Abstract: A water based thixotropic adhesive gel is disclosed which consists essentially of: water; partially hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol, or wherein a portion of the polyvinyl alcohol is replaced with polyvinylpyrrolidone; a water-soluble high viscosity thickening agent polymer which is compatible with the polyvinyl alcohol and which imparts thixotropic properties to the gel; a water-soluble plasticizer for the polyvinyl alcohol; and a watersoluble defoamer in proportion of ingredients so that the viscosity of the adhesive will break down when a flexible tube or squeeze bottle dispenser is finger-pressed and have a sufficiently low viscosity to allow for easy extrusion from an orifice having a diameter of about 0.06 to 0.15 inches. When pressure is released, after the desired amount of adhesive has flown out of the dispenser, the adhesive quickly reverts to very close to its original gel state so that it will not run on a vertical surface on porous and semiporous surfaces such as paper.

Abstract: Compositions containing an aryl phosphite and water to hydrolyze the aryl phosphite provide controlled and extended work time when used as hardening agents for the ambient temperature hardening of phenolic resins and for rapid hardening of such resins at modestly elevated temperatures. Pre-solvolysis with small quantities of water, alkanols of 1 to 4 carbon atoms or alkylene glycols of 2 to 4 carbon atoms improve compatibility of trisubstituted phosphites with the resin. Pre-hydrolysis of the phosphites as well as addition of furfuryl alcohol or alkylene glycols of 2 to 4 carbon atoms accelerate the hardening (curing) of the resin. Various compounds such as: carboxylic acid amides, urea, dicyandiamide, N-methylolated amides, N-alkyl 2-pyrrolidinones having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, those having an internal epoxide group, alkanols, and Schiff bases retard the ambient temperature hardening of the resin with the aryl phosphite hardening agents.

Abstract: A water based thixotropic adhesive gel is disclosed which comprises; an aqueous emulsion of polyvinyl acetate in an amount sufficient to form adhesive bonds on wood; partially hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol in an amount sufficient to provide wet tack of the adhesive; glyoxal in an amount sufficient to provide water resistance to the adhesive; and wood flour in an amount sufficient to increase the water resistance imparted by the glyoxal and to provide sanding and staining properties to the adhesive; and xanthan gum in an amount sufficient to provide a thixotropic index and viscosity allowing extrusion of the gel from a flexible dispenser having a dispensing opening of about 0.073 inches in diameter by applying finger-pressure to the dispenser while, upon extrusion, the gel forms a bead which does not run when applied in a horizontal line on wood in a vertical plane.

Abstract: Polyvinyl chloride articles are chemically embossed by placing a pattern thereon with a composition of vinyl ink containing silicone oil wherein the quantity of silicone oil is from about 2.5% to 5% by weight of the composition and then top coating the article with a fluid coating of an aromatic-hydroxyl functional polyester and a multi-isocyanate curing agent which is cured in the presence of a vaporous tertiary amine catalyst to form an adherent film over said substrate and whereby the fluid coating retracts from over the siliconized ink prior to curing to form a concave pattern on the cured film which is in registry with the siliconized ink.

Abstract: Compositions containing aryl phosphites and water to hydrolyze the aryl phosphite provide controlled and extended work time when used as hardening agents for the ambient temperature hardening of phenolic resins and for rapid hardening of such resins at modestly elevated temperatures. Pre-solvolysis with small quantities of water, alkanols of 1 to 4 carbon atoms or alkylene glycols of 2 to 4 carbon atoms improve compatibility of trisubstituted phosphites with the resin. Pre-hydrolysis of the phosphites as well as addition of furfuryl alcohol or alkylene glycols of 2 to 4 carbon atoms accelerate the hardening (curing) of the resin. Various compounds such as: carboxylic acid amides, urea, dicyandiamide, N-methylolated amides, N-alkyl 2-pyrrolidinones having 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, those having an internal epoxide group, alkanols, and Schiff bases retard the ambient temperature hardening of the resin with the aryl phosphite hardening agents.

Abstract: The invention relates to a composition consisting of a melamine solid suspended or dispersed in a resole resin. The method of the invention favors the intermolecular condensation polymerization reaction between phenol and melamine, rather than homopolymerization between phenol molecules or between melamine molecules. This invention reduces formaldehyde emissions by favoring a reaction whose by-product is water rather than formaldehyde. The compositions are useful for bonding glass fiber mats used for thermal and acoustical insulation.

Abstract: A water based thixotropic adhesive gel is disclosed which consists essentially of: water; partially hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol, or wherein a portion of the polyvinyl alcohol is replaced with polyvinylpyrrolidone; a water-soluble high viscosity thickening agent polymer which is compatible with the polyvinyl alcohol and which imparts thixotropic properties to the gel; a water-soluble plasticizer for the polyvinyl alcohol; and a watersoluble defoamer in proportion of ingredients so that the viscosity of the adhesive will break down when a flexible tube or squeeze bottle dispenser is finger-pressed and have a sufficiently low viscosity to allow for easy extrusion from an orifice having a diameter of about 0.06 to 0.15 inches. When pressure is released, after the desired amount of adhesive has flown out of the dispenser, the adhesive quickly reverts to very close to its original gel state so that it will not run on a vertical surface on porous and semiporous surfaces such as paper.

