Ester terminated terpolymers

Claim 2

A lactam-polyol-polyacyl lactam block terpolymer or a lactam-polyol-acyl polylactam block terpolymer having at least about 5% ester end group termination and the general formula: ##STR15## wherein (O--Z) z is a polymeric moiety and Z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group said group being alkylene, arylene, alkylene carbonyl, arylene carbonyl, and mixtures thereof; A and A' are acyl groups selected from ##STR16## R is a divalent hydrocarbon group; n is an integer equal to zero or one; E is an amide group of the formula ##STR17## or an ester group of the formula --O--R' where the --O--R' is the residual of a monohydric functional alcohol; and Y is an alkylene or substituted alkylene having from about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms; R' is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon wherein the ester group is attached to other than a cyclic or aromatic radical: x, x', x", and x"' are integers and the total number of x' s is equal to 2w+ 2; and z and w are integers equal to one or more.

Claim 3

A block terpolymer according to claim 1 wherein the lactam portion of the terpolymer is formed from a lactam of the formula ##STR18## where Y is an alkylene group having at least about 3 carbon atoms.

Claim 4

A block terpolymer according to claim 2 wherein the lactam is ε-caprolactam.

Claim 5

A block terpolymer according to claim 1 wherein the polyol portion of the terpolymer is formed from alkylene glycol.

Claim 6

A block terpolymer according to claim 4 wherein said alkylene glycol is a polyalkyelen glycol having a molecular weight of at least about 1000.

Claim 7

A block terpolymer according to claim 5 wherein said polyalkylene glycol is polyethylene glycol.

Claim 8

A block terpolymer according to claim 5 wherein said polyalkylene glycol is polypropylene glycol.

Claim 9

A block terpolymer according to claim 5 wherein said polyalkylene glycol is polytetramethylene glycol.

Claim 10

A block terpolymer according to claim 1 wherein the polyol portion of the terpolymer is formed from polybutadiene diol.

Claim 11

A block terpolymer according to claim 1 wherein the polyol portion of the terpolymer is formed from a polyester.

Claim 12

A block terpolymer according to claim 10 wherein said polyester is polycaprolactone diol.

Claim 13

A block terpolymer according to claim 1 wherein the acyl groups of all of said ester and amide linkages are carbonyl groups.

Claim 14

A copolymer according to claim 3 wherein said block terpolymer is of the repeating AB block structure.

Claim 15

A copolymer according to claim 1 wherein said terpolymer is a caprolactam-polyalkylene glycol block polymer with phthaloyl linkages between the blocks.

Claim 16

A process for preparing a lactam-polyol-polyacyl lactam block terpolymer or a lactam-polyol-acyl polylactam block terpolymer or a lactam-polyol-acyl polylactam block terpolymer having the general formula: ##STR19## wherein (O--Z) z is a polymeric moiety and Z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group said group being alkylene, arylene, alkylene carbonyl, arylene carbonyl, and mixtures thereof; A and A' are acyl groups selected from ##STR20## R is a divalent hydrocarbon group; n is an integer equal to zero or one; E is an imide group of the formula ##STR21## or an ester group of the formula --O--R'; where the --O--R' is the residual of a monohydric functional alcohol. Y is an alkylene or substituted alkylene having from about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms; R' is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon wherein the ester group is attached to other than a cyclic or aromatic radical; x, x', x", and x'" are integers and the total number of x' s is equal to 2 w+ 2; and z and w are integers equal to one or more, comprising mixing together lactam monomer, polyol, monohydric alcohol, basic lactam polymerization catalyst and polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam and polymerizing the lactam, polyol and polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam to form block terpolymer, having at least 5% ester group termination.

Claim 17

A process for preparing a lactam-polyol-polyacyl lactam block terpolymer or a lactam-polyol-acyl polylactam block terpolymer or a lactam-polyol-acyl polylactam block terpolymer having the general formula: ##STR19## wherein (O--Z) z is a polymeric moiety and Z is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group said group being alkylene, arylene, alkylene carbonyl, arylene carbonyl, and mixtures thereof; A and A' are acyl groups selected from ##STR20## R is a divalent hydrocarbon group; n is an integer equal to zero or one; E is an imide group of the formula ##STR21## or an ester group of the formula --O--R'; where the --O--R' is the residual of a monohydric functional alcohol. Y is an alkylene or substituted alkylene having from about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms; R' is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon wherein the ester group is attached to other than a cyclic or aromatic radical; x, x', x", and x'" are integers and the total number of x' s is equal to 2 w+ 2; and z and w are integers equal to one or more, comprising mixing together lactam monomer, polyol, monohydric alcohol, basic lactam polymerization catalyst and polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam and polymerizing the lactam, polyol and polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam to form block terpolymer, having at least 5% ester group termination.

Claim 18

A process according to claim 15 wherein said polyol, alcohol, and polyacyl lactam or acyl polylactam are reacted before said lactam is added to the polymerization mixture.

Claim 19

A process according to claim 8 wherein said polyol, alcohol, and polyacyl lactam of acyl polylactam are reacted before said lactam polymerization catalyst is added to the polymerization mixture.

Claim 20

A process according to claim 15 wherein said polymerization catalyst is an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal lactam or a halogenated alkaline earth metal lactam.

Claim 21

A process according to claim 18 wherein said polymerization catalyst is a bromomagnesium lactam.

Claim 22

A process according to claim 15 wherein said alcohol is functionally monohydric.

Claim 23

A process according to claim 20 wherein said monohydric functional alcohol has the formula ROH where R is an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon.

Claim 24

A process according to claim 20 wherein said functionally monohydric alcohol having the formula ROH is comprised of polymeric R groups which are soluble in lactam.

Claim 25

A process according to claim 20 wherein said alcohol presence is from about 5% to about 150% of the molar equivalents of excess imide groups from acyl polylactam or polyacylactam based on the molar equivalents of hydroxyl from polyol present.

Claim 26

A process according to claim 21 wherein said alcohol is at least one of decyl, 2-octano, and 1-propanol.

Claim 27

A process according to claim 15 wherein said acyl polylactam is an acyl bis-lactam.

Claim 28

A process according to claim 15 wherein said polyacyl lactam is a bis-acyl lactam.

Claim 29

A process according to claim 20 wherein said bis-acyl lactam is terephthaloyl bis-caprolactam.

Claim 30

A process according to claim 20 wherein said bis-acyl lactam is isophthaloyl bis-caprolactam.

Claim 31

A process according to claim 15 wherein the polymerization reaction of the lactam, polyol and polyacyl lactam is carried out at a temperature from about 90° to about 190° C.

Claim 32

A process according to claim 15 wherein the polymerizing is carried out at an initial temperature of about 70° to about 100° C. and is increased to about 150° to about 180° C. during the polymerization reaction.