PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF STERICALLY STABILISED WHOLLY NON-CHARGED AQUEOUS POLYMER DISPERSIONS

Abstract: A monomer charge having a defined slight solubility in water, but giving rise to a polymer which is water-insoluble, is emulsified in water in the presence of a non-ionic surface-active compound which comprises in the molecule (a) a component of molecular weight at least 400 which is per se soluble in the aqueous phase, (b) another component of molecular weight 150-1000 which is per se soluble in the monomer phase and (c) an unsaturated grouping capable of copolymerising with the monomer(s) and being attached to or integral with the monomer-soluble component, and the emulsified monomer is then polymerised in the presence of a non-ionisable free radical azo initiator which is soluble in water and substantially insoluble in the monomer(s). The product is a wholly sterically stabilised aqueous polymer dispersion useful for the formulation of water-borne coating compositions.

Description: PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF STERICALLY STABILISED, WHOLLY NON-CHARGED AQUEOUS POLYMER DISPERSIONS. This invention relates to the preparation of dispersions in aqueous media of polymers derived from ethylenically unsaturated monomers, more particularly to a method of preparing such dispersions which avoids the use of ionisable species as polymerisation initiator, as emulsifier for the monomer or as stabiliser for the polymer disperse phase, and which results in the production of a dispersion in which the stabilisation of the disperse phase is wholly steric in character. The so-called aqueous emulsion polymerisation of ethylenically unsaturated monomers is a very well known process. It is somewhat misleadingly named inasmuch as, although the bulk of the monomer which is to be polymerised exists initially as droplets emulsified in the aqueous medium employed, the actual polymerisation initially taXes place not within those droplets but within the aqueous medium, in which a significant concentration of dissolved monomer is maintained throughout the process. For this reason, the technique is not applicable to monomers which have a negligible solubility in water. Arising from this, tile. process calls for the presence, firstly,of a surfactant dissolved in the aqueous medium whereby the emulsified droplets of monomer are stabilised whilst in effect constituting a reservoir from which monomer in solution in the aqueous medium is replenished as polymerisation proceeds; secondly, it requires the presence of a free-radical type polymerisation initiator which is soluble in the aqueous medium, in order to bring about polymerisation of the dissolved monomer rather than of the emulsified material. It has become customary to use ionisable compounds for both of these functions. Thus there are commonly used as surfactants such anionic substances as sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate, sodium dioctylsulphosuccinate and the alkali metal or ammonium salts of sulphonated fatty alcohols, and as polymerisation initiators water-soluble per-compounds such as ammonium persulphate or potassium persulpilate. In the resulting dispersions, the polymer particles of the disperse phase are stabilised against gross flocculation or aggregation by the presence on their surfaces of electrically charged species derived from these ionisable surfactants and/or initiators. This stability of the disperse phase is, however, rather readily disturbed by external influences to which the dispersions may be subjected, in particular by shear forces, by the introduction of polyvalent ions, by freeze-thaw conditions or by pH changes. it has already been proposed, in British Patent Specification No. 1,196,247, to prepare aqueous dispersions of synthetic polymers in which the polymer particles are stabilised against gross flocculation by a different, steric mechanism, namely by means of the presence in the dispersion of an amphipathic polymeric stabiliser which has the ability to form around each particle a protective barrier of polymer chains which are solvated by the aqueous medium. By this procedure, the presence on the polymer particles of charged species derived from a conventional ionic surfactant is avoided, but no emphasis is placed in the above-mentioned specification upon the desirability of avoiding also the use of ionic initiators and indeed the use of such materials as ammonium persulphate or potassium per sulphate is proposed There has also previously been described, in British Patent Specification No. 1,544,335, a process for polymerising an ethylenically unsaturated monomer in water in the presence of a catalyst and also in the presence of a block copolymer dispersion stabiliser which contains at least two polymeric blocks of which one is hydrophilic and the other is hydrophobic, the hydrophilic blocks serving to provide a stabilising barrier around the polymer particles. Here e again the introduction of charged species by the use of a conventional surfactant is avoided, but there is no reference to the desirability of using non-ionic initiators and the initiators described as being suitable include a number of the ionic type. In ourpUCL)y Application No , ±33 o2Sc7. we described a method of making wholly non-charged stable aqueous dispersions of synthetic addition polymers, which involves combining the steric mode of polymer stabilisation mentioned above with the use of non-ionic free radical poly merisation initiators which are characterised by being sol uble in the aqueous phase but substantially insoluble in the monomer phase. More specifically, in the said method, at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer, having a solubility in water in the range 0.08aS - 8% by weight but giving rise to a polymer which is insoluble in water, is emulsified in water and is subjected in that state to poly merisation in the presence of (a) a non-ionisable free radical organic azo polymerisation initiator which soluble and is substantially insoluble in the monomer or monomers and (b) an amphipathic steric stabiliser for the polymer particles produced which is a block or graft co polymer containing in the molecule a polymeric component of one type which has a molecular weight of at least 700 and is solvatable by the aqueous phase, and a polymeric component of another type which has a molecular weight of at least 700 and is not solvatable by the aqueous phase and is capable of becoming associated with the said polymer particles. Further, in the said Applications, we have -referred to the desirability in many cases of including in the polymerisation mixture a non-ionic surfactant whereby the emulsification of the monomer in the water may be assisted. We have also referred therein to the possib ility of the block or graft copolymer stabiliser being generated in situ during the polymerisation from a precursoi compound containing in the molecule a polymer chain which is per se soluble in the aqueous phase and also containing an unsaturated grouping capable of copolymerising with the monomer being polymerised. We have now found that the functions of the nonionic surfactant and of the copolymerisable precursor compound may with advantage be combined in a single substance. Thus according to the present invention there is provided a polymerisation process in which (i) at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer, having a solubility in water in the range 0.08 - 8% by weight but giving rise to a polymer which is insoluble in water, is emulsified in water in the presence of a non-ionic surface-active compound which comprises in the molecule (a) a component of molecular weight at least 400 which is per se soluble in the aqueous phase, (b) another component of molecular weight in the range 150 - looo which is per se soluble in the monomer phase and (c) an unsaturated grouping which is capable of copolymerising with the monomer or monomers, the said grouping being attached to or integral with the monomersoluble component aforementioned, and (ii) the emulsified monomer is then subjected to polymerisation in the additional presence of a non-ionisable free radical-type organic azo polymerisation initiator which is soluble in water and substantially insoluble in the monomer or monomers. Ethylenically unsaturated monomers which may be polymerised by the process of the invention include, for example, acrylic monomers such as methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, methoxypropyl methacrylate, cyclohexyl methacrylate, benzyl methacrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, hydroxybutyl acrylate, N-butoxymethyl acrylamide, N-butoxymethyl methacrylamide, glycidyl acrylate and glycidyl methacrylate, vinyl monomers such as vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, styrene, vinyl toluene, methoxystyrene and vinyl pyridine, and halogenated vinyl monomers such as vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride. All these monomers exhibit the required minimum solubility in water. There may, if desired, be used together with one or more of such monomers a minor proportion of a monomer having an insignificant solubility in water, for example 2-ethylhexyl acrylate or stearyl methacrylate, which would not be polymerisable on its own by the aqueous emulsion procedure. The monomers to be polymerised may also include monomers which are polyfunctional with respect to the polymerisation reaction, whereby the particles in the resulting aqueous dispersion will consist of crosslinked polymer. Suitable polyfunctional monomers include, for example, allyl methacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, hexanediol diacry late, trimethylolpropane triacrylate and divinylbenzene. The first step in the process of the invention is the emulsification of the monomer or monomers to be polymerised in the aqueous phase of the polymerisation I mixture which consists at least of water and the surfaceactive compound as defined.The role of the surface-active compound at this stage is to assist in the production and. maintenance of a monomer emulsion of a sufficient degree oi fineness but, as already indicated and discussed in more detail below, it also serves as a precursor for the formation of a steric stabiliser whereby the resulting polymer is stabilised in aqueous dispersion. If desired, the emulsification of the monomer may be expedited by subjecting the polymerisation mixture to high-shear or ultrasonic