Polymers with h-bridge forming functionalities

A graft copolymer containing, in the backbone, free-radically polymerized units of

• a) from 0.01 to 15% by weight of a compound of formula (I)
• in which R1, R2 and R3 may each independently be hydrogen or an alkyl group having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms and R4is a group which has one or more structural units capable of forming hydrogen bonds and is a hydrogen donor,
• b) from 0 to 40% by weight of one or more (meth)acrylates of formula (II)
• in which R is hydrogen or methyl and R5 is a linear or branched alkyl radical having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms,
• c) from 35 to 99.99% by weight of one or more ethylenically unsaturated ester compounds of formula (III)
• in which R is hydrogen or methyl, R8 is a linear, cyclic or branched alkyl radical having from 6 to 40 carbon atoms, R6 and R7 are each independently hydrogen or a group of the formula —COOR8 where R8 is hydrogen or a linear, cyclic or branched alkyl radical having from 6 to 40 carbon atoms, and
• d) from 0 to 40% by weight of one or more comonomers,
• where the percentage by weight of the above components is based on the total weight of the ethylenically unsaturated monomers of the backbone and, grafted onto the backbone of the copolymer,
• a′) from 0.01 to 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the copolymer, of a compound of formula (I)
• in which R1, R2 and R3 may each independently be hydrogen or an alkyl group having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms and R4is a group which has one or more structural units capable of forming hydrogen bonds and is a hydrogen donor, and
• b′) from 0 to 20% by weight, based on the total weight of the copolymer, of one or more compounds of formula (IV)
• in which R9, R10 and R11 may each independently be hydrogen or an alkyl group having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms
• and R12 is either
• a C(O)OR13 group wherein R13 is a linear or branched alkyl radical which is substituted by at least one —NR14R15 group and has from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, where R14 and R15 are each independently hydrogen, an alkyl radical having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and where R14 and R15, including the nitrogen atom and, if present, an additional nitrogen or oxygen atom, form a 5- or 6-membered ring which may optionally be substituted by C1-C6-alkyl, or
• R12 is an NR16C(═O)R17 group wherein R16 and R17 together form an alkylene group having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, where they form a 4- to 8-membered saturated or unsaturated ring, optimally including an additional nitrogen or oxygen atom, where this ring may also optionally be substituted by C1-C6-alkyl.