This invention relates to an in-situ formed polyether polyol blend having an overall functionality of 2 to 3 and an overall hydroxyl number of 40 to 220 mg KOH/g. A process for preparing these in-situ formed polyether polyol blends is also disclosed. These in-situ formed polyether polyol blends are suitable for a process of preparing viscoelastic flexible polyurethane foams.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a fatty-chain high-molecular-weight alkoxylate, comprising treating the reaction medium with an acid having a pK.sub.a of 3.5 or less.

A fermentation method includes steps of forming a broth having yeast, water and sugar; and contacting a foam control agent with the broth, a foam formed on the broth or both, wherein the foam control agent has structure (I) wherein R is a linear or branched alkyl group containing from 4 to 18 carbon atoms, m is from 1 to 10, n is from 9 to 15, o is from 15 to 25, and o/n is from 1.00 to 2.00.

Some variations provide a multiphase polymer composition comprising a first polymer material and a second polymer material that are chemically distinct, wherein the first polymer material and the second polymer material are microphase-separated on a microphase-separation length scale from about 0.1 microns to about 500 microns, wherein the multiphase polymer composition comprises first solid functional particles selectively dispersed within the first polymer material, and wherein the first solid functional particles are chemically distinct from the first polymer material and the second polymer material. Some embodiments provide an anti-corrosion composition comprising first corrosion-inhibitor particles or precursors selectively dispersed within the first polymer material, wherein the multiphase polymer composition optionally further comprises second corrosion-inhibitor particles or precursors selectively dispersed within the second polymer material. These multiphase polymer compositions may be used for other applications, such as self-cleaning, self-healing, or flame-retardant coatings. Methods of making and using these multiphase polymer compositions are disclosed.

Provided are a photocurable fluoropolyether-based elastomer composition having both a favorable preservation stability and fast curability, being bondable at a low temperature in a short period of time, and generating no air bubbles in the resin at the time of curing; and a bonding method thereof. The photocurable fluoropolyether-based elastomer composition contains: (A) a linear polyfluoro compound; (B) a fluorine-containing organohydrogenpolysiloxane; (C) a photoactive hydrosilylation reaction catalyst; and (D) a zeolite having an average primary particle size of not larger than 30 μm.

Provided is a surfactant composition that can impart good polymerization stability, that can yield an aqueous resin dispersion having good wettability, and that can improve water resistance and water-resistant adhesive strength of a resin film formed from the aqueous resin dispersion. The surfactant composition according to the present invention includes a compound C1 represented by formula (1):

##STR00001##

(in formula (1), A.sup.1 represents an alkylene group having 10 to 14 carbon atoms, A.sup.2 represents an alkylene group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, n is an average number of moles of an oxyalkylene group A.sup.2O added and is a number of 1 to 100, and X represents a hydrogen atom, a sulfate ester or a salt thereof, a phosphate ester or a salt thereof, or methylcarboxylic acid or a salt thereof); and a compound C2 represented by formula (2):

##STR00002##

(in formula (2), A.sup.1, A.sup.2, n, and X are as defined in formula (1)). A molar ratio C1/C2 of the compound C1 to the compound C2 is 99/1 to 84/16.

An article (e.g. film, tape or pipe) is described comprising a microstructured surface. The microstructured surface comprises a thermoplastic polymer; and a block copolymer additive comprising a poly(alkylene)oxide block having a molecular weight greater than 250 or 500 g/mole and at least one hydrophobic block. Also described is a method of making such articles. Also described is a triblock copolymer comprising a poly(alkylene oxide) midblock and hydrocarbon end blocks; and compositions comprising a thermoplastic polymer and un to 50 wt. % of the block copolymer.

The invention relates to block copolymer comprising i) A first block wherein at least 65 mol-% of the repeating units of the first block are repeating units of the formula (I)—[CH.sub.2—CH.sub.2—O]—, ii) A second block wherein at least 90 mol-% of the repeating units of the second block are repeating units of at least one of formulae (II) or (III), wherein the groups R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 independent of each occurrence are selected from hydrocarbyl groups having 1 to 40 carbon atoms, which are optionally substituted by ether or hydroxyl groups, and wherein the groups R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are optionally linked to each other such that a nitrogen heterocyclic structure is present, iii) A third block which is different from the first block and the second block and which is more hydrophobic than the first block.

##STR00001##

Polyethers are prepared by polymerizing an alkylene oxide in the presence of a starter, an aluminum compound that has at least one hydrocarbyl substituent, and a cyclic amidine. The phosphorus-nitrogen base is present in only a small molar ratio relative to the amount of starter. The presence of such small amounts of cyclic amidine greatly increases the catalytic activity of the system, compared to the case in which the aluminum compound is used by itself. The product polyethers have low amounts of unsaturated polyether impurities and little or no unwanted high molecular weight fraction. Polymers of propylene oxide have very low proportions of primary hydroxyl groups.

This invention relates to an in-situ formed polyol blend having an overall functionality of 2 to 3 and an overall hydroxyl number of 50 to 150. A process for preparing these polyol blends is also disclosed. These in-situ formed polyol blends are suitable for preparing viscoelastic flexible polyurethane foams. A process for preparing these foams is also disclosed.