treatment, but normally a conventional stirring action in the presence of the surface-active component will suffice. As defined above, the surface-active compound comprises in the molecule three structural features. Firstly, there is present a component of molecular weight at least 400, preferably at least 1000, which is per se soluble in the aqueous phase of the polymerisation mixture; in other words this component, if it were not attached to the rest of the precursor molecule, would actually be soluble in the aqueous phase. Suitable such components include in particular those derived from polyethylene glycols, or their monomethyl ethers, of molecular weight in the range 2000 - 4000, but there may also be used those derived from poly (ethyleneoxide) -poly (propyleneoxide) copolymers containing at least 40% of ethylene oxide and their monomethyl ethers, polyvinylpyrralidone, polyacrylamide, polymethacrylamide, polyvinyl alcohol and poly Ebis (hydroxyethyl)methacrylamide. Secondly, the surface-active compound incorporates a component of molecular weight in the range 150 - 1000 which is per se soluble in the monomer phase of the polymerisation mixture; thus, whereas the first-mentioned component is hydrophilic in character, this second component is of a hydrophobic nature. Suitable such components include chains derived from the self condensation or co-condensation of propylene oxide, butylene oxide or styrene oxide, or hydrocarbon chains such as that derived from a higher fatty acid or fatty alcohol. These first and second components together confer the surface-active properties on the compound which are required for emulsification of the monomer or monomers. Preferably the first, or hydrophilic, component and the second, or hydrophobic, component shouldbepresent in aweightratio lying in the range from 20:1 to 1:1. The third feature oftilesurface-active compound, which is attached to or is integral with the second or hydrophobic component, is an unsaturatedgrouping capable of copolymerising with the monomer or monomers being polymerised. Preferably the unsaturated grouping is attached to or is integral with the portion of the hydrophobic or monomer phase-soluble component which is most remote from the hydrophilic or aqueous phase-soluble component. Where the hydrophobic component is a polymer chain containing a hydroxyl group, for example a poly(oxybutylene) chain terminated by such a group, the unsaturated grouping may conveniently take the form of the ester of the component in question with a copolymerisable unsaturated acid, such as methacrylic acid, itaconic acid or maleic acid. The production of such an ester may consist in carrying out an ester-interchange reaction between a lower alkyl ester of the acid, for example methyl methacrylate, and the compound constituting the remainder of the precursor molecule, e.g. the monomethyl ether of apoly (oxyethyl ene)-poly(oxybutylene) copolymer. Such an ester may also be obtained by reacting the copolymer with a suitable unsaturated acid chloride, e.g. methacry;yl chloride, in the presence of a hydrogen chloride acceptor. One example of a suitable surface-active compound for use in the process of the invention is the unsaturated block copolymer of the fo sttula:- formula - CE3O(C2R40)x (C4H8o) EMI9.1 where x and y have values corresponding to molecular weight for the poly(oxyethylene) and poly(oxybutylene) blocks of 2000 and 700 respectively. This substance is readily obtained by condensing methanol with ethylene oxide and subsequently with butylene oxide in the requisite proportions, and then reacting the product with methacrylyl chloride, or carrying out an ester interchange reaction between the product and methyl methacrylate in the presence of a catalytic amount of tetra-isopropyl titanate. Alternatively, a suitable surface-active compound may be obtained by the successive condensation of, for example, butylene oxide and ethylene oxide with a hydroxylic compound already containing the requisite copolymerisable unsaturated grouping. For example, allyl alcohol. may be condensed successively with butylene oxide and with ethylene oxide to give a block copolymer of the formula: 2 CR.CH2.O(C4 H8 O)y (C2 H4 O)x H where x and y have the same values as above. As another example, the triallyl ether of pentaerythritol may be condensed successively with 2 molar proportions of butylene oxide and 35 molar proportions of ethylene oxide. As a further alternative, the hydrophobic component of the surface-active compound may be provided by a hydrocarbon chain, which may also incorporate the unsaturated grouping. An example of such a chain is that in undecylenic acid, and this may be converted to the required surfactant/precursor by direct condensation with ethylene oxide, for example in a molar ratio of 1:35. The amount of the surface-active compound which is used in the process will depend to some extent upon the particular monomer or monomers to be emulsified and. the fineness of the emulsion which is desired, as well as upon the efficiency of the particular compound used. However, the optimum proportion can readily be found in any individual case by simple experiment. Typical proportions are in the range 1% to 2A, more especially 5% to 10%, by