Polyurethane material for indicating pH at a locus, preferably as indication of presence of microbes, comprising a polyurethane network having immobilised therein one or more hydrophilic copolymers, the or each said copolymer comprising: hydrophilic monomer; and indicating monomer, which provides an indication in response to a change in hydrophilic state of said hydrophilic monomer and/or copolymer; characterised in that the or each copolymer further comprises one or a plurality of ionisable groups or moieties or polymerisable monomers having one or more characteristic pKa values in the range 5 to 10 and which are responsive to pH at the locus in the range pH 5 to pH 10 and in that hydrophilic state of hydrophilic copolymer is dependent on ionisation of said ionisable groups, moieties or monomers; kit and device comprising the material and process for preparation thereof; and use in detecting or sensing microbes or pH.

The present invention provides a polyol composition that can secure the stability over time even when a large amount of water is blended in the polyol composition; a flexible polyurethane foam that uses the polyol composition, is low in density and is excellent in durability; and a method for producing the same. The above objects are solved by a polyol composition for molding a flexible polyurethane foam, comprising a polyol component; a catalyst; a foam stabilizer; a foaming agent; and a compatibilizing agent, wherein the compatibilizing agent is an anionic surfactant which has a hydrophilic portion having an alkali metal salt, and which has a hydrophobic portion having an aromatic ring or alternatively a hydrophobic portion not having an aromatic ring but containing 8 or more carbon atoms in total.

A foamable composition including a polypropylene-based copolymer and a polyolefin is disclosed. The composition can be used to make a stiff foam with a high closed-cell content. Methods for producing the composition and the foam are provided.

A poly(arylene ether) copolymer is the product of oxidative copolymerization of monomers including a monohydric phenol and a dihydric phenol of the formula ##STR00001##
wherein R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, and R.sup.6 are as defined herein. The poly(arylene ether) copolymer includes less than 0.1 weight percent of incorporated amine groups. A method of the manufacture of a poly(arylene ether) copolymer is also disclosed. A curable composition including the poly(arylene ether) copolymer and cured products derived therefrom are also described.

The present invention relates to a foamed article comprising a polymer composition wherein the polymer composition comprises a first heterophasic propylene copolymer and an inorganic filler. The invention also relates to a process for the preparation of said foamed article and to the use of the foamed article for the preparation of automotive parts.

Disclosed herein is a foam composition comprising an olefin copolymer that comprises ethylene and an α-olefin or propylene and an α-olefin; an ionomer that comprises copolymer of ethylene and a carboxylic acid; where the ionomer is neutralized with a metal ion; a crosslinking agent; and a blowing agent. Disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing a foam composition comprising blending together an olefin copolymer that comprises ethylene and an α-olefin or propylene and an α-olefin; an ionomer that comprises copolymer of ethylene and a carboxylic acid; where the ionomer is neutralized with a metal ion; a crosslinking agent; and a blowing agent to form the foam composition; heating the composition to activate the blowing agent; and crosslinking the composition.

A mixture contains at least one polyether block amide (PEBA) and at least one poly(meth)acrylate, selected from poly(meth)acrylimides, poly-alkyl(meth)acrylates, and mixtures thereof. The mass ratio of PEBA to poly(meth)acrylate is 95:5 to 60:40. The polyalkyl(meth)acrylate contains 80% by weight to 99% by weight of methyl methacrylate (MMA) units and 1% by weight to 20% by weight of C1-C10-alkyl acrylate units, based on the total weight of polyalkyl(meth)acrylate. The mixture can be processed to give foamed mouldings. The mouldings can he used in footwear soles, stud material, insulation or insulating material, damping components, lightweight components, or in a sandwich structure.

A processing aid for foam molding comprising a copolymer obtained by the polymerization of 30 to 90% by weight of methyl methacrylate, 10 to 70% by weight total of one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of butyl methacrylate (BMA), pentyl methacrylate (PMA) and hexyl methacrylate (HMA), and 0 to 20% by weight of other copolymerizable monomers, the copolymer having a reduced viscosity measured according to ASTM D2857 at 1 mg/mL in chloroform at 25° C. of greater than 8 dL/g is provided.

A needle shield remover for a medicament delivery device is presented that has a metal tubular body, a proximal part, a distal part, and a substantially circular cross-section, where the tubular body is arranged with a slot extending from a distal end of the body, at least half the length of the body, towards a proximal end, such that at least the distal part of the body may flex radially outwards to exert a radially inwardly directed clamping force on a needle shield accommodated by the body.

The present invention can provide a fiber-reinforced expanded particle molded article having a reinforcing material fused and integrated with the surface of an expanded molded article, wherein the reinforcing material is a fabric or a braided product produced by weaving a linear composite material produced by melting and integrating a thermoplastic fiber comprising a low-melting component fiber and a high-melting component fiber, as two or more threads selected from the group consisting of a warp, a weft and a slant thread, the fiber-reinforced expanded particle molded article exhibiting an excellent reinforcing effect; and a method for economically producing the molded article by in-mold molding with a small number of steps.