Aqueous Fungicidal Composition And Use Thereof For Combating Harmful Micro Organisms

Abstract

The invention relates to aqueous fungicidal active substance compositions and to their use in the control of harmful microorganisms and in particular in the protection of cellulose-comprising materials, particularly wood, from infection by microorganisms, in particular those harmful fungi which can damage wood or cellulose. The active substance composition according to the invention comprises: a) at least one fungicidal organic active substance with a solubility in water of not more than 5 g/l at 25° C./1013 mbar, and b) a finely-divided polymer with an average particle size, determined by dynamic light scattering, of not more than 300 nm, in which the polymer particles comprise the active substance, the polymer being formed from ethylenically unsaturated monomers M comprising: at least 60% by weight, based on the total amount of the monomers M, of at least one neutral monoethylenically unsaturated monomer Ml with a solubility in water of not more than 30 g/l at 25° C., and up to 40% by weight, based on the total amount of the monomers M, of one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers M2 other than the monomers M1.

1 . An aqueous active substance composition, comprising 
 a) at least one fungicidal organic active substance with a solubility in water of not more than 5 g/l at 25° C./1013 mbar, and    b) a finely-divided polymer with an average particle size, determined by dynamic light scattering, of not more than 300 nm, in which the polymer particles comprise the active substance,    the polymer being formed from ethylenically unsaturated monomers M comprising:    at least 60% by weight, based on the total amount of the monomers M, of at least one neutral monoethylenically unsaturated monomer M1 with a solubility in water of not more than 30 g/l at 25° C., and    up to 40% by weight, based on the total amount of the monomers M, of one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers M2 other than the monomers M1.    
     
     
         2 . The active substance composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the monomers M comprise at least one monomer M2 in an amount of 0.5 to 40% by weight, based on the total amount of the monomers M, which is selected from 
 monoethylenically unsaturated monomers M2a exhibiting at least one acid group or at least one anionic group;    monoethylenically unsaturated neutral monomers M2b exhibiting a solubility in water of at least 50 g/l at 25° C.; and    monoethylenically unsaturated monomers M2c exhibiting at least one cationic group and/or at least one group which can be protonated in the aqueous medium.    
     
     
         3 . The active substance composition according to  claim 2 , wherein the monomers M comprise at least one monomer M2c.  
     
     
         4 . The active substance composition according to  claim 3 , wherein the monomer M2c is selected from monomers of the general formula (I)  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       in which 
 R 1  is hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 -alkyl,  
 R 2  and R 3  are, independently of one another, C 1 -C 4 -alkyl, and  
 R 4  is hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 -alkyl,  
 Y is oxygen, NH or NR 4  with R 4 ═C 1 -C 4 -alkyl,  
 A is C 2 -C 8 -alkylene, if appropriate interrupted by 1, 2 or 3 nonadjacent oxygen atoms, and  
 X −  is an anion equivalent,  
 and, for R 4 =H, the free bases of the monomers of the formula (I).  
 
     
     
         5 . The active substance composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the monomers M1 are selected from vinylaromatic monomers, C 2 -C 10 -alkyl acrylates and C 1 -C 10 -alkyl methacrylates.  
     
     
         6 . The active substance composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the polymer exhibits a glass transition temperature TG of at least 10° C.  
     
     
         7 . The active substance composition according to  claim 1 , comprising at least one fungicidal active substance in an amount of 0.1 to 50% by weight, based on the weight of the monomers M used for the preparation of the polymer.  
     
     
         8 . The active substance composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the fungicidal active substance is selected from fungicides from the group of the conazoles, the group of the morpholines, the group of the strobilurins, the group of the thiazoles, the group of the sulfenamides and the group of the iodine compounds.  
     
     
         9 . The active substance composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the polymer particles additionally comprise an insecticidal active substance.  
     
     
         10 . The active substance composition according to  claim 9 , wherein the insecticidal active substance is selected from pyrethroids, arthropod growth regulators, chlorfenapyr and neonicotinoids.  
     
     
         11 . The active substance composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the total amount of active substance is 0.5 to 50% by weight, based on the total amount of the monomers M.  
     
     
         12 . The active substance composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the polymer can be obtained by radical aqueous emulsion polymerization of an oil-in-water emulsion of the monomers M, the monomer droplets of the oil-in-water emulsion to be polymerized comprising the fungicidal active substance in dissolved form.  
     
     
         13 . The active substance composition according to  claim 1 , with a content of volatile organic constituents of less than 1% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition.  
     
     
         14 . The active substance composition according to  claim 1 , with a solids content of 10 to 60% by weight.  
     
     
         15 . A process for the preparation of an active substance composition according to  claim 1 , comprising a radical aqueous emulsion polymerization of an oil-in-water emulsion of the monomers M, wherein the monomer droplets of the emulsion comprise at least one fungicidal active substance and, if appropriate, an insecticidal active substance.  
     
     
         16 . The use of an active substance composition according to  claim 1  in the control of microorganisms.  
     
     
         17 . The use of an active substance composition according to  claim 1  for the protection of cellulose-comprising materials from infection by harmful fungi, in particular from infection by microorganisms.  
     
     
         18 . A process for the protection of cellulose-comprising materials from infection by microorganisms comprising the treatment of the cellulose-comprising material with a composition according to  claim 1 .  
     
     
         19 . The process according to  claim 18 , wherein the cellulose-comprising material is wood.