Water-soluble adhesive compositions

A water-soluble graft copolymer comprising a backbone of a polymer of ethylene oxide and side chains of a grafted nonpolar monomer produced by the melt extrusion of a polymer of ethylene oxide and the nonpolar monomer in the presence of 0.1 to about 20 weight percent of a free radical initiator relative to the weight of homopolymer of ethylene oxide, wherein the nonpolar monomer is selected from styrene and a monomer comprising one or more alkyl groups or cycloalkyl groups and the nonpolar monomer comprise three or more carbon atoms, wherein the poly(ethylene oxide) has an average molecular weight ranging from about 100,000 g/mol to about 8,000,000 g/mol. and wherein the side chains of a grafted nonpolar monomer comprise 0.1 weight percent to about 20 percent of the weight of the graft copolymer.

A water-soluble graft copolymer comprising a backbone of a polymer of ethylene oxide and side chains of a grafted nonpolar monomer, wherein the nonpolar monomer comprises one more alkyl groups or cycloalkyl groups and the alkyl groups or cycloalkyl comprise three or more carbon atoms, wherein the side chains of a grafted nonpolar monomer comprise 0.1 weight percent to about 20 percent of the weight of the graft copolymer.

A method of making a graft copolymer of ethylene oxide and a nonpolar monomer comprising:

• continuously adding a poly(ethylene oxide), 0.1 to about 30 weight percent of a free radical initiator and 0.1 to 20 weight percent of a nonpolar monomer or a mixture of monomers comprising a nonpolar monomer relative to the weight of homopolymer of ethylene oxide into an extruder under melt conditions without a solvent, wherein the poly(ethylene oxide) has an average molecular weight ranging from about 100,000 g/mol to about 8,000,000 g/mol;
• and
• mixing the poly(ethylene oxide), the initiator and the nonpolar monomer under conditions sufficient to graft the nonpolar monomer onto the poly(ethylene oxide) and form a thermoplastic, water-soluble graft copolymer of ethylene oxide.

A method of making a graft copolymer of ethylene oxide and a nonpolar monomer comprising:

• adding a poly(ethylene oxide), an initiator and a nonpolar monomer into an extruder under melt conditions without a solvent, wherein the nonpolar monomer is added to the poly(ethylene oxide) in a range of from about 0.1 weight percent to about 20 weight percent relative to the weight of the poly(ethylene oxide);
• and
• mixing the poly(ethylene oxide), the initiator and the nonpolar monomer under conditions sufficient to graft the nonpolar monomer onto the poly(ethylene oxide) and form a thermoplastic, water-soluble graft copolymer of ethylene oxide.

A method of making a graft copolymer of ethylene oxide and a nonpolar monomer comprising:

• adding a poly(ethylene oxide), an initiator and a nonpolar vinyl monomer into an extruder under melt conditions without a solvent, wherein the initiator is added to the poly(ethylene oxide) in a range of from about 1 weight percent to about 30 weight percent relative to the weight of the poly(ethylene oxide);
• and
• mixing the poly(ethylene oxide), the initiator and the nonpolar vinyl monomer under conditions sufficient to graft the nonpolar vinyl monomer onto the poly(ethylene oxide) and form a thermoplastic, water-soluble graft copolymer of ethylene oxide.