Gradient polymers of two or more alpha mono-olefinic monomers capable of polymerizing with themselves and each other

Abstract

Polymers of at least two different alpha monoolefinic monomers capable of polymerizing with themselves and each other. The polymers comprise a plurality of polymer chains along which the proportion of mer units provided by a first such monomer for a given first chain length gradually increases as the proportion of mer units provided by a second such monomer along the first chain length gradually decreases to a second chain length along which the proportion of mer units provided by the first and second monomers, respectively, remain substantially constant throughout said second chain length. Also, included are polymers of this type wherein the polymer chains comprise a third chain length along which the proportion of mer units provided by the first monomer is greater than the minimum proportion of the same type of mer units in the given first chain length and remains substantially constant throughout the third chain length. In this case the third chain length is connected to one end of a fourth chain length which is connected at its other end to the given first chain length and the proportion of mer units provided by the first monomer gradually diminishes along the fourth chain length as the proportion of mer units provided by the second monomer gradually increases along the fourth chain length to the respective proportions of mer units provided by the first and second monomers at the beginning of the given first chain length at the point of attachment of the fourth chain length to the given first chain length.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.