A foaming assistant material and a foam-molding method, which can achieve the functions of a nucleating agent, a dispersant, and the like sufficiently so that the cells can have smaller diameter, the mixing of foreign substances is prevented, and so on, and can produce the high-quality foam-molded article, are provided. The foaming assistant material is kneaded together with a raw material pellet and the mixture is subjected to the foam molding. The foaming assistant material is a pellet obtained by adding inorganic particles, a chemical foaming agent, and a dispersant to a dilution resin. An antioxidant may be added further to the dilution resin. In the foam-molding method, inorganic particles, a chemical foaming agent, a dispersant, and an antioxidant are added to a raw material resin at the same time in a state that the inorganic particles, the chemical foaming agent, the dispersant, and the antioxidant are mixed in advance.

Expandable styrene composite polyolefin-based resin particles which comprise styrene composite polyolefin-based resin particles containing a polyolefin-based resin and 100 to 400 parts by mass of a styrene-based resin with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polyolefin-based resin and comprise butane/pentane in a mass ratio of 80/20 to 50/50 as a volatile blowing agent.

The present invention relates to a thermally curable composition comprising: (a1) a solid rubber in an amount of 2.5% by mass or more, (a2) an olefinic double bond-containing polymer which is liquid or pasty at 22° C. in an amount of less than 5% by mass, (a3) a hydrocarbon resin in an amount of, in total with said component (a2), 5% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less, and (a4) a liquid polydiene in an amount of 15% by mass or more based on the total mass of the composition as a component (a); and at least one selected from the group consisting of the following (b1) to (b3): (b1) sulfur and one or more accelerator(s), (b2) peroxidic vulcanization system or disulfidic vulcanization system, and (b3) quinones, quinone dioximes or dinitrosobenzene, as a vulcanization system (b).

The invention refers to a method for producing expanded polymer pellets, which comprises the following steps: melting a polymer comprising a polyamide; adding at least one blowing agent; expanding the melt through at least one die for producing an expanded polymer; and pelletizing the expanded polymer. The invention further concerns polymer pellets produced with the method as well as their use, e.g. for the production of cushioning elements for sports apparel, such as for producing soles or parts of soles of sports shoes. A further aspect of the invention concerns a method for the manufacture of molded components, comprising loading pellets of an expanded polymer material into a mold, and connecting the pellets by providing heat energy, wherein the expanded polymer material of the pellets or beads comprises a chain extender. The molded components may be used in broad ranges of application.

The invention refers to a method for producing expanded polymer pellets, which comprises the following steps: melting a polymer comprising a polyamide; adding at least one blowing agent; expanding the melt through at least one die for producing an expanded polymer; and pelletizing the expanded polymer. The invention further concerns polymer pellets produced with the method as well as their use, e.g. for the production of cushioning elements for sports apparel, such as for producing soles or parts of soles of sports shoes. A further aspect of the invention concerns a method for the manufacture of molded components, comprising loading pellets of an expanded to polymer material into a mold, and connecting the pellets by providing heat energy, wherein the expanded polymer material of the pellets or beads comprises a chain extender. The molded components may be used in broad ranges of application.

A composition for forming a foamed silicone elastomer is disclosed. The composition comprises: A) an organopolysiloxane having at least two silicon-bonded ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule; B) an organohydrogensiloxane having at least two silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms per molecule; C) a hydrosilylation catalyst; D) a chemical blowing agent; and E) a physical blowing agent. The hydrosilylation catalyst C) is present in a catalytically effective amount. The chemical blowing agent D) has at least one hydroxyl (OH) group, and is present in an amount to provide a OH content >0 and <500 parts per million (ppm). The physical blowing agent E) undergoes a phase change from a liquid to a gaseous state during exposure to atmospheric pressure and a temperature ≥0° C. The blowing agents D) and E) are different from one another. A foamed silicone elastomer, and methods of forming the composition and foamed silicone elastomer are also disclosed.

A foam sheet contains an aliphatic polyester resin, a nucleating agent for foaming, and hydrofluoroolefin, wherein the nucleating agent accounts for 0.05 to 2 percent by mass of the foam sheet.

A multi-stage emulsion processing aid polymer comprising one or more functionalized ethylenically unsaturated monomer into the emulsion polymerization reactor, wherein the functionality is selected from the group consisting of β-keto esters, β-keto amides, β-diketones, cyanoacetic esters, malonates, nitroalkanes, β-nitro esters, sulfonazides, thiols, thiol-s-triazines, and amine, where the functionality is incorporated into polymers by polymerizing, ethylenically unsaturated monomers containing these functionalities or by post functionalization of a polymer with additional reactions after polymerization in one of the first or second stages. Foamable halogenated polymers comprising the multi-stage emulsion processing aid polymer is also provided. Also provided are methods for making the multi-stage emulsion processing aid polymer and foamable halogenated polymers.

The invention provides polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foams and methods for the preparation thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to open-celled, polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foams and methods for their preparation. The foams are characterized by a fine uniform cell structure and little or no foam collapse. The foams are produced with a polyol premix composition which comprises a combination of a hydrohaloolefin blowing agent, a polyol, a silicone surfactant, and a sterically hindered amine catalyst.

The invention relates to a curable volume expandable polymer composition comprising an organic acid component, wherein the organic acid component comprises a first organic acid, a second organic acid, and optionally one or more additional organic acids; wherein said polymer composition, when being heated to an activation of expansion temperature above room temperature, undergoes volume expansion. When the organic acid component is heated to the activation of expansion temperature, the first organic acid and/or the second organic acid and/or the optionally present one or more additional organic acids decarboxylate and thus release carbon dioxide. The polymer composition traps the thus released carbon dioxide thereby causing the polymer composition to undergo volume expansion.