Abstract: A charged material containing a metal raw material of at least one of ferrochromium containing metal Si or ferrosilicon and unreduced slag containing Cr oxide generated by oxidation refining is charged into an AC electric furnace including three electrodes, a mass ratio of a metal Si amount to a Cr oxide amount being from 0.30 to 0.40, and a C concentration being from 2.0% by mass to a saturation concentration.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a polarizing plate protective film containing a polymer having at least one of an ester bond and an amide bond and a compound which generates a base by an action of an acid, a polarizing plate including the polarizing plate protective film and a polarizer, a liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal cell and the polarizing plate, and a production method of a polarizing plate protective film including producing the Polarizing plate protective film with a composition containing a polymer having at least one of an ester bond and an amide bond and a compound which generates a base by an action of an acid.

Abstract: There are provided a photosensitive resin composition having excellent chemical resistance, light resistance, and solubility in a solvent, a method for producing a cured film, a cured film, a liquid crystal display device, an organic electroluminescent display device, and a touch panel. The photosensitive resin composition contains a polybenzoxazole precursor, a photoacid generator which generates an acid having a pKa of 3 or less or a quinone diazide compound, and a solvent, in which the polybenzoxazole precursor contains a total of 70 mol % or more of a repeating unit represented by the following Formula (1) and a repeating unit represented by the following Formula (2) with respect to the total repeating units, and a ratio between the repeating unit represented by Formula (1) and the repeating unit represented by Formula (2) is 9:1 to 3:7 in a molar ratio. Y1 represents a cyclic aliphatic group having 3 to 15 carbon atoms, and Y2 represents a linear or branched aliphatic group having 4 to 20 carbon atoms.

Abstract: A carbon fiber sizing agent imparts good bonding performance to carbon fiber, is used to reinforce a thermoplastic matrix resin, and provides a carbon fiber strand applied with the sizing agent and a fiber-reinforced composite reinforced with the carbon fiber strand. The sizing agent for carbon fiber is used to reinforce thermoplastic matrix resin. The sizing agent essentially contains a polymer component having a glass transition temperature of at least 20 deg.C. and exhibits no endothermic peaks indicating an endothermic heat of fusion due to crystalline melting of at least 3 J/g in a determination with a DSC. The weight ratio of the polymer component is 10 to 100 wt % of the nonvolatile components of the sizing agent. The polymer component is at least one component selected from the group consisting of an aromatic polyester resin, aromatic polyester-polyurethane resin and amine-modified aromatic epoxy resin.

Abstract: There are provided a photosensitive resin composition having excellent chemical resistance, light resistance, and solubility in a solvent, a method for producing a cured film, a cured film, a liquid crystal display device, an organic electroluminescent display device, and a touch panel. The photosensitive resin composition contains a polybenzoxazole precursor, a photoacid generator which generates an acid having a pKa of 3 or less or a quinone diazide compound, and a solvent, in which the polybenzoxazole precursor contains a total of 70 mol % or more of a repeating unit represented by the following Formula (1) and a repeating unit represented by the following Formula (2) with respect to the total repeating units, and a ratio between the repeating unit represented by Formula (1) and the repeating unit represented by Formula (2) is 9:1 to 3:7 in a molar ratio. Y1 represents a cyclic aliphatic group having 3 to 15 carbon atoms, and Y2 represents a linear or branched aliphatic group having 4 to 20 carbon atoms.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a polarizing plate protective film containing a polymer having at least one of an ester bond and an amide bond and a compound which generates a base by an action of an acid, a polarizing plate including the polarizing plate protective film and a polarizer, a liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal cell and the polarizing plate, and a production method of a polarizing plate protective film including producing the Polarizing plate protective film with a composition containing a polymer having at least one of an ester bond and an amide bond and a compound which generates a base by an action of an acid.

Abstract: A sizing agent for a reinforcement fiber is used for reinforcing thermoplastic matrix resins and spreads on the reinforcement fiber surface and imparts both excellent splittability and bonding performance to thermoplastic matrix resins. The sizing agent includes essentially an ester compound (A) having a vinyl ester group, acrylate group or methacrylate group bonded to at least one of the chain ends of the main chain of the ester compound (A), and of a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether (B) which is an adduct between an alkylene oxide and a C4-14 monohydric alcohol. When water is added to the sizing agent thereby producing a mixture with a nonvolatile content of 1 weight %, the mixture exhibits a dynamic surface tension ranging from 40 to 55 mN/m determined by the maximum bubble pressure method when bubbles are blown into the mixture at the rate of one bubble per 100 milliseconds.

