The present invention relates to a method for producing a carbon fiber. In the method for producing the carbon fiber, a high pure acrylonitrile monomer with specific contents of impurities and a comonomer are used to produce an acrylonitrile copolymer, and the acrylonitrile copolymer is subjected to a spinning operation, a stretching operation, an oxidation treatment and a carbonization treatment in sequence, for obtaining the carbon fiber. The acrylonitrile copolymer with an appropriate falling-ball viscosity and an appropriate weight-average molecular weight is beneficial to the spinning operation, thereby reducing an inner pore diameter and enhancing strength of the resulted carbon fiber.

Coated articles, methods and coating compositions containing (a) a crosslinkable carboxyl-functional acrylic polymer made by polymerizing monomers including acidic monomer, multi-ethylenically unsaturated monomer and optional styrene or substituted styrene, and (b) a nitrogen-containing carboxyl-reactive crosslinking agent such as a beta-hydroxyalkylamide or beta-hydroxyalkylurea compound. The coating composition is useful in coating metal substrates including interior or exterior surfaces of food or beverage cans. The cured coating compositions can exhibit both good flexibility and high Tg.

Provided are: a water-absorbing agent achieving, in a balanced manner, both good physical properties and a decrease in speed of coloration with lapse of time even if the water-absorbing agent has a high moisture absorbing speed due to having a large specific surface area; and an absorbent body having a low ratio of pulp and achieving, in a balanced manner, both good physical properties suitable for a thin disposable diaper and a decrease in speed of coloration with lapse of time. The absorbent body contains a hydrophilic base material and a water-absorbing agent which contains: surface-crosslinked water-absorbing resin particles having a non-uniformly pulverized shape; α-hydroxycarboxylic acid (salt); and an aminocarboxylic acid-based chelating agent and/or a phosphorus-based chelating agent, a point plotted along an x-axis that represents an amount (x.sub.1 mol %) of α-hydroxycarboxylic acid (salt) extracted from the water-absorbing agent and along a y-axis that represents an amount (y.sub.1 mmol %) of an aminocarboxylic acid-based chelating agent and/or a phosphorus-based chelating agent extracted from the water-absorbing agent being within a range that satisfies a specific relational formula of x.sub.1 and y.sub.1, the water-absorbing agent having a moisture absorbing speed of 120 mg/g/hr or more at a temperature of 40±1° C. at a relative humidity of 75±1% RH.

The present invention relates a photovoltaic module comprising a protective front layer element, an encapsulation layer element, a photovoltaic cell element and a protective back layer element, whereby at least one of the protective elements comprises glass; wherein the encapsulation layer element comprises a polymer composition (I) comprising at least the following components: (A) 97.00 to 99.99 wt.-% based on the overall weight of the polymer composition (I) of a polymer selected from an ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer, a polyolefin elastomer or a polymer of ethylene (a) selected from (a1) a copolymer of ethylene which bears functional groups containing units; (a2) a copolymer of ethylene comprising one or more polar comonomer unit(s) selected from (C1-C6)-alkyl acrylate or (C1-C6)-alkyl (C1-C6)-alkyl acrylate comonomer units, and optionally bears functional groups containing units different from said polar comonomer unit(s); (a3) a copolymer of ethylene comprising one or more alpha-olefin comonomer unit(s); and optionally bears functional groups containing units different from said polar comonomer unit(s) of polymer (a2); or mixtures thereof; and (b) silane group(s) containing units; (B) 0.01 to 3.00 wt.-% based on the overall weight of the polymer composition (I) of a compound according to Formula (I); wherein; R.sub.1, R.sub.1′, R.sub.2 and R.sub.2′ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, n-alkyl, iso-alkyl, alkoxy, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, halogen and mixtures thereof; X is selected from the group consisting of primary amines, secondary amines, tertiary amines, hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl and mixtures thereof. Furthermore, the present invention refers to the use of an encapsulation layer element comprising polymer composition (I) according to the invention for increasing the P.sub.max determined after 96 h according to IEC 60904, by applying the foil method with a temperature of 85° C. and relative humidity of 60% and a potential difference of 1500 V, of a photovoltaic module comprising besides the encapsulation layer element a protective front layer element, a photovoltaic cell element and a protective back element, whereby at least one of the protective elements comprises glass.

