A sized reinforcing filler, comprising a filler and a sizing agent disposed on at least a portion of the filler, to be used for reinforcement for plastics is disclosed. The sizing agent is based upon at least one of a polyvinyl alcohol, an ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer, a silane-grafted polyvinyl alcohol and a silane-grafted ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer, a silane-grafted polyvinyl alcohol and a silane-grafted ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer. The polyvinyl alcohol is useful as a size for all types of fibers and particles to reinforce all types of commodity and engineering plastics, particularly polyolefin resins, to form polymer composites. As such, polymer composites reinforced with such sized reinforcing fillers, as well as articles, components, and products including such polymers composites, are also disclosed.

Embodiments of the present technology may include a method of making a thermoplastic composite concentrates. The method may include melting a low-viscosity reactive resin to form a molten reactive resin. The method may also include fully impregnating a plurality of continuous fibers with the molten reactive resin in an impregnation device. The method may further include polymerizing the molten reactive resin to form a thermoplastic composite strand. In addition, the method may include chopping the thermoplastic composite strand into a plurality of pellets to form a plurality of thermoplastic composite concentrates.

A partially separated fiber bundle having a surface of a reinforcing fiber coated with a sizing agent containing a water-soluble polyamide-based resin, in which a separated fiber section consisting of a plurality of separated fiber bundles and an unseparated fiber section are provided alternately along a longitudinal direction of the reinforcing fiber bundle consisting of a plurality of single yarns, wherein the reinforcing fiber bundle contains 600 fibers/mm or more and less than 1,600 fibers/mm of fibers per unit width while the reinforcing fiber has a drape level of 120 mm or more and 240 mm or less.

A method of classifying a plastic, wherein the plastic is plasticized by supplying plasticizing energy in the form of mechanical and/or thermal energy with an increase in a temperature of the plastic from an initial temperature value to a final temperature value, a volume and/or a mass of the plastic and the supplied plasticizing energy is detected as measurement parameters by measurement means, in dependence on the detected measurement parameters, the initial temperature value, and the final temperature value at least one of the following is ascertained: a thermal capacity of the plastic and/or a change in enthalpy of the plastic and/or a parameter which can be derived by calculation from the thermal capacity and/or the change in enthalpy, and a plastic group including the plastic is identified on the basis of the ascertained thermal capacity and/or the ascertained change in enthalpy and/or the parameter which can be derived therefrom by calculation.

A graphene-reinforced polymer matrix composite comprising an essentially uniform distribution in a thermoplastic polymer of about 10% to about 50% of total composite weight of particles selected from graphite microparticles, single-layer graphene nanoparticles, multi-layer graphene nanoparticles, and combinations thereof, where at least 50 wt % of the particles consist of single- and/or multi-layer graphene nanoparticles less than 50 nanometers thick along a c-axis direction. The graphene-reinforced polymer matrix is prepared by a method comprising (a) distributing graphite microparticles into a molten thermoplastic polymer phase comprising one or more matrix polymers; and (b) applying a succession of shear strain events to the molten polymer phase so that the matrix polymers exfoliate the graphite successively with each event until at least 50% of the graphite is exfoliated to form a distribution in the molten polymer phase of single- and multi-layer graphene nanoparticles less than 50 nanometers thick along a c-axis direction.

Plastic powder for use as a building material for manufacturing a three-dimensional object by layer-by-layer melting and solidification by hardening of the building material at the positions corresponding to the cross-section of the three-dimensional object in the respective layer by exposure to radiation, preferably by exposure to NIR radiation, wherein the plastic powder comprises a dry blend of polymer-based particles and particles of a NIR absorber, wherein the NIR absorber comprises carbon black or is carbon black and wherein the weight percentage of carbon black in the total weight of polymer and carbon black particles is in the range of at least 0.02% and at most 0.45%, and/or wherein the carbon black has a mean primary particle diameter in the range of from 15 nm to 70 nm, preferably of at least 26 nm and/or at most 58 nm.

Described herein are solvents and co-solvents comprising anhydromevalonolactone (aMVL) and various industrial applications for such solvents. aMVL has a number of advantageous properties for use in solvent, including high boiling point, low melting point, low viscosity, non-flammability, water solubility, exceptionally low volatility, and excellent solvation capability. Exemplary industrial applications for solvents comprising aMVL include polymer manufacturing, polymer recycling, mold production, fiber production, membrane manufacturing, thermosetting paint manufacturing, coating manufacturing, coating removal, paint strippers, cleaning products, degreasing products, nitrile synthesis, alkylation, production of syngas, carbon-carbon cross-coupling reactions, metal organic framework synthesis, halogenation reactions, formation of pharmaceuticals, formation of fungicides and/or herbicides, seed treatment products, bioregulators, and electrolytes in batteries or capacitors.

A method of synthesizing polyamide microparticles may comprise: dehydrating and shearing a mixture comprising a matrix fluid, an emulsion stabilizer at about 0.01 wt % to about 50 wt % based on the weight of the matrix fluid, a solvent at about 13 wt % to about 75 wt % based on the weight of the matrix fluid, and a cyclic amide monomer at about 20 wt % to about 90 wt % based on the weight of the matrix fluid to yield an emulsion having a water content of about 1 wt % or less based on the total weight of the emulsion; adding a deprotonating agent to the emulsion at a concentration of about 0.01 wt % to about 1 wt % based on the weight of the matrix fluid; and contacting the emulsion with a polymerization initiator under conditions effective to polymerize the cyclic amide monomer into a plurality of polyamide microparticles.

The present disclosure relates to articles for transmitting and/or receiving radio waves therethrough having a frequency in the range of 0.5 GHz to 81 GHz. The recyclable articles include a thermoplastic resin including a polyamide and provide low signal attenuation of the radio waves transmitted or received therethrough. The article can include a colorant dispersed in the thermoplastic resin, wherein the colorant is substantially free of metals and metal-containing compounds; the article can include a paint, ink, or colored coating on an exterior thereof, wherein the paint, ink, and colored coating are substantially free of metals and metal-containing compounds; or a combination thereof.

Aerogel filled polymeric composites, methods of making and uses thereof are described. A polymeric composite material can include a continuous polymeric matrix and a discontinuous phase that includes a plurality of polymeric aerogel particles dispersed within the continuous polymeric matrix.