A viscoelastic foam layer, comprising a polyurethane comprising: from about 15 weight parts to about 75 weight parts toluene diisocyanate (TDI) residues per 100 weight parts polyol residues; wherein the viscoelastic foam layer: has a density less than or equal to 2 pounds/cubic foot (0.032 g/cm.sup.3), has an air flow greater than or equal to 2.5 CFM (0.07 m.sup.3/min), has a recovery time greater than or equal to 4 seconds, has an indentation force deflection (IFD) less than or equal to 10 pounds/square foot (478.8 Pa), has a height loss less than or equal to 10% after prolonged compression of 90% of an original height. A method of making the viscoelastic foam layer. A body support article comprising the viscoelastic foam layer.

Recovery times and/or airflow of flexible polyurethane foam is increased by including certain tackifiers in the foam formulation. The tackifiers are characterized in being incompatible with polyol or polyol mixture used to make the foam, having a viscosity of at least 5,000 centipoise at 25 #C and having a glass transition temperature of at most 20 #C. The tackifier is pre-blended with certain monols to form a lower-viscosity blend that is combined with one or more other polyols and a polyisocyanate to form a reaction mixture for producing a polyurethane foam.

Methods of making a foamed article include: (a) milling a block or sheet of thermoplastic polymer to form a precursor; (b) crosslinking the thermoplastic polymer; (c) heating the precursor to a first temperature to soften the thermoplastic polymer; (d) infusing the thermoplastic polymer with at least one inert gas at a first pressure that is sufficient to cause the at least one inert gas to permeate into the softened thermoplastic polymer; and (e) while the thermoplastic polymer is softened, reducing the pressure to a second pressure below the first pressure to at least partially foam the precursor into a foamed article, wherein the foamed article is substantially the same shape as the precursor.

A closed loop recycling process of manufacturing a foam part includes dispersing a filler material recycled from an additive manufacturing (AM) process in at least one foam reactant and pouring or injecting the at least one foam reactant with the filler material into a mold and forming the foam part. The foam part has a foam matrix with between 2.5 wt. % and 30 wt. % of the filler material. The filler material can be a recycled powder from a selective laser sintering process that is not graded (i.e., sized) before being dispersed in the at least one foam reactant. For example, the recycled powder can be a recycled polyamide 12 (rPA12) powder with an average particle diameter of less than 100 micrometers. Also, the least one foam reactant can be a polyol reactant and an isocyanate reactant such that a polyurethane foam matrix with recycled rPA12 filler material is formed.

A macromonomeric stabilizer, a preparation method thereof, a method for preparing a polymeric polyol using same, and the polymeric polyol prepared. Also disclosed are a soft polyurethane foam obtained by foaming a composition of the polymeric polyol prepared and a polyisocyanate, and a molded product comprising the soft polyurethane foam. The preparation method of the macromonomeric stabilizer comprises the following steps: reacting a polyol with a tricarboxylate not comprising a polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated double bond, or a derivative thereof, to form an adduct; and reacting the resulting adduct with an epoxide comprising a polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated double bond. The macromonomeric stabilizer of the present invention has a low viscosity, comprises a plurality of active sites, and can be directly used in subsequent reactions. The preparation method of the macromonomeric stabilizer can be carried out under normal pressure, without the need for end-blocking with ethylene oxide.

Disclosed are cellulose-based flexible gels containing cellulose nanorods, ribbons, fibers, and the like, and cellulose-enabled inorganic or polymeric composites, wherein the gels have tunable optical, heat transfer, and stiffness properties. The disclosed gels are in the form of hydrogels, organogels, liquid-crystal (LC) gels, and aerogels, depending on the solvents in the gels.

A flexible cellular foam or composition contains a flexible foam structure that comprises a plurality of highly thermally conductive solids including nanomaterials. The thermally conductive solids may be carbon nanomaterials or other metallic or non-metallic solids. The carbon nanomaterials may include, but are not necessarily limited to, carbon nanotubes and graphite nanoplatelets. The highly thermally conductive solids may include but are not limited to micro-sized solids that may include graphite flakes, for example. When mixed within flexible foam, the presence of nanomaterials may impart greater support factor, greater thermal conductivity, and/or a combination of these improvements. The flexible foam composition may be polyurethane foam, latex foam, polyether polyurethane foam, viscoelastic foam, high resilient foam, polyester polyurethane foam, foamed polyethylene, foamed polypropylene, expanded polystyrene, foamed silicone, melamine foam, among others.

The present invention provides a nanocomposite hydrogel and a preparation method thereof, and relates to the field of nanocomposite materials. The nanocomposite hydrogel is prepared by mixing completely gelatinized short amylose with an aqueous gelatin solution having a mass concentration of 8%-14%, and then cooling. The present invention utilizes the nanoparticles formed by in-situ self-assembly of the short amylose in the aqueous gelatin solution as a reinforcing agent, and the nanoparticles are uniformly distributed in the hydrogel to form a stable crystallization system, such that the prepared nanocomposite hydrogel exhibits optimal mechanical properties in terms of viscoelasticity, hardness, compressive stress, etc. The preparation process of the present invention is green and environmentally friendly, simple and efficient, and can be widely applied to the fields of food, cosmetics and medicine.

A method of manufacturing a flexible intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite controlling for an effective pore size using removable pore-forming substances and physically incorporated, non-leaching antimicrobials. A flexible intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite controlled for an effective pore size composited physically incorporated, high-surface area, non-leaching antimicrobials, optionally in which the physically incorporated non-leaching antimicrobial exposes nanopillars on its surface to enhance antimicrobial activity. A kit that enhances the effectiveness of the intrinsically antimicrobial absorbent porosic composite by storing the composite within an antimicrobial container.

A polymer composition may include an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) polymer at an amount ranging from 10 to 90 phr; an elastomeric EVA composition at an amount ranging from 10 to 90 phr; a plasticizer at an amount ranging from 5 to 40 phr; a blowing agent in an amount ranging from 2 to 10 phr; and a peroxide in an amount ranging from 0.3 to 4 phr.