Abstract: There are disclosed methods and compositions for retarding the ambient temperature hardening of a phenolic resole resin alone or with an aggregate when such resin is contacted with a nitroalkane and a hardening agent such as lightburned magnesium oxide, an organic ester functional hardening agent, and mixtures of lightburned magnesium oxide and an organic ester functional hardening agent in an alkaline medium. There is also disclosed a hardener composition for phenolic resole resins wherein the hardener composition consists essentially of a solution of a nitroalkane in an organic ester functional hardening agent.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electric field sensor useful in detecting and measuring wideband transient electrical responses by means of an integrated optical waveguide interferometer. Mach-Zehnder devices are produced wherein one waveguide channel has been reverse poled, or has domain inversion, preferably by means of titanium diffusion into said waveguide channel. Also produced is an electrode-less optical interferometer modulator by which an optical output signal is modulated at the same frequency as an applied electric field.

Abstract: There are disclosed methods and compositions for retarding the room temperature gelation and eventual hardening of phenolic resole resins when such resins are mixed with lightburned magnesium oxide or magnesium hydroxide hardening agents with or without an ester functional hardening agent. Retardation of gelation and hardening is achieved by incorporating into said mixture a compound which decreases the solubility of magnesium in said mixture. Additionally, hardening at higher temperatures, thermal curing, as well as refractories, coated abrasives, polymer concrete, and other methods and compositions of this invention are disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a breathable, plastic film, useful as a wall covering material. A low boiling additive, such as water, is added to a plastisol before extrusion. During extrusion and curing of the plastisol into a film or coating, the low boiling additive is volatilized and the resulting evolved gas perforates the forming film. In this manner a permeable plastic film, such as vinyl, is produced.

Abstract: The hardening of a composition containing a phenolic resin solution and a magnesia aggregate is effected by mixing into such composition at a pH of at least 4.5: a compound which provides an acetate, adipate, 4-aminobenzenesulfonate, 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylate, formate, glycolate, lactate, nitrate, benzenesulfonate, naphthalenesulfonate, methanesulfonate, phenolsulfonate, succinate, sulfamate, or toluenesulfonate anion to the composition; or an acetylacetone, 2-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, salicylaldehyde compound; or a mixture of said compounds.

Abstract: There are disclosed methods and compositions for accelerating the hardening of phenolic resole resins having a pH of about 4.5 to 9.5 with lightburned magnesium oxide or magnesium hydroxide, with or without the addition of an ester functional hardening agent. Acceleration of hardening is achieved by incorporating into said compositions an effective quantity of a material which: increases the solubility of magnesium in the hardenable mixture; by certain amines; or by certain chelating agents. Accelerator compounds include those which provide chloride, sulfamate, nitrate, formate, and phosphite anions as well as selected tertiary amines.

Abstract: The hardening of a composition containing a phenolic resin solution and a magnesia aggregate is effected by mixing into such composition at a pH of at least 4.5: a compound which provides an acetate, adipate, 4-aminobenzeneslfonate, 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylate, formate, glycolate, lactate, nitrate, benzenesulfonate, naphthalenesulfonate, methanesulfonate, phenolsulfonate, succinate, sulfamate, or toluenesulfonate anion to the composition; or an acetylacetone, 2-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, salicylaldehyde compound; or a mixture of said compounds.

Abstract: The invention relates to the modification of a curable phenolic resin system by the incorporation of alkylphenol, alkoxyphenol, arylphenol or aryloxyphenol. The resulting resin has reduced water soluble leachates which, in turn, improves the break time when the resin is used to coat proppants for treating subterranean formations.

Abstract: There are disclosed methods and compositions for accelerating the hardening of phenolic resole resins having a pH of about 4.5 to 9.5 with lightburned magnesium oxide or magnesium hydroxide, with or without the addition of an ester functional hardening agent. Acceleration of hardening is achieved by incorporating into said compositions an effective quantity of a material which: increases the solubility of magnesium in the hardenable mixture; by certain amines; or by certain chelating agents. Accelerator compounds include those which provide chloride, sulfamate, nitrate, formate, and phosphite anions as well as selected tertiary amines.

Abstract: A process is presented for the fabrication of a metal/ceramic composite by a non-vapor phase oxidation of a molten metal by contacting said molten metal at an elevated temperature with a sacrificial ceramic preform. The shape of the preform is retained but the ceramic preform is reduced, oxidizing the molten metal. A preferred sacrificial ceramic preform is silica, but can also be, for example, mullite, titania or zirconia, and the preferred molten metal is aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Thus, for example, is produced from immersing a silica preform into molten aluminum alloy, an Al/Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 composite metal/ceramic article which does not contain silica or silicon and which is extremely tough.