Associative Thickeners Based on Hyperbranched Polymers

A polymer P comprising, in polymerized-in form,

• a) at least one polyisocyanate
• b) at least one alcohol of the general formula I
• R1O—R2nOH (I)
• where
• R1 is selected from C6-C40-alkyl, C6-C40-alkenyl, C3-C10-cycloalkyl, C6-C30-aryl and C7-C40-arylalkyl,
• R2 is selected from C2-C10-alkylene, C6-C10-arylene and C7-C10-arylalkylene,
• n is selected from 0 to 200,
• c) at least one hyperbranched polymer HB with functional groups, where, for the average number f of functional groups per molecule of the hyperbranched polymer, 3<f<100 applies,
• with the proviso that the hyperbranched polymer is not selected from hyperbranched polyetherpolyols,
• d) optionally at least one compound different from b) and c) and having a molecular weight of at least 300 g/mol comprising
• i. at least two OH groups and
• ii. at least two groups selected from ether groups and ester groups,
• e) optionally further compounds different from b) to d) and having 1 to 10 groups that are reactive toward isocyanate groups per molecule.