In an embodiment, a thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) composition includes a rubber, a thermoplastic polyolefin, and a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane, wherein: a concentration of the rubber is from 10 wt % to 80 wt % based on a combined weight of the rubber and the thermoplastic polyolefin; a concentration of the thermoplastic polyolefin is from 20 wt % to 90 wt % based on the combined weight of the rubber and the thermoplastic polyolefin; and a concentration of the polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane is from 0.1 wt % to 20 wt % based on the total weight of the TPV composition. In another embodiment, a process for preparing a dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic vulcanizate composition includes melt processing under shear conditions at least one thermoplastic resin, at least one rubber, at least one curing agent, and at least one polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane; and forming a dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic vulcanizate composition. In another embodiment, a pipe is provided.

A thermoplastic elastomer composition for overmolding a plastic article or substrate, a method for the preparation of an overmolded article, and an overmolded article having a layer of thermoplastic elastomer is provided. The thermoplastic elastomer composition comprises a blend of hydrogenated styrene block copolymers and unsaturated styrene block copolymer. The method for the preparation of the overmolded article comprises applying a thermoplastic elastomer composition to at least a portion of the exterior surface of a rigid plastic substrate.

The invention relates to a method for producing a compound or a film containing thermoplastic starch, an alpha-hydroxycarboxylic acid ROHCOOH, in which R is CH.sub.2 or CH.sub.3CH.sub.2, in an amount of from 0.1 to 5, preferably 0.1 to 3, particularly preferably 0.1 to 1 wt. % in relation to the thermoplastic starch, and a thermoplastic polymer, in which method the compound or the film is exposed during or after its extrusion to an additional heating step to 100-140° C. A thermoplastic starch usable for the production of the compound, a compound produced by the method, and a transparent film produced from such a compound are also described.

Modified thermoplastic hydrocarbon thermoplastic resins are provided, as well as methods of their manufacture and uses thereof in rubber compositions. The modified thermoplastic resins are modified by decreasing the relative quantity of the dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer oligomers as compared to the corresponding unmodified thermoplastic resin polymers, resulting in a product that exhibits a greater shift in the glass transition temperature of the elastomer(s) used in tire formulations. This translates to better viscoelastic predictors of tire tread performance, such as wet grip and rolling resistance. The modified thermoplastic resins impart remarkable properties on various rubber compositions, such as tires, belts, hoses, brakes, and the like. Automobile tires incorporating the modified thermoplastic resins are shown to possess excellent results in balancing the properties of rolling resistance, tire wear, snow performance, and wet braking performance.

An artificial blood vessel that gives a sensation of needle insertion upon puncturing and a needle thread passability resembling those of blood vessels of animals including humans, and that has high liquid leakage preventability includes two or more layers which contain a component (A) hydrogenated block copolymer and a component (B) oil, at least one of the layers further containing a component (C) lubricant. It is preferable that the artificial blood vessel has a first peak load value of 0.01 N or more and 1.2 N or less upon needle penetration by puncturing at a speed of 1000 mm/min. under the condition of 23° C.±1° C. using a universal testing machine.

The rubber-plastic composite foamed material of the present invention is made by mixing and foaming a plurality of components including 100 parts by weight of rubber, 5-70 parts by weight of hollow glass microspheres, 1-50 parts by weight of carbon black, 5-50 parts by weight of soften oil, 1-50 parts by weight of sulfur ointment, 0.5-10 parts by weight of antioxidant, 0.5-15 parts by weight of crosslinking agent and 2-12 parts by weight of foaming agent. By including hollow glass microspheres into the composition, the rubber-plastic composite foamed material of the present invention exhibits better compression resistance and heat retention.

Nanocellulose dispersion compositions containing a partitioning agent and a nanocellulose, and methods of making the nanocellulose dispersion compositions, are disclosed. These compositions can promote improved dispersibility of the nanocellulose fibrils and nanocellulose crystals in polymer matrices, such as in elastomer formulations for use in tire production.

To provide a PTFE aqueous dispersion which is excellent in mechanical stability, while being not susceptible to foaming. A polytetrafluoroethylene aqueous dispersion which is characterized by containing from 15 to 70 mass % of PTFE particles having an average primary particle diameter of from 0.1 to 0.5 μm; from 0.1 to 20,000 ppm, to the PTFE particles, of a fluorinated emulsifier selected from a C.sub.4-7 fluorinated carboxylic acid which may have an etheric oxygen atom, and salts of thereof; from 1 to 20 parts by mass, to 100 parts by mass of the PTFE particles, of a nonionic surfactant represented by R.sup.1—O-A-H (wherein R.sup.1 is a C.sub.8-18 alkyl group, and A is a polyoxyalkylene chain); from 0.004 to 0.040 parts by mass, to 100 parts by mass of the PTFE particles, of a polyether polysiloxane copolymer, wherein the polyether chain consists solely of a polyoxypropylene group; and water.

The present invention relates to a polymer composition comprising at least one block copolymer and a specific amount of at least one oil component. The block copolymer, which is the polymeric matrix of the inventive composition, is built up from at least one vinyl aromatic monomer M.sub.A and at least one conjugated diene monomer M.sub.B, in particular the block copolymer is a styrene butadiene block copolymer (SBC).

A rubber composition for a studless tire according to an embodiment includes a rubber component containing a natural rubber and a polybutadiene rubber; oil-absorbent polymer particles having a glass transition temperature of −70 to −20° C., formed from a polymer whose molecular weight distribution is less than 3.0, and having an oil absorption of 100 to 1,500 ml/100 g; and an oil. The content of the oil-absorbent polymer particles is 0.5 to 25 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component. As a result, on-ice performance and rolling resistance performance can be improved.