Rubbery polymers containing crosslinked organic polymers

Claim 1

IN THE PRODUCTION OF RUBBERY POLYMER REINFORCED WITH CROSS-LINKED INSOLUBLE ORGANIC FILLER MATERIAL, THE PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES (I) REDUCING PRECOAGULUM IN THE FILLER MATERIAL BY (A) EMULSIFYING IN WATER A MIXTURE COMPRISING (I) POLYMERIZABLE UNSATURATED MONOMER CONTAINING CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF MONOMER CONTAINING AND POLYMERIZABLE THROUGH A PLURALITY OF NONCONJUGATED >C=C< GROUPS, AND IN WHICH ANY CONJUGATED DIENE MONOMER PRESENT DOES NOT EXCEED 22% BY WEIGHT OF THE MONOMER MATERIAL, (II) A FREE RADICAL GENERATING CATALYST WHICH IS WATER SOLUBLE, AND (III) AN EMULSIFYING MATERIAL (B) SUBJECTING THE SO FORMED MIXTURE TO A FIRST POLYMERIZATION STEP WHEREBY ON THE AVERAGE BUT ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF >C=C< GROUPS REACTS, THUS PRODUCING A REACTION PRODUCT COMRISING ESSENTIALLY AN EMULSION OF INDIVIDUAL POLYMER PARTICLES WHICH ARE (I) ESSENTIALLY NON CROSS-LINKED, AND (II) ESSENTIALLY SOLUBLE IN DIMETHYL FORMAMIDE, (C) ADDING TO THE REACTION PRODUCT OF STEP (B) (I) AN ADDITIONAL QUANTITY OF POLYMERIZABLE UNSATURATED MONOMER MATERIAL CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF MONOMER CONTAINNG AND POLYMERIZABLE THROUGH A PLURALITY OF NONCONJUGATED >C=C< GROUPS, AND IN WHICH ANY CONJUGATED DIENE MONOMER PRESENT DOES NOT EXCEED 22% BY WEIGHT OF THE MONOMER MATERIAL, AND (II) A SECOND FREE RADICAL GENERATING CATALYST WHICH IS MONOMER SOLUBLE, AND (D) SUBJECTING THE MIXTURE PRODUCED BY STEP (C) TO A SECOND POLYMERIZATION STEP TO FORM AN EMULSION OF ORGANIC FILLER PARTICLES WHICH ARE (I) IN THE SIZE RANGE OF ABOUT 5 MILLIMICRONS TO 0.5 MICRON AVERAGE DIAMETER, (II) RIGID, AND (III) CROSS-LINKED TO SUCH EXTENT AS TO BE INSOLUBLE IN DIMETHYLFORMAMIDE, AND (II) INCORPORATING IN THE RUBBERY POLYMER THE FILLER PARTICLES PRODUCED IN STEP (D).