Abstract: Photocurable polyacrylate or methacrylate compounds which exhibit extremely low, neat viscosities while at the same time maintaining the high cure response of other related photocurable materials may be represented by the general formula: ##STR1## wherein R is hydrogen or methyl, R' is C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl or C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 alkyl ether alkyl and A is the residue of a diol or dicarboxylic acid, preferably, a diphenol such as Bisphenol A. The process for preparing these materials involves reacting a C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 aliphatic alcohol or C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 aliphatic ether alcohol with a diglycidyl ether or ester and esterifying the remaining hydroxyl groups with acrylic or methacrylic acid.

Abstract: The present invention is a process for the preparation of novel polybenzimidazole foams. The foams exhibit a closed cellular structure and are prepared by forming a polybenzimidazole solution, adding sulfuric acid to the polybenzimidazole solution, removing the solvent, and heat treating the polybenzimidazole at a temperature of about 350.degree. to 600.degree. C.

Abstract: The instant invention involves a process for use in preparing tapes or rovings, which are formed from a thermoplastic material used to impregnate longitudinally extended bundles of carbon fibers. The process involves the steps of (a) gas spreading a tow of carbon fibers; (b) feeding the spread tow into a crosshead die; (c) impregnating the tow in the die with a thermoplastic polymer; (d) withdrawing the impregnated tow from the die; and (e) gas cooling the impregnated tow with a jet of air.The crosshead die useful in the instant invention includes a horizontally extended, carbon fiber bundle inlet channel, means for providing melted polymer under pressure to the die, means for dividing the polymeric material flowing into the die into an upper flow channel and a lower flow channel disposed above and below the moving carbon fiber bundle, means for applying the thermoplastic material from both the upper and lower channels to the fiber bundle, and means for withdrawing the resulting tape from the die.