An improved method forms and employs a wax to modify asphalt. The method includes: (a) selecting a solid polymeric material, (b) heating the solid polymeric material in an extruder to produce a molten polymeric material, (c) filtering the molten polymeric material, (d) placing the molten polymeric material through a chemical depolymerization process in a reactor to produce a depolymerized polymeric material, and (e) adding the depolymerized material to a pre-wax mixture to produce a polymer-modified asphalt. The addition of wax reduced the mixing time necessary to achieve improved polymer dispersion compared to the control formulation modified bitumen and reduced the viscosity of the neat bitumen. Pre-polymer addition of wax is detrimental to most properties of the resulting modified asphalt. Post-polymer addition improved viscosity reduction, higher softening point and improved dimensional stability.

An object of the present invention is to provide a gas generating agent having an appropriate initial decomposition temperature, generating a large amount of gas, and generating only a small amount of ammonia gas. The object can be accomplished by a gas generating agent containing a guanidine derivative represented by the following formula (1).

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The present application provides a low-temperature process to reduce S—S and/or S—H bonds in organic compounds, including sulfur-cured elastomers, which for example, permits the de-crosslinking of the elastomer and recovery of organic polymers from inorganic constituents.

A thermally expandable composition including at least one solid rubber R, at least on tackifying resin, at least one blowing agent, a vulcanization system, and 0.5-30 wt.-% of fibrous magnesium oxysulphate or carbon fibers or a mixture thereof. Also, a shaped article including a substrate layer composed of the thermally expandable composition, to a method for providing sealing, structural adhesion, baffling, or combination thereof to a structure of a manufactured article, and to use of fibrous magnesium oxysulphate or carbon fibers or a mixture thereof in a thermally expandable composition to improve sag resistance and/or flame resistance properties of said composition.

A resin composition, a shaped article, a fiber, a film and a sheet. The resin composition includes two or more kinds of polyolefin resins (A), and 0.05 to 10 mass % of an α-olefin (co)polymer (B) satisfying requirements (b-1) to (b-3): (b-1) A methyl group index is 40 to 60%. The methyl group index is a ratio of an integral of a peak observed in a range of 0.50 to 1.15 ppm to an integral of peaks observed in a range of 0.50 to 2.20 ppm in a .sup.1H-NMR spectrum of a solution of the (co)polymer (B) in deuterated chloroform, positions of the peaks being calculated relative to a solvent peak at 7.24 ppm assigned to CHCl.sub.3 in deuterated chloroform as a reference. (b-2) A weight average molecular weight determined by GPC is 1,500 to 20,000. (b-3) No melting point is observed from −100 to 150° C. in DSC.

An antidegradant composition, an antidegradant master batch comprising the antidegradant composition and a rubber composition comprising the antidegradant composition or the antidegradant master batch. The antidegradant composition comprises antidegradant TMPPD and one or two selected from antidegradant N3100-B and an antidegradant N3100-C. The antidegradant composition and antidegradant master batch render a rubber compound and a rubber article excellent discoloration resistance, fatigue resistance, ozone resistance, and mechanical properties before and after thermal oxidative aging and enables the rubber compound to be used in the manufacture of all or part of the rubber matrix, especially as a tire sidewall rubber composition and a tire tread rubber composition.

A closed cell crosslinked polyolefin foam sheet comprises an opposing first surface region and second surface region, and an intermediate region disposed therebetween, wherein the intermediate region is configured to have a gel content lower than an average gel content of the first surface region and the second surface region to enable a controlled tear propagation within the intermediate region when a splitting force is applied to the closed cell crosslinked polyolefin foam sheet. For example, a ratio of a gel content of the intermediate region versus an average gel content of the first surface region and the second surface region may be about 75% or less, and a ratio of the average cell size of the intermediate region versus an average cell size of the first surface region and the second surface region may be about 125% or higher.

A masterbatch for foam molding which contains a base resin and heat-expandable microspheres. The base resin contains EPDM and the masterbatch contains the heat-expandable microspheres in an amount ranging from higher than 300 parts by weight to 750 parts by weight to 100 parts by weight of the base resin and has a Moony viscosity ML 1+4 (100° C.) ranging from 15 to 90. Also disclosed is a method for producing a masterbatch for foam molding, a resin composition containing the masterbatch for foam molding, and a foam-molded product manufactured by molding the resin composition.

A thermoplastic membrane comprising at least one layer, wherein the at least one layer includes a first thermoplastic polymer and a second polymer having at least one isocyanate-reactive substituent dispersed within said first thermoplastic polymer.

A resin sheet includes a dried product or semi-cured product of a thermosetting composition, the thermosetting composition including an ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer as Component (A), and an inorganic filler that is surface-treated with a surface treatment agent having a polymerizable unsaturated bond as Component (B).