# US 2014/0194564 A1 · Polymer product and the use of the same as dispersing agent

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- Number: US 2014/0194564 A1
- Document ID: US20140194564A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/123,564
- Filed: 2012-06-15
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2011-06-23
- Assignees: Kemira Oyj
- Inventors: Rosa Carceller; Ari JUPPO; Reijo AKSELA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140194564A1

## CPC

- C08K 3/20: Oxides; Hydroxides {(graphene oxides C08K3/042)}
- C08F 8/12: Hydrolysis
- C08K 3/22: of metals
- C08K 3/26: Carbonates; Bicarbonates
- C08K: Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients (paints, inks, varnishes, dyes, polishes, adhesives C09)
- C08F: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS

## Abstract

The invention relates to a polymer product obtained by polymerization of i) at least one monomer selected from N-vinylformamide and vinyl acetate, and ii) maleic anhydride to give a copolymer comprising N-vinylformamide and/or vinyl acetate and maleic anhydride followed by hydrolyzing formamide groups originating from N-vinylformamide to amino groups and/or acetate groups originating from vinyl acetate to hydroxyl groups and acid anhydride to dicarboxylic acid groups to give a water-soluble copolymer comprising amine and/or hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, wherein the molar ratio of the N-vinylformamide and/or vinyl acetate monomer to the maleic anhydride monomer is from 70:30 to 30:70. The polymer product can be used as a dispersing agent or as a scale inhibiting agent.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A polymer product obtained by polymerization of
i) at least one monomer selected from N-vinylformamide and vinyl acetate, and
ii) maleic anhydride
to give a copolymer comprising N-vinylformamide and/or vinyl acetate and maleic anhydride followed by hydrolyzing formamide groups originating from N-vinylformamide to amino groups and/or acetate groups originating from vinyl acetate to hydroxyl groups and acid anhydride to dicarboxylic acid groups to give a water-soluble copolymer comprising amine and/or hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, wherein the molar ratio of the N-vinylformamide and/or vinyl acetate monomer to the maleic anhydride monomer is from 70:30 to 30:70.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The polymer product according to claim 1 wherein at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 20%, and most preferably at least 50% of the formamide groups and/or acetate groups are hydrolyzed.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1, 2)

The polymer product according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the hydrolysis is carried out in the presence of an acid or a base.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1, 2, 3)

The polymer product according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the polymerization is carried out as a solution polymerization in an organic solvent, such as an alcohol, for example methanol, ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, a cyclic ether, for example tetrahydrofuran or 1,4-dioxane, a ketone, such as acetone or methyl ethyl ketone, ethyl acetate or an aromatic hydrocarbon, for example benzene, toluene, xylene, isopropylbenzene, diisopropylbenzene, ethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene or butylbenzene.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1, 2, 3)

The polymer product according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the polymerization is carried out without any solvents.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

The polymer product according to any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the polymerization is carried out at a temperature of at most 100° C., more preferably at a temperature from 50 to 100° C., even more preferably from 60 to 95° C., and most preferably from 65 to 90° C.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

The polymer product according to any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the molar ratio of the N-vinylformamide and/or vinyl acetate monomer to the maleic anhydride monomer is from 60:40 to 40:60, preferably from 55:45 to 45:55, more preferably about 1:1.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

The polymer product according to any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the average molecular weight of the hydrolyzed polymer is at least 1500, preferably between 1500 and 50000, more preferably between 2000 and 50000.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Use of a polymer product according to any of claims 1 to 8 as a dispersing agent for solid particles, such as fillers or pigments.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Use of a polymer product according to any of claims 1 to 8 as a scale inhibiting agent.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

A method for preparing a stable dispersion of solids in an aqueous medium comprising introducing a polymer product according to any of claims 1 to 8 as a dispersing agent into the medium.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method according to claim 11 wherein the solids comprise ground calcium carbonate.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11, 12)

The method according to claim 11 or 12 wherein the dispersing agent is introduced in an amount of from 0.01 to 5.0%, preferably from 0.05 to 3.0%, based on the weight of the dispersed solids.