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.

A composition comprising an ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer that comprises the following properties: a) a total unsaturation/1000C≥0.30; b) a molecular weight distribution (MWD)≤3.0; c) a TGIC broadness parameter B.sub.1/4≤8.0. A solution N polymerization process to prepare an ethylene/alpha-olefin/interpolymer, said process comprising polymerizing, in one reactor, at a reactor temperature ≥150° C., a reaction mixture comprising ethylene, an alpha-olefin, a solvent, and a metal complex as described herein. A method to determine the TGIC broadness parameter B.sub.1/x of a polymer composition comprising one or more olefin-based polymers.

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-α-olefin copolymer (X2) and an organic peroxide (Y2) at the adhesion interface between the adherend rubbers. The ethylene-α-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-α-olefin copolymer (X2).

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.

Provided is a flame-retardant foam which has high flame retardancy, is excellent in flexibility, and is excellent in stress dispersibility. Also provided is a foam member including such flame-retardant foam as a flame-retardant foam layer. The flame-retardant foam of the present invention has an apparent density of from 0.02 g/cm.sup.3 to 0.40 g/cm.sup.3, a 50% compression load of from 0.5 N/cm.sup.2 to 8.0 N/cm.sup.2, and a rupture elongation in a tensile test of 120% or less.

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.

A water-oil separation device uses a difference in density between water and oil. The water-oil separation device can easily and quickly separate oil by using a polymer film floating at interface between water and oil. The water-oil separation device easily and quickly collects oil of various viscosities with a simple structure by using differences in density between materials without using a conventional lyophilic/lyophobic film, thus solving the drawbacks of conventional filter-based and adsorption-based methods, and enabling quick and effective responses to actual oil spill situations.

The present invention provides expanded beads comprising a crosslinked multi-block copolymer containing an ethylene block and an ethylene-α-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 μm, and an average surface layer thickness (b) of 3 to 27 μm, 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.

A water-oil separation device uses a difference in density between water and oil. The water-oil separation device can easily and quickly separate oil by using a polymer film floating at interface between water and oil. The water-oil separation device easily and quickly collects oil of various viscosities with a simple structure by using differences in density between materials without using a conventional lyophilic/lyophobic film, thus solving the drawbacks of conventional filter-based and adsorption-based methods, and enabling quick and effective responses to actual oil spill situations.

A resin composition comprising 25 to 50% by mass of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, 1 to 15% by mass of polyethylene, 35 to 65% by mass of a copolymer of 4-methyl-1-pentene with α-olefin having 3 or more carbon atoms, 0.1 to 2% by mass of a hydrogenated polymer of one or more polymers selected from the group consisting of polybutadiene, polyisoprene and a butadiene-isoprene copolymer, and 0.5 to 5% by mas of a propylene-based elastomer. The resin composition provides a separator suitable for a lithium-ion secondary battery.