The present invention relates to a cable jacket composition comprising an expandable and crosslinkable jacket blend of: a polymer composition comprising a polyolefin material, which polyolefin material bears silane moieties, and a foaming system, wherein the provided jacket blend will comprise at least 0.1% by weight of a foaming agent, with respect to the total weight of the polyolefin material; cable jacket; cable, e.g. a power cable or a communication cable; and uses thereof.

The invention relates to multi-layer articles consisting of at least one layer of a foamed fluoropolymer. The article is formed by co-extrusion in which the foamed layer is coextruded as a foam, and not foamed in a secondary process. Preferably the fluoropolymer foam is a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), such as KYNAR PVDF from Arkema Inc. The article could be sized into a specific shape during the manufacturing process. Useful multi-layer articles of the invention include pipe, tube, sheet, profile, film, jacketing or any other multilayer foam-core articles are especially useful.

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 foamed thermoplastic material includes a thermoplastic material exhibiting, in its unfoamed state, a particular flammability index, flame growth rate, and specific extinction area. The foamed thermoplastic material further includes a plurality of cells having a number average mean diameter of 5 to 150 micrometers present in an amount effective to provide the foamed thermoplastic material with a density that is 10 to 90 percent of the density of the unfoamed thermoplastic material. The foamed thermoplastic material exhibits a desirable tensile elongation and dielectric constant. A process for forming the foamed thermoplastic material, articles including the foamed thermoplastic material, and an article-forming process are also described.

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, the base resin containing an olefin elastomer, 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 invention relates to a film laminate, including at least one compact decorative layer with a lacquer layer on the upper side and with a foam layer on the underside, where the density of the foam layer is more than 500 kg/m.sup.3. The invention further relates to the use of said film laminate for the coating of components for the interior trim of motor vehicles and to interior trim parts of motor vehicles provided with said film laminate. The foam layer is based on a composition which includes from 15 to 60 parts by weight of at least one thermoplastic vulcanizate, from 15 to 35 parts by weight of at least one high melt strength polyolefin, and from 30 to 60 parts by weight of at least one low density polyethylene (LDPE).

A chemical blowing agent for foaming a thermoplastic polymer, for example PVC plastisol or a polymer resin in an extrusion process, said chemical blowing agent comprising a functionalized particulate bicarbonate containing at least one polyoxyalkylene additive, preferably excluding an exothermic blowing agent. The polyoxyalkylene additive may be selected from the group consisting of polyoxyalkylenes, any derivative thereof, salts thereof, and any combinations thereof. The particulate bicarbonate may be preferably functionalized by spray-coating, extrusion or co-grinding with at least one polyoxyalkylene additive. The functionalized particulate bicarbonate may comprise 50 wt % to less than 100 wt % of the bicarbonate component, and 0.02-50 wt % of the additive. The functionalized particulate bicarbonate may further comprise 0.1-5 wt % silica. A foamable polymer composition comprising such chemical blowing agent. A process for manufacturing a foamed polymer, such as foamed PVC, comprising shaping and heating the foamable polymer composition, and a foamed polymer obtained by such process.

A polyolefin composition is foamed by a process in which a nucleator is used, and the nucleator comprises 80% or more of unagglomerated fluororesin particles and/or agglomerates of fluororesin particles in which both the unagglomerated particles and the agglomerates are less than 1 m in size.

A foaming assistant material and a foam-molding method, which can achieve the functions of a nucleating agent, a dispersant, and the like sufficiently so that the cells can have smaller diameter, the mixing of foreign substances is prevented, and so on, and can produce the high-quality foam-molded article, are provided. The foaming assistant material is kneaded together with a raw material pellet and the mixture is subjected to the foam molding. The foaming assistant material is a pellet obtained by adding inorganic particles, a chemical foaming agent, and a dispersant to a dilution resin. An antioxidant may be added further to the dilution resin. In the foam-molding method, inorganic particles, a chemical foaming agent, a dispersant, and an antioxidant are added to a raw material resin at the same time in a state that the inorganic particles, the chemical foaming agent, the dispersant, and the antioxidant are mixed in advance.

A foam duct has a superior cushioning property. The foam duct includes a tube portion; while the tube portion has a cell deformation ratio in a circumferential direction of 0.3 or lower, and a cell anisotropy of 0.6 to 1.6.