Hydrophilic organofunctional silicone copolymers

The process for the preparation of liquid hydrophilic organofunctional silicone copolymer, comprising free radical polymerizing from 10 to 45 weight percent of a silicone macromer a) of the formula

• R1aR3-aSiO(SiR2O)nSiR3-aR1a
• in which R are identical or different and are monovalent, optionally substituted alkyl or alkoxy radicals having 1 to 18 C atoms, R1 is a ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable group, a is 1, and n is from 5 to 10,000;
• with 50 to 80% by weight of one or more polyethers b) having 3 to 1000 oxyalkylene repeating units selected from the group consisting of oxyethylene, oxypropylene, oxybutylene, and mixtures thereof, the polyether bearing at least one unsaturated group selected from the group consisting of vinyl, allyl, acryloyl, and methacryloyl at terminal position(s) of the polyether;
• and optionally, from 10 to 30% by weight of at least one unsaturated monomer c) different from a) and b), selected from the group consisting of vinyl esters of straight-chain or branched alkylcarboxylic acids having 1 to 15 C atoms, (meth)acrylates of alcohols having 1 to 15 C atoms, (meth)acrylamides, vinylaromatics, olefins, vinyl halides, vinyl ketones, vinyl ethers, polymerizable silanes, unsaturated mono- and dicarboxylic acids or salts thereof, ethylenically unsaturated carboxamides and carbonitriles, mono- and diesters of fumaric and maleic acid, ethylenically unsaturated sulfonic acids or salts thereof, ethylenically unsaturated phosphorus-containing monomers, and cationic monomers, the weight percentages being based on the total weight of a), b), and c), and totaling 100% by weight.