Copolymers based on ethylenically unsaturated monomers and containing urethane groups, processes for their preparation and their use

A process for the preparation of copolymers by free-radical-initiated emulsion or solution copolymerization of ethylenically unsaturated copolymerizable monomers, it being possible for the groups of the copolymers capable of salt formation to be subsequently partially or completely neutralized and for the copolymers to be isolated as dispersion or as solution or in dried form, which comprises copolymerizing as comonomers

• (a) 25 to 85% by weight of ethylenically unsaturated hydrophobic monomers from the group comprising vinyl esters of (C.sub.1 -C.sub.18)-monocarboxylic acids, acrylic esters or (meth)acrylic esters of (C.sub.1 --C.sub.22)-alcohols, vinyl aromatics having up to 18 carbon atoms, vinyl chloride, ethylene, acrylonitrile or (meth)acrylonitrile, diesters of maleic acid and/or fumaric acid with (C.sub.1 -C.sub.22)-alcohols, vinylpyrrolidone, and
• (b) 1 to 50% by weight of ethylenically unsaturated monomers capable of salt formation and containing functional anionic radicals from the group comprising --COOH, sulfonic acids or sulfonic acid derivatives or phosphonic acids or phosphonic acid derivatives, carboxylic acids from the group comprising ethylenically unsaturated (C.sub.3 -C.sub.5)-mono- or dicarboxylic acids, and monoesters of dibasic carboxylic acids with straight-chain or branched (C.sub.1 -C.sub.8)-alcohols, furthermore monomers from the group comprising vinylsulfonic acid, (3-sulfopropyl)methacrylic esters, acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonic acid, vinylphosphonic acid, acrylamidomethylpropanephosphonic acid or salts thereof, or instead of anionic monomers, ethylenically unsaturated monomers capable of salt formation and containing functional cationic radicals from the group comprising --NR.sup.5 R.sup.6, where R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 can be identical or different and be H or (C.sub.1 -C.sub.18)-alkyl, or R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 together with N can form a five- to seven-membered heterocyclic ring, or ethylenically unsaturated (C.sub.3 -C.sub.18)-aliphatic primary amines or secondary amines containing a (C.sub.1 -C.sub.18)-alkyl radical or tertiary amines containing two (C.sub.1 -C.sub.18)-alkyl radicals, and
• (c) 0.1 to 30% by weight of ethylenically unsaturated surface-active urethane derivatives of the formula I, ##STR12## in which the radicals R.sup.1 to R.sup.4 and Z and the numbered indices x, y and k have the following meanings:
• R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, which can be identical or different, are H, --CH.sub.3, --COOH, --CH.sub.2 --COOH,
• Z is oxygen or NH,
• x, y, k, which can be identical or different, are 0 to 100, with the proviso that x+y+k.gtoreq.2,
• R.sup.4 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.30)-alkyl which may be substituted, (C.sub.6 -C.sub.10)-aryl which may be substituted, (Chd 7-C.sub.30)-aralkyl which may be substituted, (C.sub.5 -C.sub.8)-cycloalkyl which may be substituted, 5- to 7-membered heterocycle which may be substituted,
• and
• (d) 0 to 10% by weight of further ethylenically unsaturated monomers different from (a) to (c) and having functional radicals from the group comprising ##STR13## where R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 can be identical or different and are H, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 -alkyl, (C.sub.2 -C.sub.8)-alkoxyalkyl, (C.sub.5 -C.sub.7)-cycloalkyl or (C.sub.6 -C.sub.18)-aralkyl, or R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 together with N form a five- to seven-membered heterocyclic ring, or ethylenically unsaturated hydroxyalkyl esters or polyalkyleneoxide esters of acrylic acid or (meth)acrylic acid, in which the terminal OH groups of the ester or polyalkylene glycol ether radicals can also be etherified or esterified, ethylenically unsaturated amides, and
• (e) 0 to 5% by weight of ethylenically unsaturated carbonyl compounds, and
• (f) 0 to 5% by weight of ethylenically polyunsaturated or polyfunctional monomers capable of crosslinking, and
• (g) 0 to 5% by weight of molecular weight regulators from the group comprising dodecylmercaptan, carbon tetrachloride, .alpha.-methylstyrene, toluene, bromotrichloromethane, tetrakis(mercaptoacetyl)pentaerythritol, thioglycolic acid,
• and furthermore in the case of emulsion copolymerization adding
• (h) 0.1 to 10% by weight, relative to the total amount of all monomer units in the copolymer, of emulsifiers and/or if desired, protective colloids,
• obtaining the resulting copolymer as a dispersion, as a solution or in solid form, or converting it by partial or complete neutralization, by addition of bases in the case of anionic copolymers and by addition of acids in the case of cationic copolymers into a water-soluble or colloid-water-dispersible copolymer salt and obtaining the copolymer product as a solution or dispersion or in solid form by eliminating the solvent or dispersant in a conventional manner.