The present invention aims to provide a masterbatch for foam molding which can be suitably used in molding involving high shear force or molding requiring low molding temperature and which can provide a foam molded article having a high expansion ratio and good appearance quality. The present invention also aims to provide a foam molded article formed from the masterbatch for foam molding. Provided is a masterbatch for foam molding, containing: a base resin; and a thermally expandable microcapsule, the masterbatch having a true specific gravity of 0.80 g/cm.sup.3 or more and a Mooney viscosity ML 1+4 (100° C.) of 20 to 90, the base resin containing an EPDM resin, the masterbatch containing the thermally expandable microcapsule in an amount of 40 to 300 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the base resin.

The present invention aims to provide a masterbatch for foam molding which can be suitably used in molding involving high shear force or molding requiring low molding temperature and which can provide a foam molded article having a high expansion ratio and good appearance quality. The present invention also aims to provide a foam molded article formed from the masterbatch for foam molding. Provided is a masterbatch for foam molding, containing: a base resin; and a thermally expandable microcapsule, the masterbatch having a true specific gravity of 0.80 g/cm.sup.3 or more and a Mooney viscosity ML 1+4 (100° C.) of 20 to 90, the base resin containing an EPDM resin, the masterbatch containing the thermally expandable microcapsule in an amount of 40 to 300 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the base resin.

A polymer composition containing a polyamide resin, a metallic pigment, and a carrier is disclosed that exhibits a metallic appearance.

A method of forming a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) mixture with talc includes: providing a feed of PET (PET feed); providing a feed of talc (talc feed); mixing the feed of PET with the feed of talc in a mixer at a PET:talc ratio of about 3:1 to about 1:3 to form a PET/talc mixture; and providing the PET/talc mixture as output. A method of forming a Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) alloy having talc includes: providing a feed of the PET/talc mixture (PET/talc feed); providing a feed of PET (PET feed); mixing the feed of PET with the feed of PET/talc in a mixer to form a PET alloy having from about 1% (w/w) talc to about 50% talc (w/w); and providing the PET alloy as output.

The invention concerns a pigmentary preparation having universality of use in tinting plastics.

A method for forming a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composite by distributing carbon fibers or nanotubes into a molten polymer phase comprising one or more molten polymers; and applying a succession of shear strain events to the molten polymer phase so that the molten polymer phase breaks the carbon fibers successively with each event, producing reactive edges on the broken carbon fibers that react with and cross-link the one or more polymers. The composite shows improvements in mechanical properties, such as stiffness, strength and impact energy absorption.

The present invention relates to a moulding compound containing: A) at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate and polyester carbonate; B) a polymer containing B1) at least one rubber-modified vinyl(co)polymer containing B1.1) 80 to 95 wt. %, based on B1, of at least one vinyl monomer and B1.2) 5 to 20 wt. %, based on B1, of one or more rubber-elastic polybutadiene-containing graft foundations, wherein B1 contains polybutadiene-containing rubber particles, which are grafted with the vinyl monomers B1.1 and contain inclusions of vinyl(co)polymer consisting of the vinyl monomers B1.1, and a vinyl(co)polymer matrix which consists of the vinyl monomers B1.1 and is not bonded to these rubber particles and not enclosed in rubber particles, and optionally B2) further rubber particles, grafted with vinyl monomers, from B2.1) 5 to 75 wt. %, based on B.2, of at least one vinyl monomer grafted onto B2.2) 25 to 95 wt. %, based on B2, of one or more rubber-elastic graft foundations, wherein the weight ratio of the components B1 to B2 is at least 5:1; C) a master batch, which is solid at room temperature, containing C1) one or more copolymers containing structural units derived from an olefin and structural units derived from a polar comonomer; C2) a vulcanised silicone elastomer. The invention also relates to a method for preparing the moulding compound, to the use of the moulding compound for producing moulded bodies, and to the moulded bodies themselves.

Described are articles including treads and/or other tire components that are formed at least in part by rubber compositions having solid agglomerated material comprising disaggregated carbon nanotubes. Such rubber compositions include a diene rubber component and a solid agglomerated material comprising disaggregated carbon nanotubes that consist of a continuous network of carbon nanotubes that contains 1) voids and 2) aggregates of carbon nanotubes having a mean size d.sub.50 of less than 5 μm, the voids and the aggregates together in an amount that is less than 60% of a predetermined surface area, as determined by electron microscopy imagery analysis, the remainder being the disaggregated carbon nanotubes in the continuous network that do not comprise a clearly defined shape.

Described are articles including treads and/or other tire components that are formed at least in part by rubber compositions having solid agglomerated material comprising disaggregated carbon nanotubes. Such rubber compositions include a diene rubber component and a solid agglomerated material comprising disaggregated carbon nanotubes that consist of a continuous network of carbon nanotubes that contains 1) voids and 2) aggregates of carbon nanotubes having a mean size d.sub.50 of less than 5 μm, the voids and the aggregates together in an amount that is less than 60% of a predetermined surface area, as determined by electron microscopy imagery analysis, the remainder being the disaggregated carbon nanotubes in the continuous network that do not comprise a clearly defined shape.

The masterbatch contains a black pigment and a masterbatch thermoplastic resin, the masterbatch satisfying the following conditions: (Conditions) when a resin plate is produced by kneading 100 parts by weight of polypropylene having a melt flow rate of 30 g/10 min (JIS K7210:1999) and a density of 0.9 g/cm.sup.3 (JIS K7112:1999) with respect to 3 parts by weight of the masterbatch and subjecting the mixture to injection molding using a mold polished by a coated abrasive with a particle size of #800 (JIS R6001:1998), a* values and b* values of a surface of the resin plate in the L*a*b* color system satisfy specific conditions.