Polymers of alkyl acrylates

Claim 2

An alkoxide-polymerized addition polymer of an ester of acrylic acid, said polymer being a homopolymer or a copolymer with one or more other anionically copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomers, wherein the average chain length of the polymer, n, is about 6 to about 30 mers.

Claim 3

The polymer of claim 1 wherein at least about 80% by weight of the polymer consists of molecules having chain lengths of about n/3 to about 3.3n mers.

Claim 4

The polymer of claim 2 wherein n is about 6 to about 20.

Claim 5

An alkoxide-polymerized addition polymer of an ester of acrylic acid, said polymer being a homopolymer or a copolymer with one or more other anionically copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomers, said polymer having condensation-crosslinkable functionality, wherein the average chain length of the polymer is about 6 to about 30 mers and wherein at least about 80% by weight of the polymer consists of molecules having chain lengths of about n/3 to about 3.3n mers.

Claim 6

An alkoxide-polymerized addition polymer of an ester of acrylic acid, said polymer being a homopolymer or a copolymer with one or more other anionically copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomers, said polymer having condensation-crosslinkable functionality, wherein the average chain length of the polymer is about 6 to about 30 mers and wherein at least about 80% by weight of the polymer consists of molecules having chain lengths of about n/3 to about 3.3n mers.

Claim 7

The polymer of claim 4 wherein the polymer is a copolymer of at least one (C 1 -C 24 )alkyl acrylate and at least one copolymerized ethylenically-unsaturated ester of acrylic acid having condensation-crosslinkable functionality.

Claim 8

The polymer of claim 5 wherein the copolymerized ester is 2-oxazolidinylethyl acrylate or t-butylaminoethyl acrylate.

Claim 9

The polymer of claim 6 wherein the alkyl acylate is a (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl acrylate.

Claim 10

A polymer of claim 2 wherein the polymer corresponds to the formula ##STR10## wherein Y and Y' are individually halogen, amino, (C 1 -C 4 )-alkylamino, hydroxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkylamino, bis-hydroxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkylamino, (C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )-alkylamino, bis(C 1 -C 4 )alkoxy(C 1 -C 4 )alkylamino, or OR; wherein R is hydrogen, (C 1 -C 8 )aminoalkyl, (C 1 -C 4 )alkylamino(C 1 -C 8 )alkyl, (C 2 -C 8 )isocyanatoalkyl, (C 2 -C 8 )hydroxyalkyl, 1,3-oxazolidin-3-yl(C 2 -C 4 )alkyl, optionally having up to two (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl substituents on the oxazolidinyl ring, (C 1 -C 8 )aldimino(C 2 -C 6 )alkyl, (C 1 -C 8 )aldimino(C 2 -C 6 )alkoxyalkyl, the aldimino structures optionally containing halogen, (C 3 -C 13 )ketimino(C 2 -C 6 )alkyl, (C 3 -C 13 )ketimino(C 2 -C 6 )alkoxyalkyl, 1,3-dioxolan-4-yl(C 2 -C 4 )alkyl, optionally having up to two (C 1 -C 8 )hydrocarbon substituents on the dioxolanyl ring, epoxy(C 2 -C 4 )alkyl di(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl ammonium(C 2 -C 8 )epoxy alkyl, 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyldimethylammoniumethyl, 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl, or sodium, potassium or ammonium cation; and wherein n' and n" are integers of 0 to 89, wherein the sum of n' and n" is 2 to 89.

Claim 11

The polymer of claim 8 wherein the polymer also comprises mers of (C 1 -C 24 )alkyl acrylate.

Claim 12

The polymer of claim 9 wherein R is (C 2 -C 8 )hydroxyalkyl.

Claim 13

The polymer of claim 9 wherein R is 1,3-oxazolidinylethyl or 2-alkyl-1,3-oxazolidinylethyl.

Claim 14

The polymer of claim 9 wherein R is hydrogen.

Claim 15

The polymer of claim 12 wherein the polymer also comprises mers wherein R is (C 2 -C 8 )hydroxyalkyl.

Claim 16

An alkoxide-polymerized addition polymer of an ester of acrylic acid, said polymer being a homopolymer or a copolymer with one or more other anionically copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomers, the ester of acrylic acid being selected from the group consisting of (C 1 -C 24 )alkyl esters, di(C 1 -C 4 )alkylamino(C 2 -C 4 )alkyl esters, di(C 1 -C 8 )alkoxyalkyl esters, (C 6 -C 10 )aryloxyalkyl esters, (C 7 -C 10 )aralkoxyalkyl esters, and (C 7 --C 10 )aralkyl esters of acrylic acid, wherein n, the average chain length of the polymer, is about 6 to 30 mers, and at least about 80% by weight of the molecules of the polymer have chain lengths of about n/3 to about 3.3n mers.

Claim 17

An alkoxide-polymerized addition polymer of an ester of acrylic acid, said polymer being a homopolymer or a copolymer with one or more other anionically copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomers, the ester of acrylic acid being selected from the group consisting of (C 1 -C 24 )alkyl esters, di(C 1 -C 4 )alkylamino(C 2 -C 4 )alkyl esters, di(C 1 -C 8 )alkoxyalkyl esters, (C 6 -C 10 )aryloxyalkyl esters, (C 7 -C 10 )aralkoxyalkyl esters, and (C 7 --C 10 )aralkyl esters of acrylic acid, wherein n, the average chain length of the polymer, is about 6 to 30 mers, and at least about 80% by weight of the molecules of the polymer have chain lengths of about n/3 to about 3.3n mers.

Claim 18

The polymer of claim 14 wherein the polymer is a homopolymer of an ester of acrylic acid.

Claim 19

The polymer of claim 15 wherein the ester is a (C 1 -C 24 )alkyl acrylate.

Claim 20

The polymer of claim 16 wherein the ester is a (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl acrylate.

Claim 21

The polymer of claim 14 wherein the polymer is a copolymer of at least two (C 1 -C 24 )alkyl acrylates.

Claim 22

The polymer of claim 14 wherein the polymer is a copolymer of at least one (C 1 -C 24 )alkyl acrylate and at least one other copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomer.

Claim 23

The polymer of claim 19 wherein the copolymerizable monomer is acrylonitrile or dimethylaminoethyl acrylate.

Claim 24

The polymer of claim 20 wherein the alkyl acrylate is a (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl acrylate.

Claim 25

The polymer of claim 3 wherein the polymer consists of mers corresponding to the formula ##STR11## wherein R and R' are individually (C 1 -C 24 )alkyl, di(C 1 -C 4 )alkylamino(C 1 -C 8 )alkyl, (C 2 -C 12 )alkoxyalkyl, (C 7 -C 12 )aryloxyalkyl, (C 9 -C 14 )aralkyloxyalkyl, or (C 7 -C 10 )aralkyl.

Claim 26

An alkoxide-polymerized addition polymer of an ester of acrylic acid, said polymer being a homopolymer or a copolymer with one or more other anionically copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomers, wherein the polymer comprises mers having the formula ##STR12## wherein R is acryloyloxyalkyl or methacryloyloxyalkyl having up to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl portion, and wherein n, the average chain length of the polymer, is about 6 to 30 mers, and at least about 80% by weight of the molecules of the polymer having chain lengths of about n/3 to about 3.3n mers.

Claim 27

An alkoxide-polymerized addition polymer of an ester of acrylic acid, said polymer being a homopolymer or a copolymer with one or more other anionically copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomers, wherein the polymer comprises mers having the formula ##STR12## wherein R is acryloyloxyalkyl or methacryloyloxyalkyl having up to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl portion, and wherein n, the average chain length of the polymer, is about 6 to 30 mers, and at least about 80% by weight of the molecules of the polymer having chain lengths of about n/3 to about 3.3n mers.

Claim 28

The polymer of claim 23 wherein the polymer also comprises mers having the formula ##STR13## wherein R 1 is (C 1 -C 24 )alkyl.

Claim 29

The polymer of claim 24 wherein R 1 is (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl.

Claim 30

An alkoxide-polymerized addition polymer of an ester of acrylic acid, said polymer being a homopolymer or a copolymer with one or more other anionically copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomers, wherein the polymer comprises mers having the formula ##STR14## wherein R is (C 2 -C 4 )alkenyl, allyloxyalkyl having up to 12 carbon atoms, or allyloxyalkoxyalkyl having up to 15 carbon atoms, and wherein n, the average chain length of the polymer, is about 6 to 30 mers, and at least about 80% by weight of the molecules of the polymer have chain lengths of about n/3 to about 3.3n mers.

Claim 31

An alkoxide-polymerized addition polymer of an ester of acrylic acid, said polymer being a homopolymer or a copolymer with one or more other anionically copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomers, wherein the polymer comprises mers having the formula ##STR14## wherein R is (C 2 -C 4 )alkenyl, allyloxyalkyl having up to 12 carbon atoms, or allyloxyalkoxyalkyl having up to 15 carbon atoms, and wherein n, the average chain length of the polymer, is about 6 to 30 mers, and at least about 80% by weight of the molecules of the polymer have chain lengths of about n/3 to about 3.3n mers.

Claim 32

The polymer of claim 26 wherein R is allyl.

Claim 33

The polymer of claim 26 wherein R is allyloxyethyl.

Claim 34

The polymer of claim 26 wherein the polymer also comprises mers having the formula ##STR15## wherein R 1 is (C 1 -C 24 )alkyl.

Claim 35

The polymer of claim 29 wherein R 1 is (C 1 -C 4 )alkyl.

Claim 36

A polymer which is the product of the free-radical polymerization of the polymer of claim 1 with an ethylenically-unsaturated monomer.

Claim 37

A process for preparing a polymer of an ester of acrylic acid which comprises the gradual addition of the ester and, optionally, one or more other anionically copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomers to an alkoxide catalyst system at a temperature of about 20° to 125° C., the amount of catalyst being about 0.5 to about 5 mole percent based on the ester charge.

Claim 38

A process for preparing a polymer of an ester of acrylic acid which comprises the gradual addition of the ester and, optionally, one or more other anionically copolymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated monomers to an alkoxide catalyst system at a temperature of about 20° to 125° C., the amount of catalyst being about 0.5 to about 5 mole percent based on the ester charge.

Claim 39

The process of claim 32 in which the catalyst is in a solvent system consisting of an inert solvent and up to about 20 mole percent, based on the ester charge, of an alcohol.

Claim 40

The process of claim 3 in which the temperature is 40° to 100° C. and the amount of catalyst being 1 to 4 percent.