There is provided a composite material including scaly fillers made of an inorganic material and a binding resin that is a thermosetting resin which binds the fillers. The composite material 1 is a foaming material in which a plurality of voids is dispersed therein, and the fillers accumulate on inner walls of the voids so that flat surfaces of the fillers overlap.

A process for manufacturing a thermoset polyester foam includes the following successive steps: (a) providing an expandable and thermosetting composition containing a polyol component including at least one element selected from glycerol, diglycerol and glycerol oligomers; a polyacid component including citric acid; a surfactant selected from alkyl polyglycosides and mixtures of an anionic surfactant and a cationic surfactant, and an esterification catalyst; (b) introducing the expandable and thermosetting composition into a mold or applying the expandable composition to a support; and (c) heating the expandable and thermosetting composition at a temperature at least equal to 135 C. so as to react the polyol component with the polyacid component and form a block of thermoset polyester foam.

The present invention includes a hydrogel and a method of making a porous hydrogel by preparing an aqueous mixture of an uncrosslinked polymer and a crystallizable molecule; casting the mixture into a vessel; allowing the cast mixture to dry to form an amorphous hydrogel film; seeding the cast mixture with a seed crystal of the crystallizable molecule; growing the crystallizable molecule into a crystal structure within the uncrosslinked polymer; crosslinking the polymer around the crystal structure under conditions in which the crystal structure within the crosslinked polymer is maintained; and dissolving the crystals within the crosslinked polymer to form the porous hydrogel.

An expanded polypropylene resin particle includes a polypropylene resin (X) as a base resin, the polypropylene resin (X) containing a polypropylene resin (I) and a high density polyethylene resin (II). The polypropylene resin (I) has a melting point of 145 to 165 C., and the high density polyethylene resin (II) has a density of 0.93 to 0.97 g/cm.sup.3. The polypropylene resin (X) contains no or one foam nucleating agent.

The present invention includes a hydrogel and a method of making a porous hydrogel by preparing an aqueous mixture of an uncrosslinked polymer and a crystallizable molecule; casting the mixture into a vessel; allowing the cast mixture to dry to form an amorphous hydrogel film; seeding the cast mixture with a seed crystal of the crystallizable molecule; growing the crystallizable molecule into a crystal structure within the uncrosslinked polymer; crosslinking the polymer around the crystal structure under conditions in which the crystal structure within the crosslinked polymer is maintained; and dissolving the crystals within the crosslinked polymer to form the porous hydrogel.

A composition and method for making extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam is provided. The composition includes an infrared attenuation agent composition comprising conductive polymers to achieve an XPS foam having an improved thermal insulation performance. In some exemplary embodiments, the conductive polymers comprise doped polypyrrole and doped polyanniline. In some exemplary embodiments, the XPS foam includes a carbon dioxide-based blowing agent.

A hydrogel capable of desalinating seawater and a preparation method thereof. The hydrogel is a polymer polymerized by a monomer containing a hydrophilic group and a carbon-carbon double bond via carbon-carbon double bonds. A degree of crosslinking of the polymer is 0.01 to 0.2. The monomer accounts for 5 wt % to 50 wt % of a mass of the hydrogel. The preparation method includes: mixing a monomer with a pore-forming agent, a cross-linking agent, a initiator and a catalyst evenly, obtaining a mixed material, then transferring the mixed material into a die; conducting a polymerization for 2 to 3 hours at a temperature of 20 C. to 30 C. first, followed by increasing the temperature to continue the polymerization until the polymerization is completed; and obtaining the hydrogel capable of desalinating seawater. The method according is convenient and efficient, and has advantages of being used under special conditions such as earthquake relief work, maritime rescue and wild adventure.

A process of foaming a polyolefin, e.g., polyethylene, composition using as a nucleator a combination of (A) azodicarbonamide, and (B) a mixture of (1) a first component consisting of at least one of citric acid and an alkali metal citrate, and (2) a second component consisting of at least one of an alkali metal citrate, a di-alkali metal hydrogen citrate, an alkali metal dihydrogen citrate and an alkali metal bicarbonate, with the proviso that the mixture is not solely composed of alkali metal citrate.

A method for producing macro porous micro-clusters is proposed comprising at least the following individual steps in given order: a) synthesis of dispersed cross-linked polymeric latex primary particles starting from at least one monomer or oligomer using emulsion polymerization; b) swelling of the primary particles with a liquid comprising at least an additional charge of monomer and/or oligomer and a cross-linker, optionally further comprising functionalization agents; c) destabilization by increase of ionic strength (by adding a salt and/or acid and/or base) in a combination with application of shear, both being above the gel formation boundary of the phase diagram, until agglomerates composed of primary particles of the desired size are formed; d) polymerization of the agglomerates to form the macro porous micro-clusters. Furthermore the invention to relates to correspondingly produced micro-clusters and uses of such micro-clusters in particular for chromatographic purposes.

According to the present invention, there are provided a porous body comprising a porous silicone substrate having communicating pores and a three-dimensional network silicone skeleton which forms the pores and which is formed by a copolymerization of a bifunctional alkoxysilane and a trifunctional alkoxysilane, and a polymeric cover material covering at least a part of a surface of the silicone skeleton, and an a method for producing the porous body. The porous body of the present invention has high flexibility and is strong to tension.