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Provided herein is method of making a three-dimensional object (31) by stereolithography, comprising: (a) providing a polymerizable liquid comprising: (i) a light polymerizable component; (ii) a cyclic olefin monomer and/or prepolymer, (iii) an inhibited ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) catalyst, and (iv) a photoinitiator; (b) producing a three-dimensional intermediate from said polymerizable liquid by stereolithography (11); (c) optionally cleaning (12) said intermediate; and (d) heating (13) a surface of said three-dimensional intermediate to activate the inhibited ROMP catalyst, polymerize the cyclic olefin monomer and/or prepolymer by frontal ring-opening metathesis polymerization and form said three-dimensional object. Resins, build platforms (20) and apparatus useful for performing the method are also provided.

The present invention relates to a polymer comprising repeating units derived from at least one first monomer (monomer A) which is a molecule comprising a thiolactone ring and an ethylenically unsaturated, polymerizable double bond, and at least one second monomer (monomer B) which is N-vinyl pyrrolidone. Furthermore the present invention relates to a modified polymer, the structure of which is identical to the structure of the said polymer apart from the only difference, which is that all or at least some of the thiolactone moieties of the said polymer are modified by opening the thiolactone ring with a substance selected from the group consisting of ammonia, a primary amine, 2-amino-1-ethanol and L-lysine, wherein the N-atom of said substance is binding to the carbonyl group of the opened thiolactone ring. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a process for making the modified polymer and to the use of the polymer or of the modified polymer for treating hair.

A method is provided for generating aldehyde-functionalized polymers such as GPAM, wherein progress of the aldehyde-functionalized polymer formation is monitored by measuring viscosity using an online viscometer. A method is also provided for enhancing paper strength, said method comprising generating an aldehyde-functionalized polymer, such as GPAM, according to the present disclosure, and combining said aldehyde-functionalized polymer with a fiber slurry or applying it to a paper sheet.

Process for producing aqueous polyacrylamide solutions by polymerizing an aqueous solution comprising at least acrylamide thereby obtaining an aqueous polyacrylamide gel and dissolving said aqueous polyacrylamide gel in water, wherein the manufacturing steps are allocated to two different locations A and B and the process comprises the step of transporting an aqueous polyacrylamide gel hold in a transportable polymerization unit from a location A to a location B. The transportable polymerization unit comprises a cylindrical upper part, a conical part at its lower end, feeds for the aqueous monomer solution, a closable bottom opening, and means allowing to deploy the polymerization unit in a vertical manner.

The present invention relates to a polymer composition comprising a polymer comprising methyl methacrylate, (meth)acrylic acid and styrene monomers. In particular, the present invention relates to a polymer composition comprising a polymer comprising methyl methacrylate, (meth)acrylic acid and styrene monomers, said composition having particularly advantageous compromises of heat-resistant, fluidity, scratch-resistant and chemical-resistant properties. The present invention also relates to a molded or extruded object comprising a polymer comprising methyl methacrylate, (meth)acrylic acid and of styrene monomers, and the use of these objects.

A polymeric bead having radius R wherein the polymer comprises 0.3% to 20% by weight, based on the weight of the polymer, of polymerized units of one or more multifunctional vinyl monomer and 80% to 99.7% by weight, based on the weight of the polymer, of polymerized units of one or more monofunctional vinyl monomer, (a) wherein the polymerized units of multifunctional vinyl monomer have radial distribution factor MR of 0.9 to 1.1, and (b) wherein some of the vinyl groups in the polymerized units of multivinyl monomer are unreacted, and the unreacted vinyl groups have a radial distribution factor VR of 2.5 or higher.