Fluorine-containing graft copolymer and adhesive and composite membrane made thereof

Claim 2

A graft copolymer consisting essentially of a main chain polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of at least 30 0 C and a graft chain fluorine-containing polymer having a repeating unit of the formula: wherein R 1 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, and R 2 is a polyfluoroalkyl group.

Claim 3

The graft copolymer according to Claim 1, wherein the graft rate in the graft copolymer is 10% by weight.

Claim 4

The graft copolymer according to Claim 1, wherein the main claim polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyolefins, polysulfones, polyphenyleneoxides and polyimides.

Claim 5

The graft copolymer according to Claim 1, wherein the main chain polymer is a homopolymer of a monomer selected from the group consisting of styrene, vinylnaphthalene, p-methylstyrene, p-tert-butylstyrene, m-methylstyrene, cyclohexylethylene, 3,3-dimethylbutylethylene, 2-tert-butylphenyl acrylate, pentachlorophenyl acrylate, 3,5-dimethyladamantyl acrylate, benzyl methacrylate, cyanoethyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, vinyl chloride, 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile, methyl chloroacrylate, methyl fluoroacrylate, pentafluorostyrene, a, β,β-tri- fluorostyrene, tetrafluoroethylene and trifluoroethylene, or a copolymer of such a monomer with a monomer having a substituent capable of forming a graft site or a substituent capable of introducing a substituent capable of forming a graft site.

Claim 6

The graft copolymer according to Claim 4, wherein the substituent capable of forming a graft site is an aromatic nitro group, a mercapto group, an aromatic amino group, an aromatic quinonyl group, an aliphatic azo group, a peroxyl group, a hydroperoxyl group, a ketonic carbonyl group, an aromatic diazonium group, a halogen atom, a brominated alkyl group, an iodinated alkyl group, a halogenated aryl group, an aromatic carbonyl group, a methoxy cumyl group, a cyano group, a substituent containing an alkoxycarbonyl group, a cyano group or a sulfonyl group, a disilyl group, or a 1-alkoxy-l-trialkylsilylalkenyl group.

Claim 7

The graft copolymer according to Claim 1, wherein the main chain polymer has a molecular weight within a range of from 1 0 4 to 10 7 .

Claim 8

The graft copolymer according to Claim 1, wherein the fluorine-containing polymer is poly(2,2,3,3,4,4,4- heptafluorobutyl acrylate), poly(2,2,3,3,4,4-hexafluoro- butyl acrylate), poly(2,2,2-trifluoroacrylate), poly(fluoromethyl acrylate), poly(5,5,6,6,7,7,7- heptafluoro-3-oxaheptyl acrylate), poly(2,2,3,3,5,5,5- heptafluoro-4-oxapentyl acrylate), poly(2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,5-nonafluoropentyl acrylate), poly(3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,6-nonafluorohexyl methacrylate), poly(heptafluoro-2-propyl acrylate), poly(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl acrylate), poly(2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,6- undecafluorohexyl acrylate), poly(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroprop-2-yl-acrylate) or poly-(3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,10-heptadecafluorodecyl acrylate).

Claim 9

An adhesive composed essentially of a graft copolymer as defined in Claim 1.

Claim 10

A composite membrance comprising a fluid permeable support and a graft copolymer as defined in Claim 1.

Claim 11

The composite membrane according to Claim 9, wherein the graft copolymer has a molecular weight of at least 10,000.

Claim 12

The composite membrane according to Claim 9, wherein the support is a porous membrane having an average pore diameter of at most 1 µm.

Claim 13

The composite membrane according to Claim 9, wherein the support has a nitrogen diffusion coefficient of at least 1 x 10- 6 cm 2 / sec .

Claim 14

The composite membrane according to Claim 9, wherein the support is at least one membrane selected from the group consisting of a polydiorganosiloxane membrane, a poly(mono-substituted acetylene)membrane, a poly(disubstituted acetylene)membrane and polydiorganophosphazene membrane.

Claim 15

The composite membrane according to Claim 9, wherein the main chain polymer is a hydrophobic polymer.

Claim 16

The composite membrane according to Claim 9, wherein the repeating unit of the formula I is at least 10 molar % in the graft copolymer.