Polymeric dispersants from phenyl glycidyl ether

A copolymer comprising a reaction product of:

• (a) a polyhydroxyl nucleophilic initiator selected from the group consisting of alcohols, phenols, and deprotonated species thereof, the initiator containing from 2 to 6 nucleophilic moieties;
• (b) from 1 to 30 recurring units per active hydrogen equivalent of the initiator of a phenyl glycidyl ether;
• and
• (c) from 1 to 100 recurring units per active hydrogen equivalent of the initiator of one or more alkylene oxides (AO) selected from the group consisting of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxides, and combinations thereof;
• wherein the copolymer comprises 20 to 60 wt. % of the phenyl glycidyl ether recurring units based on the combined amounts of the phenyl glycidyl ether and AO recurring units, and the copolymer comprises branches wherein a branch is defined as a segment of the copolymer composed of a block of phenyl glycidyl ether followed by a block of AO units, the number of branches being an integer and uniformly equal to the number of nucleophilic moieties;
• and
• wherein the copolymer has a number-average molecular weight within the range of 1,900 to 56,000 g/mol.