Provided is a resin foam which has high stress dispersibility and is excellent in heat resistance. The resin foam of the present invention is a resin foam having a cell structure, wherein the resin foam has an apparent density of from 0.05 g/cm.sup.3 to 0.50 g/cm.sup.3, wherein the resin foam has a 50% compression load of from 2.0 N/cm.sup.2 to 30 N/cm.sup.2, and wherein the resin foam has an apparent density D (g/cm.sup.3) and a residue R (%) at 650° C. satisfying a relationship of the following expression (1).

1≤{(100−R)/D}/100≤10   (1)

A solvent blend useable for tackifying a surface of a plastic film includes a terpene based solvent and one or more of a solvent from the group consisting of a straight chain alkane, a branched chain alkane, a cyclic alkane, a substituted cyclic alkane, a straight chain ether, a branched chain ether, a cyclic ether, a substituted cyclic ether, a cyclic diether, a substituted cyclic diether, a straight chain ketone, a branched chain ketone, a cyclic ketone, a substituted cyclic ketone, a straight chain ester, and a branched chain ester.

Aspects herein relate to biocompatible polyisobutylene-fiber composite materials and related methods. In one aspect a biocompatible composite material is included. The biocompatible composite material can include a network of fibers comprising one or more polymers to form a substrate and a continuous polyisobutylene matrix that is non-porous and completely surrounds the electrospun fibers. Other aspects are included herein.

Aspects herein relate to biocompatible polyisobutylene-fiber composite materials and related methods. In one aspect a biocompatible composite material is included. The biocompatible composite material can include a network of fibers comprising one or more polymers to form a substrate and a continuous, interpenetrating polyisobutylene matrix that is non-porous and completely surrounds the electrospun fibers. Other aspects are included herein.

The present invention provides thermoplastic olefin elastomer crosslinked expanded beads, having a content of a fraction insoluble in hot xylene of 10 to 40 wt %, and having a crystal structure such that a melting peak inherent in the thermoplastic olefin elastomer (inherent peak) and one or more melting peaks on a higher temperature side than the inherent peak (high temperature peak) appear on a DSC curve obtained by heating the crosslinked expanded beads from 23 C. to 200 C. at a heating rate of 10 C./min, wherein in the DSC curve, a total heat of melting is 40 to 60 J/g, and a ratio of a heat of melting of the high temperature peak to the total heat of melting is 0.1 to 0.6.

A method is provided for adhering prescribed adherend rubbers to one another using a rubber for adhesion obtained from a rubber composition for adhesion containing an ethylene--olefin copolymer (X2) and an organic peroxide (Y2) at the adhesion interface between the adherend rubbers. The ethylene--olefin copolymer (X2) contained in the rubber composition for adhesion contains an ethylene-1-butene copolymer. The ethylene-1-butene copolymer satisfies prescribed values of the number average molecular weight and the molecular weight distribution. The content of the ethylene-1-butene copolymer is from 60 to 100 mass % of the total mass of the ethylene--olefin copolymer (X2).

The present invention provides expanded beads comprising a crosslinked multi-block copolymer containing an ethylene block and an ethylene--olefin copolymer block, having an apparent density of 40 to 300 g/L, a gel fraction of 30 to 70% by weight by a hot xylene extraction method, an average cell diameter (a) of 50 to 180 m, and an average surface layer thickness (b) of 3 to 27 m, and the expanded beads are excellent in in-mold moldability, and can produce an expanded beads molded article being excellent in tensile characteristics in a well balanced manner.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a composite molded article having a flexural modulus at 150 C. of 25% or more of a flexural modulus at 23 C., including the steps of (1) placing glass fibers in a mold; (2) impregnating glass fibers with a polymerizable composition containing a cycloolefin monomer, a metathesis polymerization catalyst, a radical generator, and a compound represented by the general formula (I); (3) subjecting the above polymerizable composition with which the glass fibers are impregnated to a bulk polymerization to provide a composite molded article; and (4) demolding the composite molded article; and a composite molded article obtained by the above method. According to the method of the present invention, a composite molded article containing glass fibers, the composite molded article having excellent mechanical strength can be produced.

A polymeric composition includes a diene elastomer; an azodicarboxy compound; and a reinforcing filler comprising silica. The composition is not foamed. A method for preparing a polymeric composition includes mixing in one or more steps: a diene elastomer; an azodicarboxy compound; and a reinforcing filler. The mixing temperature is less than 160 C. in mixing steps in which the azodicarboxy compound is present. In an embodiment, the mixing temperature is kept below the decomposition temperature of the azodicarboxy compound.

The invention provides: imidazole and imidazolium compounds of formulas (I) and (II):

##STR00001##

polymers containing a plurality of imidazolium-containing repeating units of formula (III):

##STR00002##

and membranes and devices comprising the polymers. Also provided are methods of making the inventive compounds and polymers.