Patent ID: 6639032
Filing Date: 2003-10-28
Classification: C08F

Abstract:
A process for making hyperbranched polymers from Anâ€”Lz(XY)m type monomers wherein A is a polymerizable group moiety, XY is a telogen group moiety in which Y is a transferable atom or group which can participate in a transfer reaction with the formation of reactive X*, L is a linkage between A and XY, z is 0 or 1, and n and m are integers of at least 1, comprising(a) initiating reaction by forming activated species from reaction between either an A or an XY group of the Anâ€”Lz(XY)m type monomer and an external stimulus to form activated monomer species with an activated polymerizable group moiety A* or an activated moiety X* derived from the telogen group moiety XY; and (b) polymer segment chain growth by (i) propagation reaction between the polymerizable group A moieties of the Anâ€”Lz(XY)m type monomers with the activated moieties A* and X* of activated species, and further reaction between the polymerizable group moieties with the activated moieties of the reaction products thereof, and (ii) chain transfer reaction between the activated A* polymerizable group moieties of activated species or of polymer segments formed in (b)(i) with XY telogen group moieties of the Anâ€”Lz(XY)m type monomers or of polymer segments formed in (b)(i), whereby activated X* moieties and inactive Aâ€”Y moieties are formed by transfer of transferable atom or group Y of the telogen group moiety XY to the activated A* moiety; wherein the reaction rates of the (b)(i) propagation reaction and of the (b)(ii) chain transfer reaction are within 2 orders of magnitude of each other, such that the combination of propagation reaction and chain transfer reaction results in formation of a highly branched polymer from the Anâ€”Lz(XY)m type monomer.