Macromonomer-based polymer concrete compositions

Claim 1

A composition for preparing a polymer concrete, comprising a substantially non-aqueous slurry of (1) an aggregate material and (2) an amount of a monomer binder system effective to bind the aggregate, upon curing, into a polymer concrete, wherein the monomer binder system comprises: (a) a liquid comonomer component selected from (i) an addition copolymerizable component comprising at least one monoethylenically unsaturated monomer or a mixture of at least one monoethylenically unsaturated monomer and at least one polyethylenically unsaturated monomer, and (ii) a condensation copolymerizable compound having at least one active hydrogen-containing group; (b) a solid, thermoplastic macromonomer component dissolved in the liquid comonomer component and copolymerizable therewith to form a copolymer, the macromonomer component (b) comprising an anionically polymerized linear polymer terminated at one or both ends with a polymerizable end group, selected from (i) an addition polymer, copolymerizable exclusively with said addition copolymerizable liquid comonomer component (a)(i), of the formula: R--Z --.sub.n X wherein R is a hydrocarbon group containing up to about 20 carbon atoms, Z is the residue of a vinyl aromatic monomer, n is a positive integer such that the molecular weight of Z is about 2,000-50,000, and X is a polymerizable, mono-ethylenically unsaturated end group, and (ii) a polymer copolymerizable exclusively with said condensation copolymerizable liquid comonomer component (a)(ii), prepared by polymerization of at least one conjugated diene, at least one vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon, or a mixture of at least one conjugated diene and at least one vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon, capping with carbon dioxide to provide carboxyl termination, or capping with an alkylene oxide, alkylene episulfide or sulfur followed by hydrolysis to provide hydroxyl or thiol termination; and (c) a polymerization catalyst for catalyzing the copolymerization.