Polyphenylene sulfide microparticles have a linseed oil absorption amount of 40 to 1,000 mL/100 g and a number average particle diameter of 1 to 200 μm. The porous PPS microparticles have a large specific surface area and therefore promote fusion of particles when molded into various molded bodies by applying thermal energy, thus enabling formation or molding of a coating layer of particles at a lower temperature in a shorter time. The porous PPS microparticles have a porous shape and therefore enable scattering light in multiple directions and suppression of specific reflection of reflected light in a specific direction, thus making it possible to impart shading effect and matte effect when added to a medium.

A fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin molded article includes (A) carbon fibers, (B) graphite and (C) a thermoplastic resin, wherein the carbon fibers (A), the graphite (B) and the thermoplastic resin (C) are contained in amounts of 1 to 30 parts by weight, 1 to 40 parts by weight and 30 to 98 parts by weight, respectively, relative to 100 parts by weight, of the carbon fibers (A), the graphite (B) and the thermoplastic resin (C), the weight average fiber length of the carbon fibers (A) is 0.3 to 3 mm and the specific gravity of the molded article is 1.1 to 1.9 g/cm.sup.3. The fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin molded article has excellent bending strength and heat conductivity.

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 microp articles, single-layer graphene nanoparticles, multilayer 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.

A polyarylene sulfide resin composition including a polyarylene sulfide (A) and an alkaline earth metal organic carboxylate (B) in an amount of 0.001 to 10 mol % based on the formula —(Ar—S)—, a repeating unit of polyarylene sulfide, wherein the polyarylene sulfide (A) has a weight average molecular weight of 10,000 or more and a weight reduction during heating that satisfies the equation ΔWr=(W.sub.1−W.sub.2)/W.sub.1×100≦0.18 (%), wherein ΔWr is a weight reduction ratio (%) determined by a thermogravimetric analysis performed in a non-oxidizing atmosphere under normal pressure at a temperature rise rate of 20° C./min from 50° C. to any temperature equal to or higher than 330° C., wherein W.sub.1 is a sample weight at 100° C., and W.sub.2 is a sample weight at 330° C.

The present invention is directed to a battery including a solid ionically conductive polymer electrolyte having a first surface and a second surface; a first electrode disposed on the first surface of the solid ionically conductive polymer electrolyte; a second electrode disposed on the second surface of the solid ionically conductive polymer electrolyte; and at least a first conductive terminal and a second conductive terminal, each terminal being in electrical contact with respectively the first conductive electrode and the second conductive electrode. The invention is also directed to a material including a polymer; a dopant; and at least one compound including an ion source; wherein a liberation of a plurality of ions from the ion source provides a conduction mechanism to form an ionically conductive polymer material. The present invention is further directed to methods for making such batteries and materials.

A textile product and a method of manufacturing a composite object therefrom includes interacting a granular material with a textile material, with the textile material impregnated with the elements of the granular material forming a textile product, and introducing the textile product into a molding process so as to form the composite object therefrom. The granular material includes elements including a matrix material having a plurality of reinforcing fibers received therein, the elements of the granular material having a melt viscosity of between about 5 and about 15 grams per 10 minutes and a particle size distribution with a range in particle size of between about 50 and about 595 micrometers.

Disclosed are porous elements that include sintered polymeric particles. The polymeric particles can be formed of a thermoplastic composition that includes a polyarylene sulfide. The polymeric particles sintered to form the porous elements have a very narrow size distribution. The porous elements can maintain their functionality and morphology even when utilized in high temperature applications.

To provide an opened carbon fibre bundle having a good fibre-opening state and excellent resin impregnation properties. An opened carbon fibre bundle comprising a carbon fibre bundle comprising a plurality of carbon fibres and coated particles arranged between the carbon fibres, wherein the coated particles comprise core particles and a synthetic resin coating that covers at least a part of the surface of the core particles, and the core particles are integrally bonded to the carbon fibre surface via the synthetic resin coating.

A production method for a separated fiber bundle includes at least: [A] a partial separation step for obtaining a partially separated fiber bundle in which separation-processed parts, each separated into a plurality of bundles, and not-separation-processed parts are alternately formed along the lengthwise direction of a fiber bundle comprising a plurality of single fibers; and [B] a cutting step for cutting the not-separation-processed parts of the partially separated fiber bundle formed in the step [A] along the lengthwise direction of the fiber bundle. A separated fiber bundle produced by the method, a fiber-reinforced resin molding material that uses the separated fiber bundle, and a production method for the fiber-reinforced resin molding material.

A resin composition is provided and includes (A) a modified polyphenylene ether compound terminal-modified with a substituent having a carbon-carbon unsaturated double bond, (B) a maleimide compound containing no phenylmaleimide group and having a hydrocarbon group having 10 or more carbon atoms in the molecule thereof, and (C) at least one selected from a maleimide compound containing a phenylmaleimide group and a maleimide compound having an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 9 or less carbon atoms in the molecule thereof, in which the content ratio of the component (A) to the component (B) is (A):(B)=20:80 to 90:10 in mass ratio.