Disclosed are such co-polymers of vinylidene substituted aromatic monomers and unsaturated compounds containing nucleophilic groups chain extended by a copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated compounds having pendant electrophilic groups which copolymerize with the one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers. Disclosed are compositions comprising vinylidene substituted aromatic monomers and unsaturated compounds containing nucleophilic groups and a copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated compounds having pendant electrophilic groups, which may optionally, contain salts of alkaline earth metals, alkali metals, transition metals, post transition metals or metalloids. Disclosed are methods of preparing such chain-extended and/or branched copolymers.

The present invention is directed to a foamable polyolefin composition which is crosslinkable by silane groups, to a crosslinked foam obtained from such a foamable polyolefin composition, and to a process for producing a crosslinked foam based on the foamable polyolefin composition. The foamable polyolefin composition comprises a polyethylene bearing hydrolysable silane groups and comonomer units comprising a polar group selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylates, methacrylates, vinyl esters, and mixtures thereof, a silanol condensation catalyst, a physical blowing agent, and a cell nucleating agent.

There is provided herein thermoset porous polymer composites a methods for producing such composites. The method comprises: preparing a mixture comprising a resin, optionally a curing agent, and dry ice; optionally casting the mixture; curing the mixture to obtain the porous composite; and optionally controlling at least one of a reaction rate and an expansion rate of the mixture during the curing.

A system including an injector, a press, and a robotic conveyance is used to form a physically foamed article of footwear component from a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid. The parameters and features of the system are configured for the formation of the footwear component in an automated manner with enhanced throughput by the system.

A foaming composition useful to make an extruded foam is comprised of: a copolymer of a vinylidene aromatic monomer and an unsaturated compound containing nucleophilic groups, a copolymer of vinylidene aromatic monomer and an unsaturated compound having electrophilic groups; and a blowing agent. The foaming composition may be made into a foam by heating the foaming composition to a temperature sufficient to melt and react said copolymers to form a chain extended/branched copolymer and extruding the foaming composition from a higher pressure to a lower pressure to form an extruded foam comprised of the chain extended/branched copolymer. The foam is comprised of a chain extended/branched copolymer that is the reaction product of (i) a copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated compounds containing nucleophilic groups, and (ii) a copolymer of one or more vinylidene aromatic monomers and one or more unsaturated compounds having electrophilic groups.

The present invention relates to a foam composition for vehicle seat cushions, foam for a vehicle seat cushion, and a manufacturing method therefor, the foam composition comprising: (A) 49.5 wt % to 80 wt % of a polypropylene-based resin; (B) 19.5 wt % to 50 wt % of a modified olefin-based elastomer resin having a melting temperature (Tm) of 60° C. to 110° C. and a melting index (MI) value of 0.5 g/10 min to 4 g/10 min, as measured at 190° C. under a load of 2.16 kg according to ASTM D1238; and 0.1 wt % to 0.5 wt % of (C) a filler.

The present invention relates to expanded particles and an expanded molded article. More specifically, the present invention relates to expanded particles comprising a polycarbonate-based resin as a base resin, which has a specified cell density X and a specified average cell wall thickness, as well as an expanded molded article. In addition, the present invention relates to expanded particles comprising a polycarbonate-based resin as a base resin, which has a specified bulk ratio and a specified average cell diameter, as well as an expanded molded article.

The present invention is concerned with expanded beads of a block copolymer of a polyethylene block and an ethylene/α-olefin copolymer block, wherein a xylene insoluble fraction (A) of the expanded beads by a hot xylene extraction method is 10 to 70% by weight, and a ratio (A/B) of the xylene insoluble fraction (A) to a xylene insoluble fraction (B) of the expanded beads by a hot xylene extraction method when divided into two equal parts and measured is 1.0 to 1.1, and is able to provide expanded beads with excellent in-mold moldability and an expanded beads molded article with excellent fusion bondability and restorability.

The invention relates to a process used to produce open-cell and extremely fine-cell PUR/PIR rigid foams, said process using a polyol formulation comprising a specific isocyanate-reactive component, a catalyst component having zerewitinoff-active hydrogens and a cell-opener component.

The present invention relates to thermoplastic olefin elastomer expanded beads, having an average aspect ratio of 1.10 or less and an average circularity of 0.985 or more. The thermoplastic olefin elastomer expanded beads preferably have a crystal structure such that a melting peak inherent in the thermoplastic olefin elastomer (inherent peak) and one or more melting peaks on a higher temperature side than the inherent peak (high temperature peaks) appear on a DSC curve obtained when heating the expanded beads from 23° C. to 200° C. at a heating rate of 10° C./min.