Vinyl hyperbranched polymer with photographically useful end groups

Abstract

Photographically useful materials are disclosed comprising a hyperbranched polymer segment and multiple pendant photographically useful groups. Such materials may be prepared by forming an active hyperbranched polymer segment with multiple functionalized end group sites, and reacting the active hyperbranched polymer segment with an active compound comprising a photographically useful group to form a hyperbranched polymer ended with photographically useful groups. The hyperbranched segment may comprise any kind of polymer segment with hyperbranched architecture, and the active end groups may comprise any kind of reactive site. The active hyperbranched polymer may comprise any kind of other functional groups which are located in either backbone or the ends. The hyperbranched polymers containing photographically useful groups obtained in accordance with the invention are particularly advantageous in that they enable polymer structures comprising components exhibiting different photographically useful properties, while maintaining relatively low intrinsic viscosities compared to non-hyperbranched polymers containing photographically useful groups of similar chemical compositions. Additionally, the hyperbranched polymers are advantageous with respect to dendrimer type polymers in that a wide variety of hyperbranched polymer compositions may be synthesized in accordance with commercially acceptable processes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.