B) a phenol resin containing a compound represented by the following Formula (II); and (C) a dihydroxynaphthalene compound containing a compound represented by the following Formula (III). In Formula (I), R represents a hydrogen atom, and n represents an integer from 0 to 10. In Formula (II), R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or an alkoxy group having 1 or 2 carbon atoms, and each R.sup.1 may be the same as or different from another R.sup.1. n represents an integer from 0 to 10. In Formula (III), R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or an alkoxy group having 1 or 2 carbon atoms.

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A method for making a coating composition by mixing one or more latex polymers and an aliphatic epoxy resin system having an epoxy equivalent weight less than 1000 and being distinct from the one or more latex polymers to provide an aqueous first component, and providing a second component having reactive groups that can react with the one or more epoxy resins. A mixture of the first and second components provides a film-forming curable coating composition that may be used on substrates including cement, cement fiberboard, wood, metal, plastic, ceramic, glass and composites.

Disclosed are Bisphenol A (BPA), Bisphenol F, Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE), and Bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE)-free coating compositions for metal substrates including an under-coat composition containing a polyester (co)polymer, and an under-coat cross-linker; and an over-coat composition containing a poly(vinyl chloride) (co)polymer dispersed in a substantially nonaqueous carrier liquid, an over-coat cross-linker, and a functional (meth)acrylic (co)polymer. Also provided is a method of coating a metal substrate using the BPA, BPF, BADGE and BFDGE-free coating system to produce a hardened protective coating useful in fabricating metal storage containers. The coated substrate is particularly useful in fabricating multi-part foodstuffs storage containers with easy-open end closures.

Matrix-filled liquid radiation curable resin compositions for additive fabrication are described and claimed. Such resins include a cationically polymerizable component that is an aliphatic epoxide, a multifunctional (meth)acrylate component, a cationic photoinitiator, a free-radical photoinitiator, and a matrix of inorganic fillers, wherein the matrix further constitutes prescribed ratios of at least one microparticle constituent and at least one nanoparticle constituent. Also described and claimed is a process for using the matrix-filled liquid radiation curable resins for additive fabrication to create three dimensional parts, and the three-dimensional parts made from the liquid radiation curable resins for additive fabrication.

The invention provides a process for producing a hybrid component comprising metal and plastic. The process comprises the steps of a) pretreating the metal surface by applying at least one conversion layer, b) applying at least one layer of an adhesion promoter composition and c) bonding the metal to the plastic. The adhesion promoter composition comprises at least one copolyamide-based hotmelt adhesive.