Abstract: It is the objective to provide an electrolyte membrane with low cost, high ion conductivity, and low swelling. It is comprised of a hydrophilic segment containing a sulfonic acid group and a hydrophobic segment where a sulfonic acid group is not contained, and it uses a polymer electrolyte for a fuel cell containing a block copolymer where the relationship between the glass-transition temperature of the hydrophobic segment (Tg1) and the glass-transition temperature of the hydrophilic segment (Tg2) is Tg1>Tg2.

Abstract: A phase-separated polymer electrolyte membrane is provided which has a low degree of swelling in water and methanol, excels in resistance to water and methanol, and has high methanol barrier property and a low membrane resistance. An electrode-phase-separated polymer electrolyte membrane joint using the membrane, a method for manufacturing the membrane and joint, and a fuel cell using them are also provided. There is provided a polymer electrolyte membrane having two phases: a domain phase comprising an electrolyte polymer (a) and a matrix phase comprising a polymer (b) that inhibits swelling of component (a), the membrane also having a three-dimensional structure that can conduct protons and substantially connects the domains of (a).

Abstract: The present invention discloses a sulfur-containing phenolic resin which comprises an organic group represented by the following formula (1): —R1—S—R2—S—R1—??(1) wherein R1 represents a hydrocarbon group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, R2 represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, between a phenolic carbon and a phenolic carbon, phenol derivatives represented by the following formula (5): wherein R5 represents a C2-3 alkylene group, R6 represents a C1-10 alkylene group, G represents H, a C1-10 alkyl group, etc., and an epoxy resin composition containing (A) a curing agent of the above-mentioned formula (5) and (B) an epoxy resin as essential components.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a binder resin composition which exhibits excellent adhesion to the negative electrode current collector and an excellent resistance to liquid electrolyte-induced swelling, and which provides an electrode having excellent flexibility and plasticity. Additional objects of the present invention are to provide, through the use of this binder resin composition, an electrode for nonaqueous electrolyte energy devices and a nonaqueous electrolyte energy device, which exhibit a high capacity as well as a smaller capacity fading during charge-discharge cycling.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrolyte membrane in which permeation of an electrolyte solution such as water and methanol, and swelling by electrolyte solutions are suppressed, and which is excellent in mechanical strength; and providing a preparing method thereof. The present invention relates to an electrolyte membrane comprising a porous substrate with a plurality of pores and a proton conductive polymer composition held in the pores, wherein the proton conductive polymer composition contains an aromatic hydrocarbon resin having proton acid groups, preferably an aromatic hydrocarbon resin selected from a group consisting of polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyarylate, polyamide imide, polyetherimide, polyimide, polyquinoline, and polyquinoxaline.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a sulfur-containing phenolic resin which comprises an organic group represented by the following formula (1): —R1—S—R2—S—R1—??(1) wherein R1 represents a hydrocarbon group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, R2 represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, between a phenolic carbon and a phenolic carbon, phenol derivatives represented by the following formula (5): wherein R5 represents a C2-3 alkylene group, R6 represents a C1-10 alkylene group, G represents H, a C1-10 alkyl group, etc., and an epoxy resin composition containing (A) a curing agent of the above-mentioned formula (5) and (B) an epoxy resin as essential components.

Abstract: The present invention provides, as heteroaromatic compounds made functional so as to be used for nonlinear optical materials, compounds represented by the following general formula (1), and also provides polymers obtained from these and nonlinear optical parts comprising such polymers. In the formula, Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.2 each represents a divalent aromatic group; R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each represents an atom or a group independently selected from a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group and an aromatic group; X.sup.1 represents a monovalent organic group; n represents an integer of 2 to 12; and Z.sup.1 and Z.sup.2 each represents a group independently selected from electron attractive functional groups.

Abstract: Related to a liquid-crystal alignment film that can align liquid-crystal molecules without resort to the rubbing.The liquid-crystal alignment film of the present invention comprises a resin (e.g., a polyimide) containing a photoisomerizable and dichroic structural unit (e.g., a stilbene derivative), and is furnished with the ability to align liquid-crystal molecules when a film formed of the resin is irradiated with linearly polarized light; the ability to align liquid-crystal molecules being held and fixed.The liquid-crystal alignment film of the present invention is used in electric-filed driven type liquid-crystal display devices.

Abstract: As a heteroaromatic compound made functional so as to be used in nonlinear optical materials, the present invention provides a heteroaromatic compound represented by the following Formula (1), (2), (3) or (4), a polymer obtained from any of these, a nonlinear optical element comprised of the polymer, an optical device having such an element, and a process for producing them. ##STR1## wherein Ar.sup.1, Ar.sup.2 and Ar.sup.3 each independently represent an aromatic group or an aromatic group having a substituent, R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group, X represents a monovalent organic group, Y represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent functional group, and n represents an integer of 2 to 10.