Abstract: An electrolyte sheet for solid oxide fuel batteries with mechanical strength characteristics is proposed. These characteristics may include a high and stable average value of strength, Weibull coefficient, and a high adhesion to an electrode formed on a surface thereof and hence inhibits the electrode from interfacial separation from the electrolyte sheet. The electrolyte sheet for solid oxide fuel batteries is characterized by having a plurality of concaves and/or convexes on at least one surface thereof, the concaves and convexes having base faces which are circular or elliptic or are a rounded polygon in which the vertexes have a curved shape with a curvature radius of 0.1 ?m or larger and/or the concaves and convexes having a three-dimensional shape which is semispherical or semiellipsoidal or is a polyhedron in which the vertexes and the edges have a curved cross-sectional shape having a curvature radius of 0.1 ?m or larger.

Abstract: An electrolyte sheet for solid oxide fuel batteries with mechanical strength characteristics is proposed. These characteristics may include a high and stable average value of strength, Weibull coefficient, and a high adhesion to an electrode formed on a surface thereof and hence inhibits the electrode from interfacial separation from the electrolyte sheet. The electrolyte sheet for solid oxide fuel batteries is characterized by having a plurality of concaves and/or convexes on at least one surface thereof, the concaves and convexes having base faces which are circular or elliptic or are a rounded polygon in which the vertexes have a curved shape with a curvature radius of 0.1 ?m or larger and/or the concaves and convexes having a three-dimensional shape which is semispherical or semiellipsoidal or is a polyhedron in which the vertexes and the edges have a curved cross-sectional shape having a curvature radius of 0.1 ?m or larger.

Abstract: To efficiently dry it, a nonionic alkylene oxide-type water-soluble resin is put into a container, then the container is degassed to a prescribed vacuum degree which is maintained while a dry gas having a dew point not higher than prescribed is introduced into the container at a rate not lower than prescribed. Minor volatiles are efficiently removed from the resin in an evaporation tank having a stirring blade. For protecting the dried resin from water, a dry gas is introduced into and air is purged from an empty packaging container whereafter the resin is charged into the container is sealed. By controlling solvent content and visocity of the resin and loading it into a temperature-controlled transportation container and/or unloading it out of the transportation container by the use of a pump, good subsquent processability of the resin and prevention of deterioration thereof are ensured.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing process by which a pellet-shaped nonionic alkylene oxide resin can be obtained in a manner which is excellent in stability, economical efficiency and productivity and easy, wherein the pellet-shaped nonionic alkylene oxide resin, as a high-molecular material useful in a variety of applications, has a suitable molecular weight Mw and physical properties and is also excellent in the stability of the physical properties and further is also excellent in the handling property after the manufacture. As a means of achieving this object, the process for manufacturing a pellet-shaped nonionic alkylene oxide resin, according to the present invention, comprises the steps of: obtaining a nonionic alkylene oxide resin having fluidity by volatilizing a solvent from a nonionic alkylene oxide resin solution obtained in advance by solution polymerization; and then pelletizing the nonionic alkylene oxide resin having fluidity.

Abstract: A method for the production of an alkylene oxide based polymer in which an alkylene oxide based polymer is obtained by allowing a monomer including one or two or more oxirane compound(s), which may have a substituent, as an essential raw material to be polymerized using a polymerization catalyst while agitating in a solvent. In this method for the production, the solvent includes one or two or more compound(s) selected from the group consisting of ketones, ketone derivatives, esters, ethers, nitrile compounds and organic halogen compounds.

Abstract: The residual amount of a solvent in a water soluble nonionic alkylene oxide resin is decreased in an apparatus including an evaporation vessel and a stirring blade which scrapes-up and coats resin solution onto the inner wall surface of the evaporation vessel. A water soluble nonionic alkylene oxide resin having a crystallization temperature of 10 to 60° C. is extruded to a predetermined thickness in a molten state, the extruded molten resin is brought into contact with a metal surface which is at the crystallization temperature (Tc) or lower, and the thereby solidified resin may be cut into pellets. The resin pellets preferably are of rectangular shape and prescribed dimensions. The resin may be pulverized in a pulverizer by shearing force between a rotary blade and a fixed blade. In the pulverizer, grains smaller than a predetermined size pass through the screen, while larger grains are again pulverized.

Abstract: To efficiently dry it, a nonionic alkylene oxide-type water-soluble resin is put into a container, then the container is degassed to a prescribed vacuum degree which is maintained while a dry gas having a dew point not higher than prescribed is introduced into the container at a rate not lower than prescribed. Minor volatiles are efficiently removed from the resin in an evaporation tank having a stirring blade. For protecting the dried resin from water, a dry gas is introduced into and air is purged from an empty packaging container whereafter the resin is charged into the container is sealed. By controlling solvent content and visocity of the resin and loading it into a temperature-controlled transportation container and/or unloading it out of the transportation container by the use of a pump, good subsquent processability of the resin and prevention of deterioration thereof are ensured.

