Provided is a flame-retardant foam which has high flame retardancy, is excellent in flexibility, and is excellent in stress dispersibility. Also provided is a foam member including such flame-retardant foam as a flame-retardant foam layer. The flame-retardant foam of the present invention has an apparent density of from 0.02 g/cm.sup.3 to 0.40 g/cm.sup.3, a 50% compression load of from 0.5 N/cm.sup.2 to 8.0 N/cm.sup.2, and a rupture elongation in a tensile test of 120% or less.

A process for preparing polyether-siloxane block copolymers by hydrosilylation of alpha,omega-modified hydrosiloxanes with alpha,omega-modified di(meth)allyl polyethers in the presence of a hydrosilylation catalyst, wherein the reaction is performed in a solvent mixture comprising aromatic solvents, polyethers and alkoxylated alcohol, is described.

A biodegradable foam material is disclosed. The biodegradable foam material is made from a cellulose ester polymer combined with at least one plasticizer. The cellulose ester polymer composition is combined with one or more foaming agents and formed into a closed cell foam. The foam material is particularly well suited for use in packaging.

Various uses of monochlorotrifluoropropenes, in combination with one or more other components, including other fluoroalkenes, hydrocarbons; hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), ethers, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, methyl formate, formic acid, water, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, carbon dioxide and combinations of any two or more of these, in a variety of applications, including as blowing agents, are disclosed.

Disclosed is a blowing agent composition comprising a hydrofluoroolefins (HFO) and a branched hydrocarbon, and a foamable polymer composition comprising the blowing agent composition. Also disclosed is a method of making a polymer foam utilizing a blowing agent composition comprising an HFO and a branched hydrocarbon.

An object of the present invention is to provide a resin composition that can produce a foam molded body having a beautiful appearance while exhibiting excellent mechanical properties. The above object is achieved by a resin composition for producing foam particles, the resin composition comprising a base resin containing a polycarbonate resin having a glass transition temperature of 140 to 155° C. and an amorphous polyester resin having a glass transition temperature of 100 to 130° C., and the amorphous polyester containing a unit derived from a cyclic diol.

A masterbatch composition suitable for use as a flame retardant in extruded polymer foams, and process for manufacturing the same, and extruded foams containing same; the composition comprising: (a) 20 to 40 parts by weight base resin comprising styrene homopolymer or copolymer; (b) 1 to 16 parts by weight acid scavenger comprising an epoxy-based compound; (c) 2 to 6 parts by weight antioxidant comprising an alkyl or aryl phosphite; and (d) 45 to 60 parts by weight flame retardant comprising a non-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) brominated polymer or copolymer, wherein the amounts of (a), (b), (c), and (d) total 100 parts by weight; and (e) 0.6 to 10 parts by weight of pH moderator, based on 100 parts of (a) base resin plus (e) water soluble pH moderator.

A liquid crystalline polymer composition for foam molding using a supercritical fluid as a foaming agent. The liquid crystalline polymer composition includes a liquid crystalline polymer and a scale-like inorganic filler, in which a content of the scale-like inorganic filler is 1 part by mass or more and 20 parts by mass or less with respect to 100 parts by mass of the liquid crystalline polymer composition.

A process for manufacturing products made of foamed polymeric material, comprising the following steps: generating, via software, a virtual model (M) of a product to be manufactured in a solid foamable polymeric material; performing a topological optimization via software of the virtual model (M) in order to obtain an optimized virtual model (MO) with areas of differentiated relative density; preparing the foamable polymeric material and inserting it in a mold (1); solubilizing, under pressure, at least one foaming agent in the foamable polymeric material placed in the mold (1) with a pressure profile of the foaming agent variable over time and/or space as a function of the topological optimization; releasing the pressure in order to obtain a product (S) made of foamed polymeric material provided with the above-mentioned areas of differentiated relative density; removing the product (S) made of foamed polymeric material from the mold (1).

A foamed sheet including: a polylactic acid; and a filler, wherein the foamed sheet has a compressive stress of 0.2 Mpa or less when the cushioning coefficient of the foamed sheet is 10 or less; and wherein the foamed sheet has a puncture strength of 2 N or more when the sheet thickness of the foamed sheet is 2 mm.