Polymeric product for film formation

Abstract

The present invention relates to core/shell vinyl polymers wherein an at least partially crosslinked core is formed from a monovinyl monomer and/or a di/tri/ or higher multivinyl monomer wherein the degree of crosslinking in the core ranges from slight to high depending on the ratio of monovinyl and/or di/tri/ or higher multivinyl monomers, and wherein the outer shell is formed from a monovinyl and/or a di/tri/ or higher multi-vinyl monomer that optionally may be crosslinked, and wherein the outer shell has on its surface linear or branched C 3 -C 30 alkyl chains formed from substituted vinyl monomers.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A core/shell polymer comprising a polymeric core and a polymeric shell, the shell having attached to its outer surface a plurality of C 3 -C 30  linear or branched, alkyl chains optionally containing a carboxyl, epoxy or hydroxy group.  
     
     
         2 . A core/shell polymer according to  claim 1  wherein the core comprises a linear vinyl polymer and the shell comprises at least one monovinyl monomer and/or a di/tri/ or higher multi-vinyl monomer that optionally is crosslinked.  
     
     
         3 . A core/shell polymer according to  claim 1  wherein the core comprises a linear vinyl polymer that is at least partially cross-linked with at least one monovinyl monomer and/or a di/tri/ or higher multi-vinyl monomer wherein the degree of crosslinking in the core ranges from slight to high according to depending the ratio of monovinyl and di/tri/ or higher multivinyl monomers, and a polymeric shell component disposed generally about the core component, the shell component comprising at least one monovinyl monomer and/or a di/tri/ or higher multi-vinyl monomer that optionally is crosslinked, the shell component having on its surface a plurality of C 3 -C 30  linear or branched, monomeric or polymeric alkyl chains optionally containing an epoxy or hydroxy group, the core-shell polymer having a molecular weight of from about 1×10 3  to about 3×10 7  daltons, and wherein the core-shell polymer does not form a gel.  
     
     
         4 . The core/shell polymer of  claim 3  wherein the degree of crosslinking in the core is from about 5% to about 95%, preferably from about 20% to about 70%, and most preferably from about 30% to about 50%.  
     
     
         5 . The core/shell polymer of  claim 3  wherein the at least partially cross-linked monovinyl and di- and/or multi-vinyl monomers in the core comprise an acrylic or methacrylic polymer.  
     
     
         6 . The core/shell polymer of  claim 3  wherein the at least at least one vinyl monomer, and di- and/or multi-vinyl monomers in the shell that optionally are crosslinked comprise an acrylic or methacrylic polymer.  
     
     
         7 . The core/shell polymer of  claim 3  comprising spherical, macromolecular particles having a particle size of from about 35 nm to about 150 nm.  
     
     
         8 . The core/shell polymer of  claim 1  wherein the core comprises 
 1) a vinyl homopolymer and/or a vinyl copolymer that has been polymerized and crosslinked with at least one mono or di- or higher functional monomer until the degree of crosslinking is from about 5% about 95%, the core comprising from about 5 weight % to about 95 weight % of the total polymer, and  
 2) a shell attached to, and at least partially enclosing the core, comprising at least one polymerized vinyl homopolyrner and optionally a vinyl copolymer, the shell comprising from about 1 weight % to about 99 weight % of the total polymer,  
 3) the shell having on its surface a plurality of C 3 -C 30  alkyl chains optionally containing a carboxyl, epoxy or hydroxy group, the alkyl chains comprising from about 1 weight % to about 10 weight % of the total polymer.  
 
     
     
         9 . The core/shell polymer of  claim 6  wherein the shell has covalently bonded to its surface shell a plurality of C 3 -C 30  alkyl chains optionally containing a reactive carboxyl, epoxy or hydroxy group.  
     
     
         10 . The core/shell polymer of  claim 6  wherein the core contains encapsulated reactive carboxyl groups.  
     
     
         11 . The core/shell polymer of  claim 3  wherein the core comprises from about 5 weight % to about 95 weight % of the total weight of the polymer, the shell comprises from about 1% to about 99% of the total weight of the polymer, and the alkyl chains comprise from about 1% to about 10% of the total weight of the polymer.  
     
     
         12 . The core/shell polymer of  claim 2  wherein the core, the shell and the linear chains are independently hydrophobic or hydrophilic.  
     
     
         13  A method for preparing the polymer of  claim 1  comprising attaching to a core a plurality of C 3 -C 30  linear or branched, monomeric or polymeric alkyl chains optionally containing a carboxyl, epoxy or hydroxy group to its surface.  
     
     
         14 . A method for preparing the polymer of  claim 3  comprising 
 1) reacting at least one polymerizable vinyl compound for a period of time sufficient to yield a polymer having a molecular weight in the range of from about 10 kDa to about 10,000 kDa, the polymer having at least some crosslinked chains and having at least some unsaturated bonds,  
 2) post-polymerizing the polymer produced in step 1, to increase the density of crosslinking in the core,  
 3) attaching to its surface a plurality of C 3 -C 30  linear or branched, monomeric or polymeric alkyl chains optionally containing a carboxyl, epoxy or hydroxy group, whereby the shell and the alkyl chains on the shell are formed in a single step.  
 
     
     
         15 . A method for preparing the polymer of  claim 3  comprising the steps of 
 1) reacting at least one polymerizable vinyl compound for a period of time sufficient to yield a polymer having a molecular weight in the range of from about 10 kDa to about 10,000 kDa, the polymer having at least some crosslinked chains and having at least some unsaturated bonds,  
 2) post-polymerizing the polymer produced in step 1, to increase the density of crosslinking in the core,  
 3) linking the shell to a core comprising at least one polymerizable vinyl compound, and  
 4) bonding to the shell formed in step 3, a plurality of C 3 -C 30  alkyl chains comprising at least one polymerizable vinyl compound optionally containing a carboxylic, epoxy or hydroxy group.  
 
     
     
         16 . A method of crosslinking the polymer of  claim 11  comprising subjecting the core to a post-polymerization reaction to substantially saturate the double bonds.  
     
     
         17 . A method of forming the core/shell polymer of  claim 8  comprising subjecting the core to a post-polymerization reaction to substantially saturate the double bonds, wherein the shell at lest partially covers the polymerized core.  
     
     
         18 . A method of forming the core/shell polymer of  claim 8  comprising covalently bonding to the shell a plurality of C 3 -C 30  alkyl chains optionally containing a carboxyl, epoxy or hydroxy group.