Patent ID: 11970599
Assignee: TRINSEO EUROPE GMBH
Field: Macromolecular chemistry, polymers (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C | IPC C

Claim 0:
1. A process comprising:
a) contacting a mixture of one or more hydrophilic ethylenically unsaturated monomers containing acid functionality, one or more nonionic hydrophilic ethylenically unsaturated monomers and optionally one or more hydrophobic ethylenically unsaturated monomers with water at a temperature of 30° C. or greater and 100° C. or less;
b) contacting one or more polymerization initiators with the water or with the mixture of a);
wherein the mixture of monomers is contacted with the water in a single charge and polymeric acid core particles are formed from the mixture of one or more hydrophilic ethylenically unsaturated monomers containing acid functionality, one or more hydrophilic nonionic ethylenically unsaturated monomers, and optionally one or more hydrophobic ethylenically unsaturated monomers: wherein the mixture of monomers is contacted with the water in 60 seconds or less;
c) contacting the polymeric acid core particles with one or more of one or more hydrophobic ethylenically unsaturated monomers, one or more hydrophilic ethylenically unsaturated monomers containing acid functionality and one or more nonionic hydrophilic ethylenically unsaturated monomers in the presence of the emulsifier and the one or more polymerization initiators in water under conditions such that a layer of a shell is formed around the polymeric acid core particles;
d) contacting the polymeric acid core particles with the first layer around the particles with one or more of one or more hydrophobic ethylenically unsaturated monomers, one or more hydrophilic ethylenically unsaturated monomers containing acid functionality and one or more nonionic hydrophilic ethylenically unsaturated monomers in the presence of an emulsifier and the one or more polymerization initiators in water such that an outer layer of the shell is formed about the particles with the first layer of the shells around the particles wherein the outer layer has an acid content less than the acid content in the first layer; and
e) contacting the particles with the acid polymer core and the layers of the shell disposed about the core with a base in water under conditions such that the polymeric acid core particles absorb water and swell thereby expanding the shell hydraulically; and
wherein the formed structure comprises hollow polymeric spheres dispersed in water.