A composition for synthetic turf infill that allows a surface of the synthetic infill to remain cool when compared to a comparative synthetic turf having an infill comprising crumbed rubber. The composition comprises a polyvinyl chloride, a plasticizer, a reflective pigment, a blowing agent, and a filler having a specific gravity greater than 2.

Polyurethane foams which are highly flame resistant are described, as well as the production of such polyurethane foams by the reaction between a natural polyol, such as sucrose or a blend of mono- or disaccharides in place of the standard hydrocarbon-based polyol component, a polyisocyanate and water in the presence of a suitable polyurethane forming catalyst and a flame retardant, and optionally one or more components such as surfactants and/or emulsifiers. The resultant polyurethane foam has a bio-based solid content ranging from about 17% to 30%, may be formulated in a variety of foam densities for a variety of applications, and exhibits a high degree of fire and burn resistance, as exhibited by the flame spread index and the smoke spread values.

Curable compositions are provided which comprise: a) 30-80 wt % of a room temperature liquid epoxy resin; b) 0.5-10 wt % of an epoxy curative; c) 5-40 wt % of a thermoplastic resin; and d) 0.5-10 wt % of a physical blowing agent. In some embodiments, the curable compositions may be fire retardant. In some embodiments, the curable compositions may be used in the form of films, and more particularly as core splice film adhesives.

PLA polymers that can be expanded into microporous articles having a node and fibril microstructure are provided. The fibrils contain PLA polymer chains oriented with the fibril axis. Additionally, the PLA polymers have an inherent viscosity greater than about 3.8 dL/g and a calculated molecular weight greater than about 150,000 g/mol. The PLA polymer article may be formed by bulk polymerization where the PLA bulk polymer is made into a preform that is subsequently expanded at temperatures above the glass transition temperature and below the melting point of the PLA polymer. In an alternate embodiment, a PLA polymer powder is lubricated, the lubricated polymer is subjected to pressure and compression to form a preform, and the preform is expanded to form a microporous article. Both the preform and the microporous article are formed at temperatures above the glass transition temperature and below the melting point of the PLA polymer.

A flame-retardant rigid polyurethane foam contains a flame retardant, the foam having a ratio of the maximum peak intensity ratio (P1) of the foam after moist heat treatment of the foam for one week at a temperature of 80° C. and a humidity of 85% to the maximum peak intensity ratio (P2) of the foam before this moist heat treatment of 85% or more (P1/P2x100). The P1 and P2 each refer to the ratio of the maximum peak intensity of 1390 to 1430 cm.sup.−1 to the maximum peak intensity of 1500 to 1520 cm.sup.−1 when the infrared absorption spectrum is measured at a position 5 to 10 mm from the surface of the foam, and the average intensity of 1900 to 2000 cm.sup.−1 is adjusted to zero.

A polyurethane foam with reduced formaldehyde and acrolein emissions, which is manufactured from a polyol system including polyol, a foam stabilizer, a foaming agent, and a liquid aldehyde reducing agent.

A melamine/formaldehyde foam having an open-cell foam structure, with an impregnation applied to the foam structure that comprises at least one particulate phyllosilicate surface-modified with aminosilane and at least one anionically- and/or nonionically-stabilized polyurethane dispersion.

Prepare a polymeric foam article having a thermoplastic polymer matrix defining multiple cells therein, wherein the polymeric foam article has the following characteristics: (a) the thermoplastic polymer matrix contains dispersed within it nano-sized nucleating additive particles that have at least two orthogonal dimensions that are less than 30 nanometers in length; (b) possesses at least one of the following two characteristics: (i) has an effective nucleation site density of at least 3×10.sup.14 sites per cubic centimeter of pre-foamed material; and (ii) has an average cell size of 300 nanometers or less; and (c) has a porosity percentage of more than 50 percent by rapidly expanding at a foaming temperature a foamable polymer composition containing the nucleating additive and a blowing agent containing at least one of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon.

The invention relates to a method of preparing expanded thermoplastic microspheres from thermally expandable thermoplastic microspheres comprising a polymer shell encapsulating a foaming agent, the method comprising heating the expandable microspheres within a flexible container (2) to effect expansion of said microspheres and withdrawing gas from said flexible container (2). The invention further relates to an expansion device for preparing such expanded thermoplastic microspheres.

In foamable polystyrene resin particles that are obtained by granulating a polystyrene resin containing a flame retardant and a foaming agent, the flame retardant has a bromine atom in a molecule, contains less than 70% by mass of bromine, has a benzene ring in a molecule, and has a 5% by mass decomposition temperature in a range of from 200° C. to 300° C. the flame retardant is the sole source of bromine in the foamable polystyrene resin particles, a ratio (B:A) between (A) a by mass of the flame retardant contained in the total foamable polystyrene resin particles and (B) a % by mass of the flame retardant contained in the surface of the resin particles is in a range of from 0.8:1 to 1.2:1, and the amount of the flame retardant added is in a range of from 0.5% by mass to 5.0% by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the resin fraction in the foamable polystyrene resin particles.