Aqueous emulsion of cross-linked terpolymers free of microgel and method of making same

Claim 1

A HIGH SOLIDS AQUEOUS DISPERSION COPOLYMER COMPOSITION COMPRISING A CONTINUOUS AQUEOUS PHASE COMPRISING WATER AND A WATER-SOLUBLE DISPERSING AGENT AND A DISPERSED POLYMER PHASE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF SMALL DISCRETE PARTICLE OF A CHAIN-EXTENDED COPOLYMER OF A MONOMER COMPOSITION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF (I) A MIXTURE, AT LEAST TERNARY IN COMPOSITION, OF MONOETHYLENICALLY-UNSATURATED MONOMERS, EACH HAVING A SINGLE TERMINAL >C=CH2 VINYLIDENE GROUP, CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF: (A) AT LEAST ONE ALKANOL ESTER OF ACRYLIC ACID, (B) AT LEAST ONE MONOMER MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLONITRILE, STYRENE AND ALKYL METHACRYLATES HAVING THE ALKYL GROUP SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF C1 TO C4 ALKYL, TERTIARY AMYL AND CYCLOHEXYL, AND (C) AN ALPHA MONOETHYLENICALLY-UMSATURATED MONOCARBOXYLIC ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLIC ACID AND METHACRYLIC ACID, 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF (A)+(B)+(C) BEING COMPOSED OF 0.5 TO 15 PARTS OF (C) AND HAVING (A) AND (B) IN THE RELATIVE PROPORTIONS OF FROM 0.25 PART TO 4 PARTS OF (B) PER PART OF (A), AND (II) A CHAIN-EXTENDING DIETHYLENICALLY-UNSATURATED MONOMER HAVING TWO TERMINAL >C=CH2 VINYLIDENE GROUPS PER MOLECULE SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF METHYLENE-BIS-ACRYLAMIDE, ETHYLENE DIACRYLATE, VINYL METHACRYLATE AND DIVINYL BENZENE IN AN EFFECTIVE SMALL MOLAR PROPORTION IN THE RANGE OF 10**-4 TO DX10**2 MOL PERCENT OF (II) BASED ON THE TOTAL MOLS OF (1), SAID DISPERSED POLYMER PARTICLES BEING PRESENT IN THE PROPORTION OF 40% TO 65% BASED ON THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF THE AQUEOUS DISPERSION COMPOSITION, SAID WATERSOLUBLE DISPERSING AGENT COMPRISING AN ALKALI METAL SALT OF A C8 TO C24 FATTY ALCOHOL MONOESTER OF SULFURIC ACID IN THE PROPORTION OF 0.01 PART TO 5 PARTS PER 100 PARTS OF SAID DISPERSED POLYMER.