Abstract: A primary object of the present invention is to provide a multilayer heat-shrinkable styrene-based film that makes it possible, even when the film is transparent, to confirm that the film is correctly applied on a drink bottle and the like as a label. The present invention provides a heat-shrinkable styrene-based film having at least one layer containing a styrene-based resin containing a copolymer b1 of 98 to 40% by weight vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon and 2 to 60% by weight aliphatic unsaturated carboxylic acid ester, and/or a block copolymer b2 of 70 to 85% by weight vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon and 15 to 30% by weight conjugated diene hydrocarbon, and a fluorescent brightening agent in an amount of 100 to 2,000 weight ppm with respect to the total weight of the styrene-based resin. The present invention also provides a heat-shrinkable film having a three-layer structure containing front and back layers and a core layer, wherein the above-mentioned copolymer b1 and/or copolymer b2 forms the core layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides the following multilayer heat-shrinkable styrene-based film having an appropriate surface shape, together with excellent lubricity and blocking resistance, and resistance to ink skipping and like problems during the printing process: a multilayer heat-shrinkable styrene-based film having: layers (A) each containing 0.8 to 2.5 parts by weight of high impact polystyrene resin and 0.02 to 0.15 parts by weight of organic fine particles having a mean particle diameter of 0.5 to 5 ?m per 100 parts by weight of a block copolymer of 75 to 90 wt % vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon and 10 to 25 wt % conjugated diene hydrocarbon; and a layer (B1) containing a block copolymer of 70 to 85 wt % vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon and 15 to 30 wt % conjugated diene hydrocarbon; or a layer (B2) containing a resin composition containing a copolymer of 98 to 40 wt % vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon and 2 to 60 wt % aliphatic unsaturated carboxylic acid ester.

Abstract: A hydrogen-absorbing alloy for a negative electrode in an alkaline storage battery includes a first hydrogen-absorbing alloy and a second first hydrogen-absorbing alloy. The first hydrogen-absorbing alloy contains at least a rare-earth element, Mg, Ni, and Al, and has an intensity ratio IA/IB of 0.1 or greater in X-ray diffraction analysis using Cu—K? radiation as an X-ray source, where IA is the strongest peak intensity that appears in the range of 2?=31° to 33°, and IB is the strongest peak intensity that appears in the range of 2?=40° to 44°. The second hydrogen-absorbing alloy has a Co content greater than that of the first hydrogen-absorbing alloy.

Abstract: An alkaline storage battery has a positive electrode, a negative electrode utilizing hydrogen-absorbing alloy, and an alkaline electrolyte, and wherein the negative electrode contains a hydrogen-absorbing alloy represented by the general formula Ln1-xMgxNiy-a-bAlaMb, where Ln is at least an element selected from rare-earth elements including Y and Zr and Ti, M is at least one element selected from V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, Mn, Fe, Co, Ga, Zn, Sn, In, Cu, Si, P and B, 0.05?x?0.30, 0.05?a?0.30, 0?b?0.50 and 2.8?y?3.9 and fluorine resins having an average molecular weight of 1,000,000 or less.

Abstract: An electric furnace has a furnace wall, a cylindrical spiral member made of a wire of heat resistant material, a part of the cylindrical portion of which being embedded into the furnace wall and the remaining cylindrical portion of which being projected from an inner surface of the furnace wall, and a heating member inserted into the remaining cylindrical portion of the spiral member. The wire is wound along circles, ellipses, triangles, or quadrangles. The heating member has a circular, quadrangular, triangular or elliptical cross section.

Abstract: A separator for a nickel-metal hydride storage battery having a hydrogen-absorbing alloy as a negative electrode. The separator is a laminate of a substrate and a porous hydrophilic film.

Abstract: Middle point voltage of discharge is increased and at the same time cycle life improved in a nickel-metal hydride storage battery having a negative electrode utilizing a rare earth-nickel hydrogen-absorbing alloy containing Mg and the like and having a crystal structure other than a CaCu5 structure. A nickel-metal hydride storage battery contains a positive electrode (1), a negative electrode (2) including a hydrogen-absorbing alloy, and an alkaline electrolyte solution. The hydrogen-absorbing alloy contains at least a rare-earth element, magnesium, nickel, and aluminum, and has an intensity ratio IA/IB of 0.1 or greater as determined by X-ray diffraction analysis using Cu-K? radiation as an X-ray source, where IA is the strongest peak intensity that appears in the range of 20=30° to 34°, and IB is the strongest peak intensity that appears in the range of 2?=40° to 44°. The negative electrode contains a cobalt compound.

Abstract: A hydrogen-absorbing alloy for a negative electrode in an alkaline storage battery includes a first hydrogen-absorbing alloy and a second first hydrogen-absorbing alloy. The first hydrogen-absorbing alloy contains at least a rare-earth element, Mg, Ni, and Al, and has an intensity ratio IA/IB of 0.1 or greater in X-ray diffraction analysis using Cu—K? radiation as an X-ray source, where IA is the strongest peak intensity that appears in the range of 2?=31° to 33°, and IB is the strongest peak intensity that appears in the range of 2?=40° to 44°. The second hydrogen-absorbing alloy has a Co content greater than that of the first hydrogen-absorbing alloy.

