Stable, aqueous dispersions of ethylene copolymers

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF STABLE AQUEOUS DISPERSIONS OF ETHYLENE COPOLYMERS IN THE ABSENCE OF CONVENTIONAL EMULSIFIERS WHICH COMPRISES POLYMERIZING ETHYLENE IN AQUEOUS MEDIUM UNDER PRESSURES BETWEEN 50 TO 500 ATMOSPHERES AND AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 50* AND 100*C. WITH THE AID OF WATER-SOLUBLE SUBSTANCES CAPABLE OF FORMING FREE RADICALS IN THE PRESENCE OF (A) 10 TO 60 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF COPOLYMER, OF AN ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED POLYMCONSISTING OF ESTERS OF VINYL ALCOHOL AND AN ALKANOIC ERIZABLE, NON-IONIC COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP ACID HAVING 2 TO 5 CARBON ATOMS, STYRENE, VINYL CHLORIDE, AND ACRYLIC AND METHACRYLIC ESTERS OF ALIPHATIC SATURATED MONOHYDRIC ALCOHOLS HAVING FROM 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, THE RATIO BY WEIGHT BETWEEN ETHYLENE AND SAID ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED, POLYMERIZABLE, NON-IONIC COMPOUND HAVING A VALUE WHICH IS NOT SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW 1:1 AND (B) 5 TO 30 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF COPOLYMER, OF AN ETHLENICALLY UNSATURATED POLYMERIZABLE ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MALEIC ACID SEMI-ESTERS WHICH ARE ESTERIFIED WITH A SATURATED ALIPHATIC MONOHYDRIC ALCOHOL OF FROM 1 TO 18 CARBON ATOMS, ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED POLYMERIZABLE SULFONIC ACIDS, AND AMIDES OF THE FORMULA: CH2=C(-R)-CO-NH-(CH2)X-COOH WHEREIN R IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF H AND CH3 AND X IS AN INTEGER OF FROM 1 TO 17.