Abstract: Provided is a photosensitive resin composition having high sensitivity and storage stability.

Abstract: An acrylic-fiber finish for carbon fiber production is prepared into a stable emulsion and applied to a carbon-fiber precursor to prevent gumming up of finish components in precursor production and carbon fiber fusing in baking process. The acrylic-fiber finish is used for carbon-fiber production and includes a modified silicone having a modifying group containing a nitrogen atom and an acidic phosphate ester represented by the following chemical formula (1). where R1 represents a C6-22 alkyl or alkenyl group, A represents a C2-4 alkylene group, and AO represents an oxyalkylene group, n represents a mole number of oxyalkylene group and is an integer ranging from 0 to 20, and each of a and b is an integer of 1 or 2 and meets the equation a+b=3.

Abstract: A sizing agent for reinforcement fibers which imparts good bonding performance to a reinforcement fiber is used to reinforce thermoplastic matrix resin, and provide a synthetic fiber strand applied with the sizing agent and a fiber-reinforced composite reinforced with the synthetic fiber strand. The sizing agent essentially contains a neutralization product of a modified polypropylene resin and an amine compound having at least two hydroxyl groups or amino groups in the molecule, and the nonvolatile component of the sizing agent exhibits an endothermic heat of fusion not higher than 50 J/g in determination with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC).

Abstract: Provided is a photosensitive resin composition having high sensitivity and storage stability.

Abstract: An acrylic-fiber finish for carbon fiber production is prepared into a stable emulsion and applied to a carbon-fiber precursor to prevent gumming up of finish components in precursor production and carbon fiber fusing in baking process. The acrylic-fiber finish is used for carbon-fiber production and includes a modified silicone having a modifying group containing a nitrogen atom and an acidic phosphate ester represented by the following chemical formula (1). where R1 represents a C6-22 alkyl or alkenyl group, A represents a C2-4 alkylene group, and AO represents an oxyalkylene group, n represents a mole number of oxyalkylene group and is an integer ranging from 0 to 20, and each of a and b is an integer of 1 or 2 and meets the equation a+b=3.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a sizing agent for a reinforcement fiber used for reinforcing thermoplastic matrix resins. The sizing agent uniformly spreads on reinforcement fiber surface and imparts, to a reinforcement fiber, both excellent splittability and bonding performance to thermoplastic matrix resins. The sizing agent for a reinforcement fiber of the present invention comprises essentially an ester compound (A) having a vinyl ester group, acrylate group or methacrylate group bonded to at least one of the chain ends of the main chain of the ester compound (A), and of a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether (B) which is an adduct between an alkylene oxide and a C4-14 monohydric alcohol. When water is added to the sizing agent thereby producing a mixture with a nonvolatile content of 1 weight %, the mixture exhibits a dynamic surface tension ranging from 40 to 55 mN/m determined by the maximum bubble pressure method when bubbles are blown into the mixture at the rate of one bubble per 100 milliseconds.

Abstract: A finish for acrylic fiber to be processed into carbon fiber includes an ester compound having at least three ester groups in its molecule and a silicone compound, wherein the silicone compound constitutes 10 to 50 weight percent of the whole of the nonvolatile matter of the finish. A method of manufacturing carbon fiber includes the processes of applying the finish for acrylic fiber to be processed into carbon fiber to acrylic fiber to be processed into carbon fiber; oxidative-stabilizing the finish-applied acrylic fiber in an oxidizing atmosphere at 200 to 300 deg. C. to convert the fiber into oxidized fiber; and carbonizing the oxidized fiber in an inert atmosphere at 200 to 3000 deg. C.

Abstract: A carbon fiber sizing agent imparts good bonding performance to carbon fiber, is used to reinforce a thermoplastic matrix resin, and provides a carbon fiber strand applied with the sizing agent and a fiber-reinforced composite reinforced with the carbon fiber strand. The sizing agent for carbon fiber is used to reinforce thermoplastic matrix resin. The sizing agent essentially contains a polymer component having a glass transition temperature of at least 20 deg.C. and exhibits no endothermic peaks indicating an endothermic heat of fusion due to crystalline melting of at least 3 J/g in a determination with a DSC. The weight ratio of the polymer component is 10 to 100 wt % of the nonvolatile components of the sizing agent. The polymer component is at least one component selected from the group consisting of an aromatic polyester resin, aromatic polyester-polyurethane resin and amine-modified aromatic epoxy resin.

Abstract: A sizing agent for reinforcement fibers which imparts good bonding performance to a reinforcement fiber is used to reinforce thermoplastic matrix resin, and provide a synthetic fiber strand applied with the sizing agent and a fiber-reinforced composite reinforced with the synthetic fiber strand. The sizing agent essentially contains a neutralization product of a modified polypropylene resin and an amine compound having at least two hydroxyl groups or amino groups in the molecule, and the nonvolatile component of the sizing agent exhibits an endothermic heat of fusion not higher than 50 J/g in determination with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC).

Abstract: An acrylic-fiber finish for use in carbon-fiber production contributes to high tenacity of resultant carbon fiber. The acrylic-fiber finish for carbon-fiber production includes an epoxy-polyether-modified silicone and a surfactant. The weight ratios of the epoxy-polyether-modified silicone and the surfactant in the total of the non-volatile components of the finish respectively range from 1 to 95 wt % and from 5 to 50 wt %. The carbon fiber production method includes a fiber production process for producing an acrylic fiber for carbon-fiber production by applying the finish to an acrylic fiber which is a basic material for the acrylic fiber for carbon-fiber production; an oxidative stabilization process for converting the acrylic fiber produced in the fiber production process into oxidized fiber in an oxidative atmosphere at 200 to 300 deg.C.; and a carbonization process for carbonizing the oxidized fiber in an inert atmosphere at 300 to 2,000 deg.C.

Abstract: An acrylic-fiber finish for use in carbon-fiber production contributes to high tenacity of resultant carbon fiber. The acrylic-fiber finish for carbon-fiber production includes an epoxy-polyether-modified silicone and a surfactant. The weight ratios of the epoxy-polyether-modified silicone and the surfactant in the total of the non-volatile components of the finish respectively range from 1 to 95 wt % and from 5 to 50 wt %. The carbon fiber production method includes a fiber production process for producing an acrylic fiber for carbon-fiber production by applying the finish to an acrylic fiber which is a basic material for the acrylic fiber for carbon-fiber production; an oxidative stabilization process for converting the acrylic fiber produced in the fiber production process into oxidized fiber in an oxidative atmosphere at 200 to 300 deg.C.; and a carbonization process for carbonizing the oxidized fiber in an inert atmosphere at 300 to 2,000 deg.C.

Abstract: A finish for acrylic fiber to be processed into carbon fiber includes an ester compound having at least three ester groups in its molecule and a silicone compound, wherein the silicone compound constitutes 10 to 50 weight percent of the whole of the nonvolatile matter of the finish. A method of manufacturing carbon fiber includes the processes of applying the finish for acrylic fiber to be processed into carbon fiber to acrylic fiber to be processed into carbon fiber; oxidative-stabilizing the finish-applied acrylic fiber in an oxidizing atmosphere at 200 to 300 deg. C. to convert the fiber into oxidized fiber; and carbonizing the oxidized fiber in an inert atmosphere at 200 to 3000 deg. C.

Abstract: A adhesive composition comprising (A) a substantially linear, low-density polyethylene, (B) a high pressure low-density polyethylene, (C) an ethylene-based polymer modified with an unsaturated carboxylic acid or a derivative thereof, the ethylene-based polymer being an ethylene homopolymer or a random copolymer formed from ethylene and an &agr;-olefin other than ethylene in which the &agr;-olefin makes up not more than 10 mol % based on the total molar amount of the ethylene and the &agr;-olefin, and (D) a tackifier, the amount of each of Components (A), (B), (C) and (D) being respectively 30 to 80% by weight, 1 to 50% by weight, 1 to 30% by weight and 1 to 30% by weight, based on the total amount of Components (A), (B), (C) and (D). The adhesive composition may further contain an ethylene/&agr;-olefin random copolymer as Component (E) in an amount of not more than 30% by weight based on the total amount of Components (A) to (D) and (E).