Polymerization process

Claim 1

IN A BATCH POLYMERIZATION METHOD WHERE THE MONOMER COMPOSTIONS ARE ONLY ADDED AT THE INITIATION OF THE POLYMERIZATION REACTION, WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF ADDING A FREE RADICAL-PRODUCING CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PEROXIDIC AND REDOX CATALYSTS TO A SOLUTION CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE WATER-DISPERSIBLE MONOMER HAVING AN ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED GROUP AND CONTAINING IN A SIDE CHAIN, A HYDROPHILIC GROUP FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF CARBOXYLIC ACID, CARBOXYLIC ACID ANHYDRIDE, CARBOXYLIC ACID AMIDE, HYDROXY, PYRIDINE, PYRROLIDONE, HYDROXY ALKYL ETHER, ALKOXY, AND CARBOXYLIC ACID SALT GROUPS, SAID MONOMER BEING CAPABLE OF ADDITION POLYMERIZATION, AND ALLOWING POLYMERIZATION OF SAID MONOMER TO OCCUR IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID CATALYST, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES ADDITION TO THE PARTIALLY POLYMERIZED MONOMER OF AT LEAST A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF ORGANIC AZO COMPOUND CONTAINING AN ACYCLIC AZO GROUP HAVING BONDED TO EACH NITROGEN A DISCRETE CARBON ATOM OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ALIPHATIC AND CYCLOALIPHATIC CARBON ATOMS, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID DISCRETE CARBON ATOMS BEING TERTIARY AND ONE OF THE CARBON ATOMS BONDED TO SAID TERTIARY CARBON ATOM HAVING ITS REMAINING VALENCES SATISFIED ONLY BY THE ELEMENTS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OXYGEN AND NITRGEN, SAID ADDITION BEING CARRIED OUT AT A TIME WHEN AT LEAST ONE-HALF OF THE EXOTHERM OF SAID POLYMERIZATION REACTION HAS OCCURRED, SAID CARRYING OUT A POSTPOLYMERIZATION REACTION STEP IN PRESENCE OF SAID AZO CATALYST WHEREBY AT THE TERMINATION OF SAID REACTION STEP UNREACTED STARTING MONOMER CONTENT IS SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED.