Patent ID: 9441090
Filing Date: 2016-09-13
CPC Classification: C08F,C08K

Claim Text:
1. A method of controlling a conjugated diene monovinylarene copolymerization reaction, the method comprising: (i) contacting a monovinylarene monomer, a conjugated diene monomer, and an initiator in a predetermined sequence under polymerization conditions in a polymerization reactor system, and thereafter coupling and/or terminating to form a conjugated diene monovinylarene block copolymer; wherein the predetermined sequence comprises a dual charge of the monovinylarene monomer and the conjugated diene monomer; and (ii) introducing a modifier into the polymerization reactor system before the dual charge to control a Shore A hardness of the copolymer, wherein the Shore A hardness of the copolymer decreases as an amount of the modifier introduced into the polymerization reactor system increases, and wherein the Shore A hardness of the copolymer is in a range from about 20 to about 95.