This invention relates to monodisperse cross-linked polymer particles, comprising particles with a substantially smooth outer surface and an average diameter of less than 1 μm, wherein the particles are solid or porous, and wherein the coefficient of variation (CV) % of the particles, when measured by CPS disk centrifugation analysis, is less than 15%. These monodisperse cross-linked polymer particles may comprise magnetic material and are useful in various application. This invention also relates to monodisperse polymer particles for use as seed particles in the Ugelstad process.

Brominated vinylaromatic-diene block copolymers (Br-SBC) comprising a vinylaromatic polymer block S and a brominated diene polymer block BB, wherein before bromination the weight-average molar mass M.sub.w of the block S is greater than or equal to M.sub.w of the block BB, use thereof as flame retardants, and also polymer compositions comprising these for unfoamed and foamed thermoplastic polymers, for example EPS and XPS.

Brominated vinylaromatic-diene block copolymers (Br-SBC) comprising a vinylaromatic polymer block S and a brominated diene polymer block BB, wherein before bromination the weight-average molar mass M.sub.w of the block S is greater than or equal to M.sub.w of the block BB, use thereof as flame retardants, and also polymer compositions comprising these for unfoamed and foamed thermoplastic polymers, for example EPS and XPS.

A process is provided for producing a structure into which blood or other bio-fluids can flow by capillary action, e.g. for a whole blood microsampling probe. The process comprises mixing particles of novolak resin and particles of hydrocarbon polymer, producing an uncarbonized structure from the mixture by pressurised moulding and carbonizing the moulded structure, the hydrocarbon resin being a polymer such as polystyrene that on pyrolysis has a zero carbon yield, and the particles of the hydrocarbon polymer leaving voids in the carbonized structure of sufficient size for flow of whole blood into and through the structure. The particles may be of partly cured and milled novolak resin, the novolak particles when in the moulded structure not exhibiting bulk flow during carbonization but sintering at inter-particle contact points during carbonization to provide a consolidated structure. In this variant, ethylene glycol may be used as a sintering aid. Alternatively, the particles may be of fully cured and milled novolak resin, and are mixed with the hydrocarbon polymer , the lubricant and with a binder such as lignin for providing a consolidated structure.

A process is provided for producing a structure into which blood or other bio-fluids can flow by capillary action, e.g. for a whole blood microsampling probe. The process comprises mixing particles of novolak resin and particles of hydrocarbon polymer, producing an uncarbonized structure from the mixture by pressurised moulding and carbonizing the moulded structure, the hydrocarbon resin being a polymer such as polystyrene that on pyrolysis has a zero carbon yield, and the particles of the hydrocarbon polymer leaving voids in the carbonized structure of sufficient size for flow of whole blood into and through the structure. The particles may be of partly cured and milled novolak resin, the novolak particles when in the moulded structure not exhibiting bulk flow during carbonization but sintering at inter-particle contact points during carbonization to provide a consolidated structure. In this variant, ethylene glycol may be used as a sintering aid. Alternatively, the particles may be of fully cured and milled novolak resin, and are mixed with the hydrocarbon polymer , the lubricant and with a binder such as lignin for providing a consolidated structure.

The present disclosure provides thermally expandable microspheres at least partially prepared from bio-based monomers and a process of their manufacture. The microspheres include a thermoplastic polymer shell encapsulating a blowing agent. The thermoplastic polymer shell includes a copolymer of an itaconate dialkylester and at least one aliphatic or aromatic mono-ethylenically unsaturated comonomer. The itaconate dialkylester has the formula (1): ##STR00001## where each of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, separately from one another, is an alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, and the copolymer includes 0-50 wt. % of vinyl aromatic comonomers, based on the total weight of the comonomers. The present disclosure further provides expanded microspheres usable in a variety of applications.

The present disclosure provides thermally expandable microspheres at least partially prepared from bio-based monomers and a process of their manufacture. The microspheres include a thermoplastic polymer shell encapsulating a blowing agent. The thermoplastic polymer shell includes a copolymer of an itaconate dialkylester and at least one aliphatic or aromatic mono-ethylenically unsaturated comonomer. The itaconate dialkylester has the formula (1): ##STR00001## where each of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, separately from one another, is an alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, and the copolymer includes 0-50 wt. % of vinyl aromatic comonomers, based on the total weight of the comonomers. The present disclosure further provides expanded microspheres usable in a variety of applications.

The present invention provides expanded beads of thermoplastic polyurethane, wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane constituting the expanded beads is an ether-based thermoplastic polyurethane, and a difference (T.sub.1−T.sub.2) between a melting peak temperature (T.sub.1) and a melting peak temperature (T.sub.2) is from 0 to 8° C., wherein the melting peak temperature (T.sub.1) is a melting peak temperature at the time of first heating in a DSC curve obtained by heating the expanded beads from 20° C. to 260° C. at a heating rate of 10° C./min, the melting peak temperature (T.sub.2) is a melting peak temperature at the time of second heating in a DSC curve obtained by cooling from 260° C. to 20° C. at a cooling rate of 10° C./min after the first heating and further heating again from 20° C. to 260° C. at a heating rate of 10° C./min, and the DSC curves are obtained by the heat flux differential scanning calorimetry in conformity with JIS K7121-1987. The expanded beads of thermoplastic polyurethane not only have excellent surface appearance and fusion bonding properties but also have a low shrinkage factor.

The present invention provides expanded beads of thermoplastic polyurethane, wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane constituting the expanded beads is an ether-based thermoplastic polyurethane, and a difference (T.sub.1−T.sub.2) between a melting peak temperature (T.sub.1) and a melting peak temperature (T.sub.2) is from 0 to 8° C., wherein the melting peak temperature (T.sub.1) is a melting peak temperature at the time of first heating in a DSC curve obtained by heating the expanded beads from 20° C. to 260° C. at a heating rate of 10° C./min, the melting peak temperature (T.sub.2) is a melting peak temperature at the time of second heating in a DSC curve obtained by cooling from 260° C. to 20° C. at a cooling rate of 10° C./min after the first heating and further heating again from 20° C. to 260° C. at a heating rate of 10° C./min, and the DSC curves are obtained by the heat flux differential scanning calorimetry in conformity with JIS K7121-1987. The expanded beads of thermoplastic polyurethane not only have excellent surface appearance and fusion bonding properties but also have a low shrinkage factor.

A cross-linked SBR microsphere binder and a preparation method, and a lithium-ion battery containing the binder, the cross-linked SBR microsphere binder has a porous cross-linked structure, the cross-linked SBR microsphere has a particle size of 10 nm-1 μm, and a porosity of 0.01%-40%, and a pore diameter of the pore is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 200 nm. The lithium-ion battery containing the binder has advantages of better rate performance, low temperature performance, fast charge performance, and long cycle performance, compared with a lithium-ion battery containing a conventional SBR binder.