Abstract: Enamine ketone and enonesulfide polymeric solids are prepared by reacting liquid or low-melting propynone terminated enamine ketone and enonesulfide prepolymers in one-step, or more preferably, in two-step processes. Properties of the resulting polymers are determined by the nature of the reactant selected and by the relative amounts of reactants employed. Where the prepolymers formed possess terminal propynone groups, the prepolymers can subsequently be cross-linked. Copolymers can also be formed by reacting the prepolymers of the invention with vinyl-type monomers to form polymers with cross-linked networks. The polymerization techniques disclosed can be employed to produce thermoplastic, thermoset, and elastomeric products, and they are especially useful in reaction injection molding processes, in adhesive systems, in composite formations, for linings, and gaskets which require chemical resistance.

Abstract: A method for producing polymers with narrow molecular weight distribution which involves combining (1) an initiator component of the formula ##STR1## in which R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 are alkyl, aryl, or aralkyl groups, and can be the same or different, and X is an acetate, etherate, a hydroxyl group, or a halogen, and i is a positive whole number, (2) a Lewis acid of the formula MX.sub.n in which M is titanium, aluminum, boron, or tin, X is a halogen, and n is a positive whole number, (3) an electron donor component having an electron donor number of from at least about 25 to no more than about 50, (4) a solvent for the preceding and (5) a hydrocarbon monomer component.

Abstract: Enamine ketone and enonesulfide polymeric solids are prepared by reacting liquid or low-melting propynone terminated enamine ketone and enonesulfide prepolymers in one-step, or more preferably, in two-step processes. Properties of the resulting polymers are determined by the nature of the reactant selected and by the relative amounts of reactants employed. Where the prepolymers formed possess terminal propynone groups, the prepolymers can subsequently be cross-linked. Copolymers can also be formed by reacting the prepolymers of the invention with vinyl-type monomers to form polymers with cross-linked networks. The polymerization techniques disclosed can be employed to produce thermoplastic, thermoset, and elastomeric products, and they are especially useful in reaction injection molding processes, in adhesive systems, in composite formations, for linings, and gaskets which require chemical resistance.

Abstract: Two-component polymeric compositions having two interconnected solid phases, and exhibiting spinodal decomposition morphology at the domain boundaries are shown, as are methods for forming the same. The compositions are prepared from two different polymers one of which possesses ductility in that it shows substantial yield behavior under tensile stressing, the other being brittle, exhibiting no such behavior; thermoplastic polymers, in conjunction with thermotropic liquid crystalline materials, exemplify such systems. The desired morphology is created by preparing the two component compositions in a single solid phase below the lower critical solution temperature of the compositions, and thereafter heating the compositions above such temperature to form a two-phase system.

Abstract: A friction welding apparatus for preparing weldments by fictional contact of the weld members which includes sensors for measuring torque, axial forces, and other variables important to the control of the welding process, and for facilitating the obtainment of process information useful in correlating process conditions with weld quality. The apparatus includes means for the substantially frictionless coupling of the component providing the axial normal force on the aligned shafts upon which the weld pieces are mounted. The coupling, which contributes to accurate torque measurements, comprises a substantially frictionless, single-contact-point coupling provided by the point of contact between two adjacent spherical surfaces.

Abstract: Compounds are disclosed which comprise parallel, multiring, porphyrin-related compounds, particularly two-ring phthalocyanine compounds, which have a coordinating atom, either a metal or a metalloid, located at their center. The coordinating atoms in adjacent rings are connected by an oxygen bridge along an axial backbone disposed at right angles to the rings, and the coordinating atom and the ring on one end of the axis has a hydrophilic group attached thereto, while the coordinating atom in the ring at the other end of the axis has a hydrophobic group attached to it. Semiconducting films made from such compounds and devices made from such films, especially gas sensors, are also disclosed.