Hydroxy-polymer solutions in high boiling alcohol solvent cross-linkable with epoxide

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF A CROSS-LINKED HYDROXY COPOLYMER WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A SOLUTION OF AN UNCROSS-LINKED HYDROXY COPOLYMER DEVOID OF SOLVENT BOILING BELOW 150*C. BY POLYMERIZING, AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 60*C. TO ABOUT 150*C., A SOLUTION COMPRISING (A) AN UNSATURATED HYDROXY MONOMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED ALCOHOLS,HYDROXYALKYL VINYL SULFIDES AND HYDROXYALKYL ESTERS OF A,B-ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED CARBOXYLIC ACIDS OF NOT OVER FOUR CARBON ATOMS, THE ALKYL GROUPS OF SAID SULFIDES AND ESTERS HAVING NOT MORE THAN TEN CARBON ATOMS, (B) A DIFFERENT MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMER COPOLYMERIZABLE WITH SAID (A), AND (C) AS THE SOLE POLYMERIZATION SOLVENT, AN ALCOHOL, SAID (C) (1) BEING A SOLVENT FOR AND NON-REACTIVE WITH SAID (A), SAID (B) AND SAID UNCROSS-LINKED HYDROXY COPOLYMER UNDER THE POLYMERIZATION CONDITIONS USED, (2) BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO DISSOLVE SAID (A), SAID (B) AND SAID UNCORSS-LINKED HYDROXY COPOLYMER, (3) BEING SATURATED OR CONTAINING UNSATURATION WHICH IS NON-REACTIVE UNDER THE POLYMERIZATION CONDITIONS USED, (4) HAVING A MELTING POINT BELOW THE POLYMERIZATION TEMPERATURE, (5) HAVING A BOILING POINT OF AT LEAST 150*C., (6) HAVING A VISCOSITY NOT EXCEEDING 130 CENTIPOISES AT THE POLYMERIZATION TEMPERATURE, AND (7) BEING CAPABLE OF ENTERING THE CURING REACTION WHEN SAID UNCROSS-LINED HYDROXYL COPOLYMER IS CURED, ADDING TO SAID UNCROSS-LINKED HYDROXY COPOLYMER SOLUTION A POLYFUNCTIONAL COMPOUND REACTIVE WITH HYDROXYL GROUPS AND SELECTED FROM AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A POLYEPOXIDE AND A MIXTURE OF A POLYEPOXIDE WITH A POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID ANHYDRIDE, IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE, A CROSS-LINKED, THERMOSET COMPOSITION, AND HEAT-CURING THE RESULTING COMPOSITION.