Abstract: The invention provides a process for polymerizing a polymer comprising monomeric units derived from styrene and 1,3-butadiene, said process comprising: A) adding less than 60 weight percent of the total amount of the butadiene used in the polymerization, to a reactor comprising the total amount of styrene used in the polymerization and solvent; B) adding at least one initiator to the reactor, and allowing the reaction to proceed for a time t; C) adding the remaining amount of butadiene to the reactor in two or more separate additions; and wherein for each butadiene addition, the amount of subsequent butadiene added is less than, or equal to, the amount of butadiene added in the immediately prior addition; and wherein for each butadiene addition, the butadiene is added over a time, tnc, and after each addition, the reaction is allowed to proceed for a time, tnr, wherein n is the number of the butadiene addition, and for each addition, n is independently greater than, or equal to, 1.

Abstract: A backbone modified polymer comprising the reaction product of an elastomeric polymer and a sulfide modifier represented by Formula 1: AS—Y-Zm (Formula 1), and wherein Y is (C12-C100) aralkyl, (C12-C100) aryl, (C12-C100) alkyl, or (C12-C100) dialkylether (alkyl-O-alkyl), and wherein each may be optionally substituted with (C1-C4alkyl, (C1-C4alkoxy, (C7-C16aryl, (C7-C16 aralkyl, nitrile, amine, NO2, alkoxy, or thioalkyl; S is sulfur; A is hydrogen, —(S)p—R1 or -MR2R3R4; Z is —SH, —S-MR5R6R7, —S—(S)p—R8, —NR9R10, —NR11COR12, —O—CO—R13, —NCO, or —COOR14; M is silicon or tin; N is nitrogen; O is oxygen; m is the number one, two or three; p is the number one, two, three, four or five; R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11, R12, R13 and R14 are the same or different, and are each, independently, selected from hydrogen (H), (C1-C16) alkyl, (C6-C16) aryl, (C7-C16) aralkyl or (C3-C30) tri(hydrocarbyl)silyl, and wherein the hydrocarbyl groups are each independently selected from (C1-C16) alkyl, (C6-C16) aryl, or

Abstract: The present invention is a rubber modified monovinylidene aromatic polymer composition where the rubber is a sulfanylsilane chain end modified elastomeric polymer. In the present invention the functionalized rubber provides sufficient grafting levels in standard graft polymerization process technologies to prepare desired rubber particle size distributions and morphologies. Across a range of rubber modified monovinylidene aromatic polymers, it has been found that the use of the modified elastomeric polymers according to the present invention can improve the combinations of resin properties, particularly clarity, surface and physical properties, including both rubber modified monovinylidene aromatic homopolymers (e.g., high impact polystyrene and copolymers (e.g., ABS). The functionalized rubbers have sulfanyl functional groups that provide an optimized reactive grafting site.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved process for recycling a coupling catalyst, preferably an amine catalyst in an interfacial polycarbonate manufacturing process. Specifically, the amine catalyst is recycled in an acidic wash water solution.

Abstract: Compositions comprising (a) a rubber-modified monovinylidene aromatic polymer, e.g., HIPS, and (b) a specified poly-alpha-olefin (PAO), e.g., an oligomer of hexene, octene, decene, dodecene and/or tetradecene, that has a dynamic viscosity value of from about 40 to about 500 centipoise (cP) at 40° C., exhibit improved combinations of environmental stress crack resistance, impact resistance and heat resistance as compared to compositions without such a PAO. The compositions are useful in the manufacture of articles, e.g., refrigerator liners and food packaging, which come in contact with the oils contained in various food stuffs.

Abstract: A flame retardant and light diffusing polycarbonate resin composition comprising 100 parts by weight of a polycarbonate resin (A), 0.1 to 6 parts by weight of a light diffusing agent (B) with an average particle diameter of 1 to 10 ?m, 0.03 to 1 part by weight of a light storing agent (C) with an average particle diameter of 1 to 20 ?m and 0.03 to 1.5 parts by weight of a silicone compound (D) wherein the silicone compound (D) has a branched main chain structure and contains organic functional groups and the presence of aromatic groups is essential as the organic functional groups but the presence of hydrocarbon groups other than aromatic groups is optional as the organic functional groups other than terminal groups.

Abstract: Metal complexes, catalyst compositions containing the metal complexes, and processes for making the metal complexes and the catalyst compositions are described for the manufacture of polymers from ethylenically unsaturated addition polymerizable monomers. The metal complexes have chemical structures corresponding to one of the following formulae: wherein MI and MII are metals; T is nitrogen or phosphorus; P is a carbon, nitrogen or phosphorus atom; groups R1, R2 and R3 may be linked to each other; Y is a divalent bridging group; X, X1, and X2 are anionic ligand groups with certain exceptions; D is a neutral Lewis base ligand; and s, o, k, i, ii, p, m, a, b, c, d, e, t, and y are numbers as further described in the claims.