Abstract: A nickel-metal hydride storage battery comprising a positive electrode containing nickel hydroxide, a negative electrode containing a hydrogen absorbing alloy and an alkaline electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode contains a hydroxide and/or an oxide of an element selected from the group consisting of calcium, strontium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanoid and bismuth, and the negative electrode contains germanium.

Abstract: A nickel-metal hydride storage battery which includes a positive electrode containing nickel hydroxide, a negative electrode containing a hydrogen absorbing alloy and an alkaline electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode contains a hydroxide and/or an oxide of an element selected from the group consisting of calcium, strontium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanoid and bismuth, and the negative electrode contains a hydroxide and/or an oxide of at least one element selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium and lanthanoid.

Abstract: An electric furnace has a furnace wall, a cylindrical spiral member made of a wire of heat resistant material, a part of the cylindrical portion of which being embedded into the furnace wall and the remaining cylindrical portion of which being projected from an inner surface of the furnace wall, and a heating member inserted into the remaining cylindrical portion of the spiral member. The wire is wound along circles, ellipses, triangles, or quadrangles. The heating member has a circular, quadrangular, triangular or elliptical cross section.

Abstract: A nickel metal hydride storage battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode including a hydrogen absorbing alloy, and an alkaline electrolyte, the hydrogen absorbing alloy containing at least a rare-earth element, magnesium, nickel and aluminum, and having an intensity ratio (IA/IB) of not smaller than 0.1 (where IA represents an intensity of the highest peak in a range of 2?=30°˜34° in an X-ray diffraction pattern using CuK?-radiation as the X-ray source and IB represents the intensity of the highest peak in a range of 2?=40°˜44° in an X-ray diffraction pattern using CuK?-radiation as the X-ray source), and the battery containing manganese in an amount of not greater than 1.0 wt % relative to the hydrogen absorbing alloy.

Abstract: A nickel-metal hydride battery provided with a positive electrode using nickel hydroxide, a negative electrode using hydrogen absorbing alloy, an alkaline electrolyte solution, and a separator 3 separating the positive electrode and the negative electrode, wherein use is made of the negative electrode and/or the alkaline electrolyte solution comprising Mo or W, the separator using sulfonized olefinic resin, and the positive electrode comprising hydroxide and/or oxide of at least one element selected from Ca, Sr, Sc, Y, lanthanoid and Bi.

Abstract: In an alkaline secondary battery provided with a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator to be interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and an alkaline electrolyte solution, the above-mentioned separator has carbon-carbon double bonds. Further, an average amount of carbon-carbon double bonds in the separator is in the range of 10 &mgr;mol/g to 200 &mgr;mol/g, and an average amount of increased nitrogen in the separator after the separator is immersed in an alkaline aqueous solution having ammonium salt dissolved therein is not less than 140 &mgr;g/g.

Abstract: An alkaline storage battery which includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode including a hydrogen absorbing alloy containing manganese as an active material, a separator and an alkaline electrolyte and contains a complex-forming agent which does not include nitrogen and which creates a complex with manganese.

Abstract: A nickel metal hydride storage battery which includes a positive electrode containing nickel hydroxide as a active material, a negative electrode containing a hydrogen absorbing alloy which contains aluminum, a separator and an alkaline electrolyte, wherein a complex-forming agent which forms a complex with aluminum is included in the negative electrode.

Abstract: A nickel electrode for alkaline secondary battery including a porous sintered nickel substrate loaded with a nickel hydroxide-based active material, the nickel electrode has a configuration wherein a surface portion of the active material loaded into the sintered nickel substrate is provided with a combination of a first coating layer of a suitable compound and a second coating layer of a suitable compound, or a coating layer of a compound of two or more suitable elements, or wherein the coating layer of two or more suitable elements is formed between the sintered nickel substrate and the active material.

Abstract: A nickel-metal hydride storage battery which includes a positive electrode containing nickel hydroxide, a negative electrode containing a hydrogen absorbing alloy and an alkaline electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode contains a hydroxide and/or an oxide of an element selected from the group consisting of calcium, strontium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanoid and bismuth, and the negative electrode contains a hydroxide and/or an oxide of at least one element selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium and lanthanoid.

Abstract: A nickel-metal hydride storage battery comprising a positive electrode containing nickel hydroxide, a negative electrode containing a hydrogen absorbing alloy and an alkaline electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode contains a hydroxide and/or an oxide of an element selected from the group consisting of calcium, strontium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanoid and bismuth, and the negative electrode contains germanium.

Abstract: In a hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode employed as a negative electrode of an alkaline storage battery, a covering layer containing at least one of metal elected from nickel and cobalt, and carbon particles is formed on a surface of the hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode or hydrogen absorbing alloy particles used in the hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode.