An article is described comprising a first film layer comprising polylactic acid polymer (semicrystalline polylactic acid polymer; amorphous polylactic acid polymer; or a mixture thereof); a second (e.g. polyvinyl acetate) polymer having a Tg of at least 25° C.; plasticizer. In some embodiment, the film layer further comprises inorganic pigment and/or hydrolysis stabilizer. In other embodiments, the film has a net melting endotherm, ΔH.sub.nm1, of less than 10 J/g. Also described are methods of making a graphic film.

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.

Provided is a foam sheet including a composition including polylactic acid. The polylactic acid includes, as monomer units, D-lactic acid and L-lactic acid, and an amount of the D-lactic acid or the L-lactic acid in the polylactic acid is 90 mol % or greater but less than 98 mol %. An amount of the polylactic acid is 97% by mass or greater relative to a total amount of organic matter in the foam sheet. When the foam sheet is cut into a square test piece, and the test piece is heated and stored for 90 minutes in a hot air circulation dryer a temperature of which is maintained at 90° C.±2° C., a change rate of an area of the test piece before and after the heat storage is within ±15%. An average thickness of the foam sheet is 0.5 mm or greater.

Provided is a foam sheet includes a composition including polylactic acid. The polylactic acid includes, as monomer units. D-lactic acid and L-lactic acid, and an amount of the D-lactic acid or the L-lactic acid in the polylactic acid is 98 mol % or greater. An amount of the polylactic acid is 98% by mass or greater relative to a total amount of organic matter in the foam sheet. Bulk density of the foam sheet is 0.063 g/cm.sup.3 or greater but 0.125 g/cm.sup.3 or less.

A masterbatch is disclosed, along with associated methods, and biodegradable filaments, fibers, yarns and fabrics. The masterbatch includes 0.2 to 5 mass % CaCO.sub.3, an aliphatic polyester with a repeat unit having from two to six carbons in the chain between ester groups, with the proviso that the 2 to 6 carbons in the chain do not include side chain carbons, and a carrier polymer selected from the group consisting of PET, nylon, other thermoplastic polymers, and combinations thereof.

Expanded poly(lactide) (PLA) beads are made by pressurizing PLA beads with carbon dioxide at approximately room temperature, heating the beads under pressure to 90 to 160 C to saturate and partially crystallize the beads, and then depressurizing and cooling the beads. The PLA beads contain a blend of PLLA and PDLA in certain ratios. The beads are useful for making expanded bead foam.

Provided is a film including a thermoplastic resin, in which a relative permittivity of the film at a frequency of 1 GHz is 3 or less, a dielectric loss tangent of the film at a frequency of 1 GHz is 0.005 or less, and a molecular orientation (MOR) value of the film, which is measured by a microwave orientation meter, is in a range of 1 to 1.1.

The disclosure relates to a recyclable polyester composition including a polyester, an epoxide compound, and optionally a capping agent. The epoxide compound can be a sterically hindered epoxide and/or a polyfunctional epoxide. The capping agent can be selected and included based on its ability to react with in situ-generated hydroxy groups resulting from reaction with the polyester and the epoxide compound. The capping agent is included when the epoxide compound is a polyfunctional epoxide in order to control or limit branching during chain extension. The inclusion of the epoxide compound provides a controlled chain extension of the polyester subjected to thermal processing in a way that controls, limits, or prevents branching and crosslinking, but which also increases polymer molecular weight in a manner that offsets the molecular weight reduction associated with thermal processing in the absence of the disclosed epoxide compounds.

A water dispersible sulfo-polyamide is configured as a filament for use as an extrudable support material in the additive manufacture of a part comprising a non water dispersible polymer. The water dispersible sulfo-polyamide is a reaction product of a sulfo monomer, the water dispersible sulfo-polymer being dispersible in water resulting in separation of the water dispersible polymer from the part comprising the non water dispersible polymer.

The present invention relates to thermally expandable microspheres at least partially prepared from bio-based monomers and to a process of their manufacture. The microspheres comprise a thermoplastic polymer shell encapsulating a blowing agent, wherein the thermoplastic polymer shell comprises a polymer being a homo- or copolymer of a lactone according to formula (1): ##STR00001##
wherein each of R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4, separately from one another, is selected from the group consisting of H and an alkyl group preferably with 1-4 carbon atoms. The invention further provides expanded microspheres, which can be used in a variety of applications.