Graft copolymers of methylene lactones and process for emulsion polymerization of methylene lactones
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorCharles J. Brandenburg
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Abstract
This invention discloses resilient, acrylic graft polymers comprising α-methylene lact(one)(am) monomers such as α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone, and blends of such polymers with thermoplastic matrix resins. This invention also discloses hard, non-resilient, acrylic graft polymers comprising α-methylene lact(one)(am) monomers such as α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone, and to blends of such polymers with thermoplastic matrix resins. This invention further discloses a general process for emulsion polymerization of α-methylene lact(one)(am) monomers such as α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone and its copolymers.
Claims36
An acrylic copolymer comprising at least a first polymeric repeat unit represented by Formula I, derived from α-methylene lact(one)(am) monomer,
- 4
- wherein:
- n is 0, 1 or 2;
- X is —O— or —NR9—;
- and
- R1, R2, R5, R6, R9, each of R3, and each of R4, are independently hydrogen, a functional group, hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl.
A process for producing an acrylic copolymer comprising the sequential steps of:
- (a) graft polymerizing α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone or γ-methyl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone onto a polymerized butadiene or butadiene-copolymer to form a latex, and
- (b) isolating the resulting latex by coagulation, freeze drying, or spray drying.
A process for producing a cross-linked α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone or γ-methyl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone copolymer, the method comprising emulsion polymerizing α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone or γ-methyl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone.
A method of polymerizing at least one monomer of Formula (I), comprising the steps:
- (a) contacting said monomer in an aqueous medium with a chain-transfer agent and a surfactant,
- (b) adding an initiator to the product of step (a) to produce a polymer emulsion, and
- (c) coagulating the polymer emulsion produced in step (b) to obtain a polymer product.
A method of copolymerizing at least one monomer of Formula (I) with at least one other free radically polymerizable monomer, the method comprising,
- (a) contacting the monomers in an aqueous medium with a chain-transfer agent and a surfactant,
- (b) adding an initiator to the product of step (a) to produce a polymer emulsion, and
- (c) coagulating the polymer emulsion of step (b) to obtain the polymer product.
A method of polymerizing at least one monomer of Formula (I), comprising the sequential steps of,
- (a) contacting the monomer in an aqueous medium with a chain-transfer agent and a surfactant in a reaction vessel,
- (b) agitating the contents of the reaction vessel,
- (c) adding an initiator to the reaction vessel to produce a polymer emulsion,
- (d) coagulating the polymer emulsion by contacting with a solution of MgSO4 held at about 60-100° C. to produce a polymer product,
- (e) filtering the coagulated polymer product through a filter,
- (f) optionally washing the polymer, and
- (g) optionally drying the polymer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.