Abstract: To provide an aqueous coating composition which has a low content of an organic solvent, whereby a burden on an environment is small; in which an increase of the molecular weight, gelation, etc. are suppressed; which performs excellent storage stability and provides a coating film having good water permeability/water resistance. An aqueous coating composition which is a composition obtained by dispersing a fluorocopolymer (A) obtained by a solution polymerization method, in an aqueous medium, and which comprises a repeating unit (1) of fluoroolefin, a repeating unit (2) of a vinyl monomer or an allyl monomer, a repeating unit (3) of a vinyl monomer having a hydroxyl group bonded thereto or of an allyl monomer having a hydroxyl group bonded thereto, and a unit (4) of a vinyl monomer having a carboxylate group bonded thereto or of an allyl monomer, and which comprises a fluorocopolymer (A) wherein a proportion of the repeating unit (4) is from 0.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical member including a TiO2-containing silica glass having: a TiO2 concentration of from 3 to 10% by mass; a Ti3+ concentration of 100 wt ppm or less; a thermal expansion coefficient at from 0 to 100° C., CTE0-100, of 0±150 ppb/° C.; and an internal transmittance in the wavelength range of 400 to 700 nm per a thickness of 1 mm, T400-700, of 80% or more, in which the optical member has a ratio of variation of Ti3+ concentration to an average value of the Ti3+ concentration, ?Ti3+/Ti3+, on an optical use surface, is 0.2 or less.

Abstract: To provide an electret whose surface potential is improved and an electrostatic induction conversion device comprising the same, an electret is formed by spin-coating a fluorine-containing polymer composition for coating which contains a fluorine-containing polymer having a ring structure in its main chain, a silane coupling agent, an aprotic fluorine-containing solvent, and a fluorine-containing alcohol as a protic fluorine-containing solvent on a copper substrate and baking it.

Abstract: To provide a water/oil repellent composition which can give water/oil repellency to a surface of an article and has excellent durability (wash durability and heavy-rain durability), a method for producing such a composition, and an article which has water/oil repellency and is less susceptible to deterioration of water/oil repellency when it is washed or in heavy rain. A water/oil repellent composition which comprises a copolymer having polymerized units derived from monomer (a), polymerized units derived from monomer (b) and polymerized units derived from monomer (c). Here, monomer (a) is a compound represented by the formula: (Z—Y)nX; wherein Z is a C1-6 perfluoroalkyl group or the like; Y is a bivalent organic group or a single bond; n is 1 or 2; and X is a polymerizable unsaturated group; monomer (b) is a (meth)acrylate having no polyfluoroalkyl group and having an C20-30 alkyl group; and monomer (c) is vinylidene chloride.

Abstract: A coating composition is prepared by blending a polyisocyanate curing agent, a weak solvent-soluble fluorine-containing copolymer and a weak solvent. The polyisocyanate curing agent is obtained by a reaction between an alicylic polyisocyanate and a monoalcohol having 10-50 carbon atoms. The weak solvent-soluble fluorine-containing copolymer is a copolymer obtained from a fluoroolefin and a double bond-containing monomer copolymerizable with the fluoroolefin, and has afluorine content derived from fluoroolefin of not less than 10% by mass. In this connection, 5-30% by mole of the double bond-containing monomer contains a hydroxyl group, while 10-50% by mole of the double bond-containing monomer contains a branched alkyl group having 3 or more carbon atoms.

Abstract: To provide a treated substrate having a high contrast water repellent region on its surface, and a process for producing it. A treated substrate having a pattern of a water repellent region on a surface of a substrate, characterized in that the water repellent region is made of a water repellent cured film obtained by curing a curable composition containing an organopolysiloxane (A1) having hydrogen atoms bonded to silicon atoms and a photocurable group, or an organopolysiloxane (A2) having hydrogen atoms bonded to silicon atoms and having no photocurable group and a compound (B) having a photocurable group, and further optionally containing a photocuring-accelerating compound (C).

Abstract: To provide a polymer electrolyte membrane having excellent size stability and excellent mechanical strength that can sufficiently prevent the size change due to the swelling condition, the displacement of the polymer electrolyte membrane and the formation of wrinkles during the production of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, and can prevent damage during the production and operation of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell. In a composite electrolyte membrane including a porous reinforcement layer made of a resin and an electrolyte layer made of a polymer electrolyte and laminated at least one main surface of the reinforcement layer, the direction having a high tensile modulus of elasticity in the reinforcement layer is substantially corresponded with the direction having a high rate of size change in the electrolyte layer.

Abstract: The claimed invention relates to a process for producing an optical material for EUV lithography, wherein the optical material contains a silica glass having a TiO2 concentration of from 3 to 12 mass % and a hydrogen molecule content of less than 5×1017 molecules/cm3 in the glass. The process including coating a multilayer film on the silica glass by ion beam sputtering.

Abstract: A conduit structure for molten glass, a conduit system for molten glass, a vacuum degassing apparatus and a method for vacuum-degassing molten glass by use of the vacuum degassing apparatus, which are capable of effectively removing components eluted from a refractory brick forming a conduit for molten glass, foreign substances generated in the interface between molten glass and a platinum wall surface forming a conduit for molten glass, a bubble remaining in a surface layer of molten glass, a glass material denatured by volatilization, and the like, are provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to a coating agent composition comprising an isocyanate-group-containing prepolymer obtained by reacting a polyol comprising a polyoxyalkylene polyol having 2-4 hydroxyl groups on average, an oxyethylene group content of 85-100% by mass based on all oxyalkylene groups (100% by mass), and an arithmetic-average molecular weight of 800-2,500 with an alicyclic isocyanate and/or an aliphatic isocyanate in the presence of an organic acid bismuth salt catalyst, the isocyanate(s) being used in such an amount as to result in an isocyanate index of 150-300. The invention can provide a coating agent composition which forms a coating film or film having moisture permeability, excellent in mechanical properties and yellowing resistance, having laundering durability and resistance to sweat deterioration, and containing no organotin compounds.