Abstract: The present invention provides a production process, in which, when an ethylene oxide copolymer is obtained, conditions for obtaining this copolymer having a desirable molecular weight with ease and good reproducibility are provided. The production process for an ethylene oxide copolymer, according to the present invention, comprises the step of carrying out polymerization of a monomer mixture under stirring in a solvent, thereby obtaining the ethylene oxide copolymer, wherein the monomer mixture includes ethylene oxide and a substituted oxirane compound of a structural formula (1) as essential raw materials; with the production process being characterized in that the stirring is carried out by a stirring power of not less than 0.6 kW/m3.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel production process for an ethylene oxide resin, in which, when the ethylene oxide resin is obtained, it is arranged that the resin should contain no antistatic agent, and further its water content is also easily controlled in not more than a definite amount, and the thermal damage of the above resin is prevented, and besides, the reduction of the cost can also be actualized. The production process for an ethylene oxide resin, according to the present invention, comprises the step of carrying out devolatilization of a solvent from a polymerization reaction liquid containing the solvent, thereby obtaining the ethylene oxide resin; with the production process being characterized by arranging that: after the devolatilization, the resin should have a solvent concentration of 0.01 to 30 weight % and a water content of not more than 200 ppm, and the resin should contain no antistatic agent.

Abstract: The present invention provides a production process, in which, when an ethylene oxide copolymer is obtained, conditions for obtaining this copolymer having a desirable molecular weight with ease and good reproducibility are provided. The production process for an ethylene oxide copolymer, according to the present invention, comprises the step of carrying out polymerization of a monomer mixture under stirring in a solvent, thereby obtaining the ethylene oxide copolymer, wherein the monomer mixture includes ethylene oxide and a substituted oxirane compound of a structural formula (1) as essential raw materials; with the production process being characterized in that the stirring is carried out by a stirring power of not less than 0.6 kW/m3.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel production process for an ethylene oxide resin, in which, when the ethylene oxide resin is obtained, it is arranged that the resin should contain no antistatic agent, and further its water content is also easily controlled in not more than a definite amount, and the thermal damage of the above resin is prevented, and besides, the reduction of the cost can also be actualized. The production process for an ethylene oxide resin, according to the present invention, comprises the step of carrying out devolatilization of a solvent from a polymerization reaction liquid containing the solvent, thereby obtaining the ethylene oxide resin; with the production process being characterized by arranging that: after the devolatilization, the resin should have a solvent concentration of 0.01 to 30 weight % and a water content of not more than 200 ppm, and the resin should contain no antistatic agent.

Abstract: This invention provides a production process by which a polymer having a hydroxyl group at both terminals can be easily obtained with a cheap price and good efficiency from a wide field of vinyl-based monomers including polar ones. In this process, a polymerization reaction of a vinyl-based monomer (a) is performed by using hydrogen peroxide (b) and, on this occasion, either one or both of a hydrogen peroxide-decomposing accelerator (c) and an amphiphilic compound (d) are further used and any component other than the (a), (b), (c) and (d) is not substantially used.

Abstract: This invention provides a process by which a polymer having a hydroxyl group at both terminals can be easily obtained with a cheap price and good efficiency from a wide field of vinyl-based monomers including polar ones. The process is arranged in such a manner that the polymerization of a vinyl-based monomer (a) is performed in the presence of an alcohol (b) having no addition-polymerization reactivity by using an initiator (c) consisting essentially of a peroxide and, on this occasion, at least one of catalysts (d) selected from a group consisting of an organic sulfonic acid compound having no addition-polymerization reactivity and an inorganic acid is further used and a reactor does not substantially contain any component other than the (a), (b), (c) and (d).

Abstract: There are provided a process for obtaining a polymer having hydroxyl groups at both terminals easily and with cheap cost and excellent efficiency from a wide variety of vinyl-based compounds, a composition containing said polymer and its use, and a polymer derived from said composition and its use.The polymerization reaction of a vinyl-based monomer (b) is carried out by using a radical polymerization initiator (c) in the presence of a compound (a) represented by the general formula:HO--A--(S).sub.x --B--OH (I)and, a polymer having hydroxyl groups at both terminals is obtained under conditions that, in the above reaction, any compound other than (a), (b) and (c) is not practically used and the compound (a) always exists in 50 mole times or more of the initiator (c) in the course of reaction in a reactor; and either a composition containing this polymer or a polymer derived from this composition is used.

Abstract: A silver catalyst for the production of ethylene oxide by catalytic vapor phase oxidation of ethylene with molecular oxygen in the presence of a halogenated inhibitor, having silver and at least one accelerator selected from the group consisting of alkali metals and alkali metal compounds deposited on a porous inorganic refractory carrier in the shape of Intalox saddles or Berl saddles, and the method for manufacture thereof.

Abstract: 2-Amino-(2)-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid is prepared by dehydrochlorinating S-(.beta.-carboxy-.beta.-chloroethyl) isothiourea by adding it to an aqueous medium maintained at a pH ranging from 5.5 to 7.5 with an alkali.

Abstract: L-amino acids are produced by fermenting a hydantoin compound with Flavobacterium aminogenes or its enzymes.

Abstract: A method for producing L-cysteine and/or L-cystine which comprises:A. holding 2-amino-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid in an aqueous solution at a pH of 5 to 11 in the presence of an effective amount of enzyme produced by a microorganism; said enzyme being capable of converting the 2-amino-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid to L-cysteine and/or L-cystine, and said microorganism being capable of growing in a medium containing 2-amino-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid as a nitrogen source; andB. recovering the L-cysteine and/or L-cystine formed from said aqueous solution.