The invention relates to the field concerning the treatment of plant material, particularly plant material for propagation or reproduction e.g. seeds. The method of the invention comprises the application, to all or part of the surface of plant material, of an aqueous dispersion comprising (a) particles of at least one water-swellable polymer and (b) at least one compound selected from among a mineral salt, organic salt, dispersant organic polymer and mixtures thereof. The invention also relates to this treated plant material and to use thereof for cultivating or producing a plant.

The invention relates to the field concerning the treatment of plant material, particularly plant material for propagation or reproduction e.g. seeds. The method of the invention comprises the application, to all or part of the surface of plant material, of an aqueous dispersion comprising (a) particles of at least one water-swellable polymer and (b) at least one compound selected from among a mineral salt, organic salt, dispersant organic polymer and mixtures thereof. The invention also relates to this treated plant material and to use thereof for cultivating or producing a plant.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing: a metal surface treatment agent which can form a film having excellent corrosion resistance and excellent hydrophilicity on or over a surface of a metal material; a method of producing a metal material having a film by using the metal surface treatment agent; and a metal material having a film, which is obtained by the method. A chemical agent, which contains prescribed amounts of a water-soluble or water-dispersible resin (A) and a compound (B) having a nitrile group and an amino group, is capable of forming a film having excellent corrosion resistance and excellent hydrophilicity on or over a surface of a metal material and, therefore, can solve the above-described problem.

A method of applying a gas-impermeable coating includes forming a polyelectrolyte complex suspension. The polyelectrolyte complex suspension is applied to a substrate. The substrate having the polyelectrolyte complex applied thereon is treated. The treating reduces salt content of the polyelectrolyte complex. The treating results in a gas-impermeable coating being formed on the substrate.

A method of applying a gas-impermeable coating includes forming a polyelectrolyte complex suspension. The polyelectrolyte complex suspension is applied to a substrate. The substrate having the polyelectrolyte complex applied thereon is treated. The treating reduces salt content of the polyelectrolyte complex. The treating results in a gas-impermeable coating being formed on the substrate.

Systems and methods utilizing water soluble (aqueous) PAA-based polymer binders for silicon-dominant anodes may include an electrode coating layer on a current collector, where the electrode coating layer is formed from silicon and a pyrolyzed water soluble PAA-based polymer blend, wherein the water soluble PAA-based polymer blend comprises PAA and one or more additional water-soluble polymer components. The electrode coating layer may include more than 70% silicon and the anode may be in a lithium ion battery.

Systems and methods utilizing water soluble (aqueous) PAA-based polymer binders for silicon-dominant anodes may include an electrode coating layer on a current collector, where the electrode coating layer is formed from silicon and a pyrolyzed water soluble PAA-based polymer blend, wherein the water soluble PAA-based polymer blend comprises PAA and one or more additional water-soluble polymer components. The electrode coating layer may include more than 70% silicon and the anode may be in a lithium ion battery.

Disclosed is a preparation method of an all-weather self-healing stretchable conductive material, which uses acrylic acid and modified polyglutamic acid as a substrate, adds Fe.sup.3+ to form coordination, adjusts the volume ratio of water and glycerin, and heats to generate radical polymerization, so as to obtain a uniform double-layer three-dimensional network structure. The obtained polyacrylic acid and polyglutamic acid composite hydrogel has good mechanical properties and characteristics of rapid self-healing. A composite carbon film is prepared by depositing a metal layer of 20 nm to 80 nm thick on a single-layer aligned carbon film by magnetron sputtering, and then the composite hydrogel is adhered to each of the upper and lower sides of the composite carbon film respectively to form an all-weather self-healing stretchable conductive material of a sandwich structure. The preparation method of the invention is simple, the source of raw materials is plenty, and the obtained materials have good electrical and mechanical properties and have broad application prospects in the fields of flexible stretchable devices, wearable devices, and soft-bodied robots and the like.

Disclosed is a preparation method of an all-weather self-healing stretchable conductive material, which uses acrylic acid and modified polyglutamic acid as a substrate, adds Fe.sup.3+ to form coordination, adjusts the volume ratio of water and glycerin, and heats to generate radical polymerization, so as to obtain a uniform double-layer three-dimensional network structure. The obtained polyacrylic acid and polyglutamic acid composite hydrogel has good mechanical properties and characteristics of rapid self-healing. A composite carbon film is prepared by depositing a metal layer of 20 nm to 80 nm thick on a single-layer aligned carbon film by magnetron sputtering, and then the composite hydrogel is adhered to each of the upper and lower sides of the composite carbon film respectively to form an all-weather self-healing stretchable conductive material of a sandwich structure. The preparation method of the invention is simple, the source of raw materials is plenty, and the obtained materials have good electrical and mechanical properties and have broad application prospects in the fields of flexible stretchable devices, wearable devices, and soft-bodied robots and the like.

The present invention provides a high PVC aqueous coating composition that provides coatings with improved beading effect and good stain resistance.