Disclosed herein is a process for producing rigid polyisocyanurate foams, where (a) aromatic polyisocyanate, (b) isocyanate-reactive compounds including at least one polyetherol (b1) and/or polyesterol (b2), wherein where the number-average content of isocyanate-reactive hydrogen atoms of components (b 1) and (b2) is at least 1.7, (c) catalyst, (d) blowing agents, (e) flame retardants, (f) optionally auxiliary and additive substances and (g) optionally compounds having aliphatic hydrophobic groups and not falling under the definition of compounds (a) to (f) are mixed to afford a reaction mixture and allowed to cure to afford a rigid polyisocyanurate foam. Further disclosed herein is a rigid polyisocyanurate foam obtainable by the process.

A rigid foam or composition allowing a rigid foam to be obtained made from polyurethane and/or polyisocyanurate. The rigid foam or composition includes polyols selected from polyester polyols and polyether polyols; the polyols include: 5 to 50% of a polyester polyol A by weight relative to the total weight of the polyols; and a polyol B selected from polyester polyols B and polyether polyols B. The polyester polyol A is of general formula Rx-Ry-Z-Ry′-Rx′ in which Z is a C3 to C8 alcohol sugar chosen from glycerol, sorbitol, erythritol, xylitol, araditol, ribitol, dulcitol, mannitol and volemitol. Ry and Ry′ are diesters of formula —OOC—Cn-COO— in which n is between 2 and 34, and Rx and Rx′ are identical or different C2 to C12 monoalcohols.

Disclosed are compositions comprising HCFC-243db, HCFO-1233xf, HCFC-244db and/or HFO-1234yf and at least one additional compound. For the composition comprising 1234yf, the additional compound is selected from the group consisting of HFO-1234ze, HFO-1243zf, HCFC-243db, HCFC-244db, HFC-245cb, HFC-245fa, HCFO-1233xf, HCFO-1233zd, HCFC-253fb, HCFC-234ab, HCFC-243fa, ethylene, HFC-23, CFC-13, HFC-143a, HFC-152a, HFC-236fa, HCO-1130, HCO-1130a, HFO-1336, HCFC-133a, HCFC-254fb, CHF═CHCl, HFO-1141, HCFO-1242zf, HCFO-1223xd, HCFC-233ab, HCFC-226ba, and HFC-227ca. Compositions comprising HCFC-243db, HCFO-1233xf, and/or HCFC-244db are useful in processes to make HFO-1234yf. Compositions comprising HFO-1234yf are useful, among other uses, as heat transfer compositions for use in refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump systems.

Expandable polystyrene-based resin particles may include a styrene-based monomer, a polysiloxane-containing macro monomer, and a coating composition having a melting point of 40° C. or greater. A coefficient of static friction of a foamed molded product, obtained by pre-expanding the expandable polystyrene-based resin particles and molding the pre-expanded expandable polystyrene-based resin particles, may be 4.0 or less. The expandable polystyrene-based resin particles may have a surface layer part that contains polysiloxane as a main component.

Polymer foams based on polyetherimides (PEI) meet the legal requirements of the aerospace industry for both the interior and exterior of aircraft.

The present invention provides a thermally expandable microcapsule having excellent heat resistance and high expansion ratio and enabling production of a light, high-hardness molded article having excellent physical properties (abrasion resistance), and a composition for foam molding containing the thermally expandable microcapsule. Provided is a thermally expandable microcapsule including: a shell containing a polymer; and a volatile expansion agent as a core agent encapsulated by the shell, the shell containing silicon dioxide and a polymer obtained by polymerizing a monomer composition containing a carbonyl group-containing monomer, the thermally expandable microcapsule having a ratio of a peak intensity based on a C═O bond in the shell to a peak intensity based on the silicon dioxide in the shell (peak intensity based on C═O bond/peak intensity based on silicon dioxide) of 0.25 to 1.0 as determined by IR spectral analysis, the thermally expandable microcapsule having a maximum foaming temperature (Tmax) of 180° C. to 225° C.

A perforated expanded low density polyethylene foam layer, wherein in the expanded low density polyethylene layer at least 80% of the blowing agents are dissipated from closed cells within the expanded low density polyethylene layer forming evacuated closed cells whereby a partial vacuum is formed within the closed cells of the low density polyethylene layer.

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of foamed polymeric material characterised by the presence of two or more cellular layers and aggregates that exhibit variations in cell size and cell density distribution. The heterogeneous polymeric material is foamed using a single expansion step, thus eliminating the assembly steps and improving the mechanical proprieties of the foam. The invention allows producing custom foam with predefined profiles of cell size, cell density distribution, and with correlated variations of its physical properties. The key to this invention is that the polymer material before expansion is made in multiple polymerisation steps from the original monomers. In each polymerisation step, a different recipe of monomers and physical blowing agents' concentration is used. These recipes within the final polymer material will expand under the same temperature to produce various aggregates of cell sizes and cell distribution in the final foam.

The present invention relates to a reaction mixture for manufacturing an inorganic-filler based closed-cell rigid polyurethane or polyisocyanurate (PU or PIR) containing foam having a calorific value below 6 MJ/kg, preferably below 4.5 MJ/kg, more preferably below 3 MJ/kg, measured according to EN ISO 1716, the reaction mixture comprising: At least one polyisocyanate-containing compound; At least one isocyanate-reactive compound; An inorganic filler composition; At least one physical blowing agent;

characterised in that said inorganic filler composition has bulk density higher than 2 g/cm.sup.3, preferably higher than 2.1 g/cm.sup.3, more preferably higher than 2.2 g/cm.sup.3, even more preferably higher than 2.4 g/cm.sup.3.

A heat transfer composition includes: (i) trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (R-1234ze(E)); (ii) a second component selected from difluoromethane (R-32), propene (R-1270), propane (R290) and mixtures thereof; (iii) a third component selected from pentafluoroethane (R-125), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R-34a), and mixtures thereof; and optionally (iv) a fourth component selected from fluoroethane (R-161), 1,1-difluoroethane (R-152a) and mixtures thereof.