A seal assembly for a battery cell comprises a cross-linked grommet having an opening. A current collector has a head and a stem extending from the head, the stem and the grommet forming an interference fit at the opening. The grommet comprises a cross-linked polymer. A method of manufacturing a battery cell with a cross-linked grommet comprises forming a grommet comprising a precursor polymer material, thereby forming a pre-formed grommet, exposing the pre-formed grommet comprising the precursor polymer material to a cross-linking treatment, thereby forming a cross-linked grommet, and incorporating the cross-linked grommet in a battery cell.

A method for treating polymer particles is disclosed. Polymer particles and a liquid are provided. The method includes the following steps (a) and (b). (a) Mixing said polymer particles with said carrier liquid to form a dispersion of said particles in said carrier liquid at a concentration of at least 0.1 g/L, based on the volume of the dispersion. (b) Subjecting the dispersion to microfluidization treatment thereby causing particle stretching, particle size reduction and increasing the surface area per unit mass of the polymer particles. Also disclosed is a particulate composition comprising polymer particles mixed with nanoplates derived from a layered material, wherein the particulate composition has a BET surface area of at least 10 m.sup.2/g. Furthermore, there is disclosed a method for the manufacture of a component formed of a composite of a polymer with a dispersion of nanoplates. The particulate composition is provided as a precursor particulate. Then the precursor particulate is formed into the component.

Provided is an electrically conductive resin composition with which the characteristics inherent in a thermoplastic resin are easily retained and which exhibits more excellent electrical conductivity even if the blending amount of an electrically conductive filler is small. This electrically conductive resin composition contains a thermoplastic resin, such as a polycarbonate or a polyolefin, and an electrically conductive filler, such as a carbon nanotube. This electrically conductive resin composition further contains a dye, such as a perinone-based dye or a disazo-based dye, which is a component for improving electrical conductivity, and this electrically conductive resin composition can be obtained by kneading or molding a raw material mixture containing a thermoplastic resin, an electrically conductive filler, and a dye under a condition of a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the thermoplastic resin.

Methods for producing a polyamide having an optical absorber pendent from the polyamide's backbone (OAMB-polyamide) may comprise: esterifying a hydroxyl-pendent optical absorber with a halogen-terminal aliphatic acid to yield a halogen-terminal alkyl-optical absorber; and N-alkylating a polyamide with the halogen-terminal alkyl-optical absorber to yield the OAMB-polyamide. Other methods for producing an OAMB-polyamide may comprise: esterifying a carboxyl-pendent optical absorber with a halogen-terminal aliphatic alcohol to yield a halogen-terminal alkyl-optical absorber; and N-alkylating a polyamide with the modified optical absorber to yield a polyamide having the OAMB-polyamide.

Trimmer line compositions and methods for forming trimmer line compositions are provided. The trimmer line compositions include a biodegradable toughening agent and polycaprolactone and advantageously increase the degradability of the trimmer line with minimal-to-no impact on the performance of the composition as trimmer line.

Additive manufacturing processes, such as powder bed fusion of thermoplastic particulates, may be employed to form printed objects in a range of shapes. It is sometimes desirable to form conductive traces upon the surface of printed objects. Conductive traces and similar features may be introduced during additive manufacturing processes by incorporating a metal precursor in a thermoplastic printing composition, converting a portion of the metal precursor to discontinuous metal islands using laser irradiation, and performing electroless plating. Suitable printing compositions may comprise a plurality of thermoplastic particulates comprising a thermoplastic polymer, a metal precursor admixed with the thermoplastic polymer, and optionally a plurality of nanoparticles disposed upon an outer surface of each of the thermoplastic particulates, wherein the metal precursor is activatable to form metal islands upon exposure to laser irradiation. Melt emulsification may be used to form the thermoplastic particulates.

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.

Recycled carbon fibers are processed by rotational tumbling in a mixture with binder material to prepare fiber-containing particles having a dual-tapered shape and general alignment of fibers with a longitudinal direction of the particles. Bulk products including such fiber-containing particles are compounded with polymer and pelletized to prepare fiber-reinforced composite pellets, which are useful for applications such as injection molding to prepare molded products of carbon fiber-reinforced composite material with recycled carbon fibers.

A thermoplastic prepreg includes a mat, web, or fabric of fibers and hollow glass microspheres that are positioned atop the mat, web, or fabric of fibers or dispersed therein. The thermoplastic prepreg also includes a thermoplastic polymer that is fully impregnated through the mat, web, or fabric of fibers and the hollow glass microspheres so that the thermoplastic prepreg has a void content of less than 3% by volume of the thermoplastic prepreg. The thermoplastic material is polymerized monomers and oligomers in which greater than 90% by weight of the monomers or oligomers react to form the thermoplastic material.

A composite material which includes a thermoplastic matrix resin and carbon fibers A including carbon fiber bundles A1 in which Li/(Ni×Di.sup.2) satisfies 6.7×10.sup.1 to 3.3×10.sup.3, wherein the carbon fibers A have a fiber length of 5-100 mm and have a value of Lw.sub.A1/(N.sub.A1ave×D.sub.A1.sup.2) of 1.0×10.sup.2 to 3.3×10.sup.3, the carbon fiber bundles A1 having an average bundle width W.sub.A1 less than 3.5 mm and being contained in an amount of 90 vol % or larger with respect to the carbon fibers A A production method for producing a molded object from the composite material is also provided.