Crosslinkable interpolymer blends comprising ethylene monomer residues, residues of comonomers having carboxylic acid and/or carboxylic acid anhydride functionality, and residues of comonomers having epoxide functionality, a peroxide initiator, and optionally a crosslinking catalyst, which, in embodiments, cure to a gel content of greater than (>) 50 wt % within less than 1.5 minutes at 200C, and require little or no degassing after crosslinking

This invention relates to a process for forming a long-chain branched polymer and a long-chain branched polymer resulting from the process. The process comprises reacting (a) a polyolefin base polymer with (b) a coupling agent comprising a polymeric coupling agent, optionally blended with a molecular coupling agent, the polymeric coupling agent being a modified polyolefin having a reactive coupling group at one or more terminal ends of the modified polyolefin chain, to couple the polyolefin base polymer (a) with the coupling agent (b) to form a long-chain branched polymer having a long-chain branching and/or higher surface energy relative to the polyolefin base polymer.

The invention relates to a process for assembling and repositioning at least two parts by means of a repositionable hot melt adhesive, wherein said parts are held together in assembled position when said adhesive is at a temperature T.sub.A and can be repositioned in relation to one another when said adhesive is heated to a temperature T.sub.C, wherein said adhesive comprises at least a formulation, which: at the temperature T.sub.C has the form of a mixture of polymer chains comprising at least pendant diene units X and of coupling molecules comprising at least two dienophile end groups Y, wherein said X units and said Y groups are arranged to be able to react with one another and to bond together by means of the Diels-Alder reaction at a temperature T.sub.DA and to be able to regenerate by means of the retro-Diels-Alder reaction at a temperature T.sub.RDA, at a temperature T.sub.A has the form of a three-dimensional network, in which the polymer chains are linked to one another by the coupling molecules by means of the Diels-Alder reaction, where T.sub.A<T.sub.RDAT.sub.C, where T.sub.DA ranges between 0 C. and 100 C. and T.sub.RDA ranges between 50 C. and 200 C., and T.sub.DA is strictly lower than T.sub.RDA. The polymer chain is a block copolymer comprising at least a first polymer block having a glass transition temperature Tg or a melting temperature Tf ranging between 40 C. and 200 C., and at least a second polymer block comprising at least pendant diene units X and having a glass transition temperature Tg or a melting temperature Tf lower than T.sub.DA.

Provided are a block copolymer having a narrow molecular weight distribution such that the copolymer can be used in a DSA technique, a block copolymer intermediate thereof, and methods for producing the same. A block copolymer intermediate represented by the general formula (1) or (2): ##STR00001##
wherein, in the formulae (1) and (2), each of R.sup.1 and R.sup.3 independently represents a polymerization initiator residue, each of R.sup.2 and R.sup.4 independently represents an aromatic group or an alkyl group, Y.sup.1 represents a polymer block of (a)an (meth)acrylic acid ester, Y.sup.2 represents a polymer block of styrene or a derivative thereof, L represents an alkylene group or a phenylene group, X represents a halogen group, and each of m and n independently represents an integer of 1 to 5.

A block copolymer represented by General Formula (n1) in which A represents a first polymer block, B represents a second polymer block, R.sup.1c and R.sup.1d each independently represents a substrate adsorptive group-containing group, R.sup.2c and R.sup.2d each independently represents a substituent other than the substrate adsorptive group-containing group, m1 and n1 each independently represents an integer of 0 to 5, m2 and n2 each independently represents an integer of 0 to 5, m1+n11, m1+m25, and n1+n25

##STR00001##

Concentrates containing specific functionalized diblock copolymers serve as effective additives for improving the cold flow behavior of fuels and oils, the copolymers being derived from a terminally-unsaturated intermediate polymer obtained via a metallocene process involving hydrogen.

A process of forming a macromolecular block copolymer includes forming a first high molecular weight polymer using a first extruder of an extruder system that includes multiple extruders. The first extruded high molecular weight polymer has a first length terminating at a joiner of the extruder system and has a first set of material properties along the first length. The process also includes forming a second high molecular weight polymer using a second extruder of the extruder system. The second extruded high molecular weight polymer has a second length terminating at the joiner of the extruder system and has a second set of material properties along the second length. The process further includes bonding the first extruded high molecular weight polymer to the second extruded high molecular weight polymer to form a macromolecular block copolymer having a first segment of the first length and a second segment of the second length.

A process of forming a macromolecular block copolymer includes forming a first high molecular weight polymer of a first length. The first high molecular weight polymer includes a first set of side-chain functional groups and has a first characteristic rigidity value along the first length. The process also includes forming a second high molecular weight polymer of a second length. The second high molecular weight polymer includes a second set of side-chain functional groups and has a second characteristic rigidity value along the second length that is less than the first characteristic rigidity value. The process further includes bonding the second high molecular weight polymer to the first high molecular weight polymer.

This invention relates to a process for forming a long-chain branched polymer and a long-chain branched polymer resulting from the process. The process comprises reacting (a) a polyolefin base polymer with (b) a coupling agent comprising a polymeric coupling agent, optionally blended with a molecular coupling agent, the polymeric coupling agent being a modified polyolefin having a reactive coupling group at one or more terminal ends of the modified polyolefin chain, to couple the polyolefin base polymer (a) with the coupling agent (b) to form a long-chain branched polymer having a long-chain branching and/or higher surface energy relative to the polyolefin base polymer.

A polyolefin-polybutadiene block-copolymer and a tire tread composition comprising the polyolefin-polybutadiene block-copolymer, the composition comprising, by weight of the composition, within the range from 15 to 60 wt % of a styrenic copolymer, processing oil, filler, a curative agent, and from 4 to 20 wt % of a polyolefin-polybutadiene block-copolymer, wherein the polyolefin-polybutadiene block-copolymer is a block copolymer having the general formula PO-XL-fPB; where PO is a polyolefin block having a weight average molecular weight within the range from 1000 to 150,000 g/mole, the fPB is a functionalized polar polybutadiene block having a weight average molecular weight within the range from 500 to 30,000 g/mole, and XL is a cross-linking moiety that covalently links the PO and fPB blocks; and wherein the maximum Energy Loss (Tangent Delta) of the immiscible polyolefin domain is a temperature within the range from 30 C. to 10 C.