Epoxy-group-containing copolymer, epoxy (meth)acrylate copolymer using the same, and their production processes

Abstract

According to the present invention, a novel epoxy group-containing copolymer, including a production process thereof, and an epoxy (meth)acrylate copolymer starting from the epoxy group-containing copolymer, including a production process thereof are provided. The epoxy group-containing copolymer of the present invention contains a specific epoxy group-containing repeating unit and an olefin-based repeating unit. A novel epoxy (meth)acrylate copolymer of the present invention is produced by reacting the epoxy group-containing copolymer with (meth)acrylic acid.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An epoxy group-containing copolymer comprising
 at least one of repeating units represented by the following formulae (a), (b) and (c):   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein each of R 1  to R 11  is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R 12  is a hydrogen atom, a methyl group or a phenyl group, and
 a repeating unit represented by the following formula (d): 
 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 14  is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R 15  is a hydrogen atom or a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon group having a carbon number of 24 or less. 
     
     
         2 . The epoxy group-containing copolymer as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the epoxy equivalent of said copolymer is from 190 to 3,000 g/eq. 
     
     
         3 . The epoxy group-containing copolymer as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the number average molecular weight of said copolymer is from 400 to 10,000. 
     
     
         4 . The epoxy group-containing copolymer as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the total content of the repeating units represented by formulae (a), (b) and (c) in said copolymer is from 10 to 90 mol %, the content of the repeating unit represented by formula (d) is from 5 to 90 mol %, and the total of the total content of the repeating units represented by formulae (a), (b) and (c), and the content of the repeating unit represented by formula (d) is 100 mol % or less. 
     
     
         5 . The epoxy group-containing copolymer as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the repeating unit represented by formula (a) is at least one of repeating units represented by the following formulae (a1) to (a6) and the repeating unit represented by formula (c) is at least one of repeating units represented by the following formulae (c1) and (c2): 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
     
     
         6 . The epoxy group-containing copolymer as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the repeating unit represented by formula (d) is derived from an ethylene and/or an unsaturated hydrocarbon having a carbon number of 8 or more. 
     
     
         7 . The epoxy group-containing copolymer as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the repeating unit represented by formula (d) is derived from ethylene, propylene, isobutene, 1-butene, 3-methylbutene-1, 1-pentene, 2-methyl-1-pentene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene, 1-octene, 1-nonene, 1-decene, 1-dodecene, 1-tetradecene, 1-hexadecene, 1-octadecene, 4-vinylcyclohexene, 5-vinylnorbornene, limonene or allylbenzene.