The disclosed latex system comprises a one-component, closed-cell, semi-foam, mastic sealant using gas-filled, flexible, organic microspheres to create a product that is elastic and compressible under pressure without protruding in an outward direction when compressed, thereby allowing the applied sealant to compress in an enclosed, maximum-filled channel unlike typical mastic sealants (while retaining the ability to rebound). This allows the sealant to function as a gasket, and, once fully cured, to have properties including vibration damping, insulating, and condensation resistance. The sealant can be formulated as an air barrier or a vapor barrier and at various degrees of moisture resistance. It may be applied by different packaging variations including aerosol can (bag in can or bag on valve), airless sprayer, cartridge tubes, foil tubes, squeeze tubes, and buckets to be applied using a brush, trowel, spatula, etc. The disclosed mastic sealant can also be formulated to be smoke-resistant and flame-resistant.

The present disclosure aims to provide a resin reinforcing fiberglass, which has a high adhesiveness with a thermoplastic resin for enhancing the mechanical strength and the anti-mold fouling property of a thermoplastic resin composition, and a thermoplastic resin composition including such a fiberglass. A resin reinforcing fiberglass comprises (a) a fiberglass, and (b) a silane coupling agent and (c) a maleic anhydride grafted polymer, which are adhered to a surface of the (a) fiberglass.

The invention relates to an improved process for forming a stabilised precursor that is suitable for the manufacture of carbon materials, such as carbon fibre. The process can convert a precursor comprising polyacrylonitrile into a stabilised precursor with greater efficiency. The invention also relates to a process for preparing a carbon fibre that utilises the stabilised precursor.

Disclosed are a method of uniformly dispersing nickel-plated conductive particles of a single layer within a polymer film by applying a magnetic field to the polymer film and a method of fabricating an anisotropic conductive film using the same. The method of fabricating a film may include forming a liquefied polymer layer by roll-to-roll coating a polymer solution in which a plurality of conductive particles has been mixed, dispersing the plurality of conductive particles included in the liquefied polymer layer by applying a magnetic field to the liquefied polymer layer, and fabricating a solid polymer layer limiting a movement of the plurality of dispersed conductive particles by drying the liquefied polymer layer in which the plurality of conductive particles has been dispersed.

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.

Heat-expandable microcapsules each having a core/shell structure which includes a core and a shell, wherein the core contains a volatile substance and the shell contains a polymer, the polymer being obtained by reacting a monomer mixture with an organic peroxide represented by general formula (1):

##STR00001##

wherein the R.sup.1 moieties each independently represent a C.sub.2-12 unsaturated hydrocarbon group, the unsaturated hydrocarbon group being optionally separated by one or more of COO, OCO, and O.

The present invention relates to a method for producing an acrylonitrile-based fiber, the method including: providing a polymer solution including an acrylonitrile-based copolymer containing a carboxylic acid group; mixing 100 parts by weight of the polymer solution with 1 to 6 parts by weight of a hydrophilization solution containing an organic solvent and ammonia water in a weight ratio of 95:5 to 60:40 to prepare a spinning stock solution; and spinning the spinning stock solution. The method controls the viscosity of the spinning stock solution to improve the stretchability and strength of the acrylonitrile-based fiber, and suppresses the occurrence of gelation.

The invention relates to an improved process for forming a stabilised precursor that is suitable for the manufacture of carbon materials, such as carbon fibre. The process can convert a precursor comprising polyacrylonitrile into a stabilised precursor with greater efficiency. The invention also relates to a process for preparing a carbon fibre that utilises the stabilised precursor.

A sole assembly for an article of footwear has a first portion having a lower ground engaging surface, an upper surface, and a recess formed in the upper surface. A second portion is seated in the recess in the first portion and has an upper surface. The second portion is formed from a first foam material prepared by a reaction product of a composition having about 10 to about 100 phr of a hydrogenated copolymer and about 10 to about 90 phr of a copolymer of ethlylene and an alpha olefin, the alpha olefin having up to 20 carbon atoms. The first foam material has a hardness of 25 to 45 Asker C and a density of less than 0.18 g/cm3.

A technique for ensuring the coatability of a slurry composition and also enabling an electrochemical device to exhibit excellent high-voltage cycle characteristics is provided. A binder particle aggregate for an electrochemical device electrode comprises a plurality of binder particles that contain a polymer including 75.0 mol % or more and 99.5 mol % or less of a nitrile group-containing monomer unit, wherein a pore content ratio of the plurality of binder particles is 60% or more.