Hard resilient copolymers of alpha-alkylstyrene with alkyl methacrylate and process for the preparation thereof

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PREPARING COPOLYMERS OF ALIPHA-ALKYLSTYRENES AND ALKYL METHACRYLATES CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING AN INTRINSIC VISCOSITY OF AT LEAST 0.25 WHEN MEASURED IN DIOXANE AT 25*C., BEING RESISTANT TO DEFORMATION AT HIGH TEMPERATURES HAVING A SOFTENING POINT OF AT LEAST 152*C. AND A DISC DISTORTION TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 120*C., SAID COPOLYMERS BEING HARD, RESILIENT, MECHANICALLY STABLE, COLORLESS, CLEAR AND HAVING WATER-WHITE TRANSPARENCY, WHICH COMPRISES HEATING A MIXTURE COMPRISING 10 TO 40 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A MONOMERIC ALPHA-ALKYLSTYRENE IN WHICH THE ALKYL GROUP CONTAINS FROM 1 TO 6 CARBON ATOMS AND 60 TO 90 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A MONOMERIC ALKYL METHACRYLATE IN WHICH THE ALKYL GROUP CONTAINS FROM 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS AND 0.01 TO 0.8 PERCENT BY WEIGHT THEREOF OF A FREE-RADICAL PRODUCING POLYMERIZATION CATALYST AT TEMPERATURES WITHIN THE RANGE 90*-160*C., THE POLYMERIZATION BEING CARRIED OUT BY GRADUALLY ELEVATING THE TEMPERATURE FROM 90*C., THE TIME OF HEATING WITHIN THE RANGE 90*-100*C. BEING FROM 16 TO 113 HOURS, 24 TO 49 HOURS WITHIN THE RANGE 110*-120*C. AND NOT MORE THAN 24 HOURS AT 160*C.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF PREPARING COPOLYMERS OF ALIPHA-ALKYLSTYRENES AND ALKYL METHACRYLATES CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING AN INTRINSIC VISCOSITY OF AT LEAST 0.25 WHEN MEASURED IN DIOXANE AT 25*C., BEING RESISTANT TO DEFORMATION AT HIGH TEMPERATURES HAVING A SOFTENING POINT OF AT LEAST 152*C. AND A DISC DISTORTION TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 120*C., SAID COPOLYMERS BEING HARD, RESILIENT, MECHANICALLY STABLE, COLORLESS, CLEAR AND HAVING WATER-WHITE TRANSPARENCY, WHICH COMPRISES HEATING A MIXTURE COMPRISING 10 TO 40 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A MONOMERIC ALPHA-ALKYLSTYRENE IN WHICH THE ALKYL GROUP CONTAINS FROM 1 TO 6 CARBON ATOMS AND 60 TO 90 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A MONOMERIC ALKYL METHACRYLATE IN WHICH THE ALKYL GROUP CONTAINS FROM 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS AND 0.01 TO 0.8 PERCENT BY WEIGHT THEREOF OF A FREE-RADICAL PRODUCING POLYMERIZATION CATALYST AT TEMPERATURES WITHIN THE RANGE 90*-160*C., THE POLYMERIZATION BEING CARRIED OUT BY GRADUALLY ELEVATING THE TEMPERATURE FROM 90*C., THE TIME OF HEATING WITHIN THE RANGE 90*-100*C. BEING FROM 16 TO 113 HOURS, 24 TO 49 HOURS WITHIN THE RANGE 110*-120*C. AND NOT MORE THAN 24 HOURS AT 160*C.