Curable prepregs possessing enhanced ability for the removal of gases from within prepregs and between prepreg plies in a prepreg layup prior to and/or during consolidation and curing. Each curable prepreg is a resin-impregnated, woven fabric that has been subjected to a treatment to create an array of openings in at least one major surface. Furthermore, the location of the openings is specific to the weave pattern of the fabric.

A rigid ballistic-resistant composite includes large denier per filament (dpf) yarns. The yarns are held in place by a resin to form a rigid composite panel with improved ballistic performance. The large dpf yarns may be selected from aromatic heterocyclic co-polyamide fibers, polyester-polyarylate fibers, high modulus polypropylene (HMPP) fibers, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers, poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) (PBO) fibers, poly-diimidazo pyridinylene (dihydroxy) phenylene (PIPD) fibers, carbon fibers, and polyolefin fibers.

An oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose material is disclosed herein, for nanocellulose sponges and other applications. The oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose material comprises lignin-coated cellulose nanofibrils and/or lignin-coated cellulose nanocrystals. In various embodiments, the nanocellulose material is in the form of a 2D coating or layer, or a 3D object (e.g., foam or aerogel). The nanocellulose material may be disposed onto a scaffold. A process is provided for producing an oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose object, comprising fractionating a biomass feedstock with an acid, a solvent for lignin, and water, to generate cellulose-rich solids and a lignin-containing liquor; mechanically treating the cellulose-rich solids to form cellulose fibrils and/or cellulose crystals; generating a nanocellulose object from the intermediate nanocellulose material; exposing the nanocellulose object to the lignin-containing liquor to allow lignin to deposit onto a surface of the nanocellulose object; and recovering the oleophilic and hydrophobic nanocellulose object.

The present invention provides polyurethanes including a reaction product of components including: (a) an isocyanate functional urethane prepolymer comprising a reaction product of components including: (i) about 1 equivalent of at least one polyisocyanate; and (ii) about 0.1 to about 0.5 equivalents of at least one diol having 2 to 18 carbon atoms; and (b) about 0.05 to about 0.9 equivalents of at least one branched polyol having 4 to 18 carbon atoms and at least 3 hydroxyl groups; and (c) up to about 0.9 equivalents of at least one polyol different from branched polyol (b) and having 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein the reaction product components are essentially free of polyester polyol and polyether polyol; compositions, coatings and articles made therefrom and methods of making the same.

The present invention provides polyurethanes including a reaction product of components including: (a) an isocyanate functional urethane prepolymer comprising a reaction product of components including: (i) about 1 equivalent of at least one polyisocyanate; and (ii) about 0.1 to about 0.5 equivalents of at least one diol having 2 to 18 carbon atoms; and (b) about 0.05 to about 0.9 equivalents of at least one branched polyol having 4 to 18 carbon atoms and at least 3 hydroxyl groups; and (c) up to about 0.9 equivalents of at least one polyol different from branched polyol (b) and having 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein the reaction product components are essentially free of polyester polyol and polyether polyol; compositions, coatings and articles made therefrom and methods of making the same.

The invention relates to a new binder composition which is particularly suitable for the manufacture of composite materials utilizing such new binder composition in the required nonwoven materials. Composite materials using such new binder composition in their nonwoven part are suitable, in particular, for composites materials for interior construction, for linings, floor coverings, and for the manufacture of furniture and similar products.

A water-based, carbon filler-dispersed coating formulation for forming a conductive coating film contains (1) a hydroxyalkyl chitosan as a resin binder, (2) a conductive carbon filler, and (3) a polybasic acid or its derivative in a water-based medium containing at least water as a polar solvent. In 100 parts by mass of the coating formulation, the hydroxyalkyl chitosan (1) is contained in a range of from 0.1 to 20 parts by mass, and the conductive carbon filler (2) is contained in a range of from 1 to 30 parts by mass. An electricity-imparting material, an electrode plate for an electricity storage device, a process for producing the electrode plate, and the electricity storage device are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a flooring material and a fabrication method thereof. Since the invention forms the flooring material using bio-degradable resin which can be fabricated with materials extracted from the reproducible resources, the invention solves the supply and demand problem of raw materials caused by the depletion of oil resources. Further, the invention improves the production efficiency of the flooring materials by applying a calendaring method during the fabrication process, emits few environmentally-harmful materials including CO.sub.2 or the like, and provides the environmentally-friendly flooring material which is discarded easily. In addition, the invention can solve the problem caused by the size change which occurs when a bio-degradable sheet is used, whereby a stably and continuously-usable flooring material is provided.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of a fiber-reinforced composite material with a polyamide matrix.

The present invention provides polyurethanes including a reaction product of components including: (a) an isocyanate functional urethane prepolymer comprising a reaction product of components including: (i) about 1 equivalent of at least one polyisocyanate; and (ii) about 0.1 to about 0.5 equivalents of at least one diol having 2 to 18 carbon atoms; and (b) about 0.05 to about 0.9 equivalents of at least one branched polyol having 4 to 18 carbon atoms and at least 3 hydroxyl groups; and (c) up to about 0.9 equivalents of at least one polyol different from branched polyol (b) and having 2 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein the reaction product components are essentially free of polyester polyol and polyether polyol; compositions, coatings and articles made therefrom and methods of making the same.