Abstract: A process for producing a flexible polyurethane foam, which comprises reacting a polyol mixture with a polyisocyanate compound in the presence of a urethane-forming catalyst and a blowing agent, characterized in that the polyol mixture comprises the following polyol (A) and the polyol (B), and the proportion of the polyisocyanate compound to the polyol mixture is at least 90 by isocyanate index, and the total amount of Zn and Co contained in the polyol mixture is from 0.1 to 200 ppm.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an edible vaccine which is effective for human papilloma virus (HPV) type 16 and available in large amounts inexpensively. An edible human papilloma virus vaccine obtained by culturing a transformant of an avirulent fission yeast host, wherein the transformant carries a gene encoding an antigenic protein of human papilloma virus introduced therein and accumulates the expressed antigenic protein in it.

Abstract: To provide a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography having an absorber layer, which presents a low reflectance to a light in the wavelength ranges of EUV light and pattern inspection light, and which is easily controlled to have desired film composition and film thickness. A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography, comprising a substrate, and a reflective layer for reflecting EUV light and an absorber layer for absorbing EUV light formed in this order on the substrate, wherein the absorber layer contains tantalum (Ta), boron (B), silicon (Si) and nitrogen (N), and in the absorber layer, the B content is at least 1 at % and less than 5 at %, the Si content is from 1 to 25 at %, and the compositional ratio of Ta to N (Ta:N) is from 8:1 to 1:1.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a catalyst-coated membrane suitable for achieving a polymer electrolyte fuel cell that sufficiently prevents a decrease in the initial characteristics and also exhibits sufficient cell performance for a long period of time and has excellent durability. In at least the cathode catalyst layer, the ratio (WP/WCat-C) of the weight of the polymer electrolyte (WP) to the weight of the catalyst-carrying carbon (WCat-C) is decreased from an innermost layer positioned closest to the polymer electrolyte membrane toward an outermost layer positioned farthest from the polymer electrolyte membrane. The ratio (WP/WCat-C) in the innermost layer is 0.8 to 3.0, and the ratio (WP/WCat-C) in the outermost layer is 0.2 to 0.6.

Abstract: The present invention aims at providing a glass substrate required to have a surface polished with extremely high accuracy as in glass substrates for reflective masks for use in EUVL; and a polishing method for producing the glass substrate. The present invention provides a glass substrate for mask blank, which is a glass substrate comprising SiO2 as a main component and having a polished main surface, wherein concave defects and convex defects on the main surface have a depth of 2 nm or smaller and a height of 2 nm or smaller, respectively, and have a half-value width of 60 nm or smaller, so that the concave defects and/or the convex defects do not cause phase defects when the glass substrate is used to produce a mask for exposure and the mask is used. Also disclosed are a polishing method for producing the glass substrate, and a mask blank and a mask for exposure using the glass substrate.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical glass including, by mass %: 46 to 70 of B2O3; 3 to 10 of Li2O; 5 to 15 of Y2O3; 0 to 46 of SiO2: 0 to 20 of Al2O3: 0 to 40 of MgO+CaO+SrO+BaO; 0 to 30 of La2O3; and 0 to 10 of ZrO2+TiO2+Gd2O3.

Abstract: To provide a material having properties required for a chromatic aberration-free lens and excellent in moldability and impact resistance. A fluoropolymer for a chromatic aberration-free lens, which is an amorphous fluoropolymer containing a carbon atom chain as a main chain and containing a fluorinated atom-bonded carbon atom as a carbon atom of the main chain, characterized in that vd>75, ?gF>0.50, and ??gF>0.03, where vd represents an Abbe number, ?gF represents a relative partial dispersion of a g-F line, and ??gF represents a deviation from a standard line of the relative partial dispersion of the g-F line.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to make it possible to uniformly supply of a gas onto a base material in a way simpler and lower in cost, and thus, to realize a high-quality surface treatment. For that purpose, in surface treatment of a base material (12) by supplying a surface-treating gas on the surface of the base material (12) while conveying it in a particular direction, the peripheral surface of a rotor having a cylindrical peripheral surface (24) is made to face, via a gap (23), the surface of the base material (12) or an opposing member (20) formed at a position separated from the base material and the rotor is rotated around the axis in the direction almost perpendicular to the base material (12)-conveying direction, as the means for supplying the surface-treating gas. By the rotation, the surface-treating gas is dragged in by the peripheral surface of the rotor (24), guided into the gap (23), and then, fed from the gap (23) onto the surface of the base material (12).

Abstract: A conventional problem in which inspection performance deteriorates as a transparent plate material becomes larger is solved.

Abstract: To provide a polishing compound that is capable of minimizing formation of scratches on an object to be polished, such as a resin substrate or a metal wiring, and polishing at a high removal rate. To further provide a polishing method that is capable of minimizing formation of scratches on a resin substrate or a metal wiring, and improving the throughput. The polishing compound T comprises an oxidizing agent, an electrolyte and an aqueous medium, wherein ions formed from the electrolyte comprise ammonium ions, at least one type of organic carboxylate ions selected from the group consisting of polycarboxylate ions and hydroxycarboxylate ions, and at least one type of ions selected from the group consisting of carbonate ions, hydrogencarbonate ions, sulfate ions and acetate ions.