Polymer comprising water-soluble unit and unit with an icst, and aqueous composition comprising it

Polymer according to either of the preceding claims, in which the water-soluble units, before reaction, are obtained by free-radical polymerization of at least one monomer A chosen, alone or as a mixture, from:

• (meth)acrylic acid;
• vinyl monomers of formula (Ia) below:
• 5
• in which:
• R is chosen from H, —CH3, —C2H5 or —C3H7;
• X is chosen from:
• alkyl oxides of —OR′ type in which R′ is a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon-based radical containing from 1 to 6 carbons, substituted with at least one hydroxyl (—OH);
• primary amine (—NH2);
• secondary amine (—NHR1) or tertiary amine (—NR1R2) group, with R1 and R2, independently of each other, representing a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon-based radical containing 1 to 25 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the sum of the carbon atoms of R1+R2 does not exceed 26;
• a halogen atom (iodine, bromine, chlorine or fluorine);
• groups —NH2, —NHR′ and —NR′R″ in which R′ and R″ are, independently of each other, linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon-based radicals containing 1 to 25 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the total number of carbon atoms of R′+R″ does not exceed 26, the said R′ and R″ optionally being substituted with a hydroxyl (—OH);
• sulphonic (—SO3);
• sulphate (—SO4);
• phosphate (—PO4H2);
• primary amine (—NH2);
• secondary amine (—NHR1), tertiary amine (—NR1R2) and/or quaternary amine (—N+R1R2R3) group, with R1, R2 and R3 being, independently of each other, a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon-based radical containing 1 to 25 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the sum of the carbon atoms of R1+R2 does not exceed 26, and that the sum of the carbon atoms of R1+R2+R3 does not exceed 27;
• maleic anhydride;
• itaconic acid;
• vinyl alcohol of formula CH2═CHOH;
• vinyl acetate of formula CH2═CH—OCOCH3.

Polymer according to one of the preceding claims, in which the units with an LCST consist of N-vinylcaprolactam homopolymers of formula (II) below:

• 7
• or of copolymers of N-vinylcaprolactam and:
• of a vinyl monomer of formula (III) below:
• 8
• in which:
• R is chosen from H, —CH3, —C2H5 or —C3H7;
• and
• X is chosen from:
• alkyl oxides of —OR′ type in which R′ is a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon-based radical containing from 1 to 6 carbons, optionally substituted with at least one halogen atom (iodine, bromine, chlorine or fluorine);
• a sulphonic (—SO3−), sulphate (—SO4−), phosphate (—PO4H2);
• hydroxyl (—OH);
• primary amine (—NH2);
• secondary amine (—NHR1), tertiary amine (—NR1R2) or quaternary amine (—N+R1R2R3) group with R1, R2 and R3 being, independently of each other, a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon-based radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the sum of the carbon atoms of R′+R1+R2+R3 does not exceed 7;
• and
• groups —NH2, —NHR′ and —NR′R″ in which R′ and R″ are, independently of each other, linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon-based radicals containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the total number of carbon atoms of R′+R″ does not exceed 7, the said R′ and R″ optionally being substituted with a halogen atom (iodine, bromine, chlorine or fluorine);
• a hydroxyl (—OH);
• sulphonic (—SO3−), sulphate (—SO4−);
• phosphate (—PO4H2);
• primary amine (—NH2);
• secondary amine (—NHR1), tertiary amine (—NR1R2) and/or quaternary amine (—N+R1R2R3) group with R1, R2 and R3 being, independently of each other, a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon-based radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the sum of the carbon atoms of R′+R″+R1+R2+R3 does not exceed 7;
• maleic anhydride;
• itaconic acid;
• vinyl alcohol of formula CH2═CHOH;
• vinyl acetate of formula CH2═CH—OCOCH3;
• a vinyl ether of formula CH2═CHOR in which R is a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon-based radical containing from 1 to 6 carbons;
• styrene or derivatives thereof, especially styrene sulphonate;
• dimethyldiallylammonium chloride;
• and
• vinylacetamide.