A polyethylene composition having increased environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR) is comprised of a polymer blend of a high density polyethylene (HDPE) and a polycarbonate-siloxane copolymer. The polycarbonate-siloxane copolymer is present in the polymer blend in an amount of from 0.5 wt. % to 15 wt. % by total weight of the polymer blend. In a method of forming a polyethylene composition having increased ESCR, a HDPE is modified by combining the HDPE with a polycarbonate-siloxane copolymer in a polymer blend, the polycarbonate-siloxane copolymer being present in an amount of from 0.5 wt. % to 15 wt. % by total weight of the polymer blend. The polymer blend can be formed into an article of manufacture, such as a bottle cap.

A method of forming a polymeric foam material is provided and includes providing a precursor material having a first thickness, the precursor material being an open-cell foam material and applying a uniaxial compressive force to the precursor material to compress the precursor material to a second thickness, the compressive force causing a cell structure of the precursor material to collapse. The method also includes heating the precursor material at a molding temperature for a first time period while the compressive force is applied, the first time period being sufficient to heat the precursor material to a softening temperature, removing the compressive force from the precursor material, and maintaining the cell structure of the precursor material in a collapsed state.

Method for production of articles and semi-finished products made of cellulose acetate, comprising the steps of recover-mg waste material consisting of cellulose acetate derived from previously made cellulose acetate articles and/or semi-finished products, distributing or positioning a mixture of at least one polymeric material inside a mould, heating and pressing the mixture inside the mould in order to form the articles or semi-finished products. The mixture is formed at least partially by the waste material consisting of cellulose acetate and the articles and/or semi-finished products may be subjected to a cooling and pressing step. The mixture is formed at least partially by fragments of cellulose acetate.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a thermal conductor achieving both excellent light weight and excellent rigidity and also having excellent heat dissipation property. In order to achieve the above object, the thermal conductor according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is, a thermal conductor in which a sheet-shaped thermal conductive material (II) having an in-plane thermal conductivity of 300 W/m.Math.K or more is contained in a porous structure (I) configured of reinforcing fibers and a resin.

Disclosed are a dental material with transmittance and color gradients and a method of preparing the dental material. The method includes (1) preparing at least three types of composite resin material precursor powders; (2) sequentially adding the precursor powders into a mold and performing dry pressing to obtain a preform body; alternatively, (2′) dry pressing the first type of precursor powder into a first green body, wrapping the first green body with the second type of precursor powder and then performing dry pressing to obtain a second green body, and repeating the wrapping and dry pressing operations until all types of precursor powder are dry pressed to obtain a preform body; and (3) performing hot-pressing consolidation on the preform body to obtain the desired dental material.

A polymer composite composition for use in high temperature applications such as furnaces, heat shields and aeronautical jet and rocket motors. In a particular application, the disclosed composition is applied to the manufacture of rocket motor cases, or parts thereof, to provide rigid thermal protection (RTP). The polymer composite composition comprises cyanate ester resin, fine lengths of carbon fibre and refractory filler material.

The invention relates to a method for producing a biodegradable thermoplastic starch-based article intended to come into contact with foodstuffs. In this method, the semi-crystalline starch granules are transformed into a homogeneous and almost amorphous material, called thermoplastic starch, by the addition of plasticizers at high temperatures and under shear. Thermoplastic starch is modified with organic acid during melt processing to prevent the retrogradation of starch. Moreover, cellulose derivatives are used as the reinforcement filler of thermoplastic starch. The article is produced using hot-pressing and then coating by immersion in a waterproofing solution.

An ear plug includes an elongated body sized and shaped to be partially inserted into an ear canal of a wearer, in which the body includes a negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) polymer foam material having a Poisson's ratio of between 0 and −1. A mouth guard includes an arc-shaped element sized to be received into a mouth of a wearer. The arc-shaped element has an outer wall, an inner wall, and a biting wall connecting the outer wall and the inner wall. The outer wall, the inner wall, and the biting wall define a channel that is sized to receive upper teeth of the wearer or lower teeth of the wearer. The outer wall, the biting wall, or both includes a negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) material having a Poisson's ratio between 0 and −1.

An electronic device of the present invention comprises: an exterior housing including a first surface facing a first direction, and a second surface facing a second direction opposite to the first direction; a display of which at least a part is exposed through the first surface; and a polymer plate which forms at least a part of the second surface of the housing. The polymer plate comprises: at least one opaque layer; at least one polymer layer that is translucent or transparent and is disposed on the at least one opaque layer; and a coating layer that is disposed on the at least one polymer layer and has a hardness greater than or equal to a selected hardness. Each of the at least one opaque layer, the at least one polymer layer, and the coating layer may comprise a first surface, and a second surface extending from the first surface so that at least a part thereof is bent. Other embodiments are also possible.

Provided is a sheet molding compound having excellent thick portion-molding properties that can inhibit the occurrence of internal cracks even during the molding of a thick portion and enables a carbon fiber composite material molded article to be excellently released from a die. Also provided is a carbon fiber composite material molded article. The sheet molding compound of the present invention contains a fiber substrate (A) containing carbon fiber and a thermosetting resin composition (B), in which an average fiber length of the carbon fiber is 5 mm or more, and a volumetric molding shrinkage rate of the thermosetting resin composition (B) is 0.5% or more and 4.4% or less. Furthermore, the carbon fiber composite material molded article of the present invention has a thick portion having a thickness of 10 mm or more, in which the thick portion is formed of a cured material of the sheet molding compound of the present invention.