weight of the monomer taken. The polymerisation of the monomer or monomers thus emulsified requires the presence in the reaction mixture ofan organic azo compound which is capable of decomposing on heating to give free radicals, is free from ionisable or charged groups and incapable of giving rise to ionic or charged species during the polymerisation reaction, and is preferentially water-soluble in the sense that, whilst it may not be completely insoluble in the monomer or monomers being polymerised when water is absent, it is overwhelmingly present in the aqueous phase of the polymerisation mixture. Preferred initiators are those which exhibit a distribution ratio between water and pure styrene of at least 12, and more preferably of at least 20. Classes of organic azo compounds containing in the molecule water-solubilising groups which are suitable for use in the process include the following: (i) Compounds satisfying the foregoing distribution ratio requirement and having the general formula EMI10.1 in which R and R1 are independently hydrogen or a methyl group, R2 is an alkyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and X is oxygen or a group -ER3 iSere R3 is hydrogen or a grouping EMI10.2 The compounds in question are thus either esters or substituted amides of an azobiscarboxylic acid. Examples of suitable initiators of this class include the bis(diethanolamide) of 4,4' -azobis(cyanopentanoic acid), having the formula EMI11.1 and having a distribution ratio between water and styrene of 463, and the corresponding bis(diisopropanolamide) having the formula EMI11.2 and having a distribution ratio between water and styrene of 23. The corresponding bis(ethanolamide) is not suitable for use in the process, it having a distribution ratio of about 10. The above compounds may be prepared by reacting the appropriate azobiscarboxylic acid halide with the appropriate hydroxy or amino compound in known manner in the presence of a hydrogen halide acceptor. '(ii') compounds satisfying the foregoing distribution ratio requirement and having the general formula EMI11.3 where R4 is a methyl group, R5 is a methyl or ethyl group, or R4 and R5 together with the intermediate carbon atom form a cycloilexyl group, and R6 is the residue of a monohydroxy compound. Examples of suitable initiators of this class include the bis-esters of 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropanoic acid) with octanol and with 2-ethoxyethanol. These esters may be prepared by way of the Pinner reaction in which, for example, 2,2'-azobis(2 methylpropionitrile) is reacted under anhydrous conditions with an excess of the appropriate hydroxy compound in the presence of hydrogen chloride to form an imino-ether; this intermediate product is then hydrolysed to give the corresponding carboxylic ester. There may with advantage be employed in the making of such compounds the modification of the Pinner reaction which is described in our European Application No. gD3057ql-4. in this modification, the hydroxy compound is required to be used in stoichiometric proportion only, in the presence of a compound containing an ether grouping. (iii) Compounds satisfying the foregoing distribution ratio requirement and having the, general formula EMI12.1 where R7 and R8 are linear or branched alkylene residues of 2-4 carbon atoms and X is hydrogen or a grouping R8-OH. These compounds are described in German Offenlegungsschrift 2841033 and European Patent Application No. 0009186 Al, and may be obtained by reacting an iminoether, derived from azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) by the Pinner reaction, with a mono- or di-alkanolamine and optionally (where a monoalkanolamine has been used) further reacting the product with an alkylene oxide. (iv) Compounds satisfying the foregoing distribution ratio requirement and having the general formula EMI13.1 where R9 is the residue of an aliphatic polyhydroxy compound R9(OH) n+l after removal of one hydroxyl group therefrom and n has the value 2 or 4. Examples of suitable initiators of this class include the bis(l,2-dihydroxypropyl) ester of 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropanoic acid) and the bis-(5,6-dihydroxyhexyl) ester of the same acid. These esters may be prepared by the method described in our C*z Application No . which consists in reacting 2,2'-azobist2-methyl- propionitrile) with a stoichiometric amount of'an acetal or ketal derivative of the formula EMI13.2 where R9 and n have their previous significance, R10 is hydrogen or an alkyl or aryl group and R11 is an alkyl or aryl group, or R10 and R11 together with the intermediate carbon atom form a cycloalkyl group, in the presence of hydrogen chloride gas under anhydrous conditions, followed by hydrolysis of the intermediate iminoether hydrochloride and of the acetal or ketal grouping or groupings. (v) Compounds satisfying the foregoing distribution ratio requirement and having the general formula EMI14.1 in which R, R1 and R2 have the same significance as in formula (I) above, X is oxygen or a group -NH- and p is an integer from 10 to 100, preferably from 20 to 50. The compounds in question are thus either esters or substituted amides of an azobiscarboxylic acid and they contain poly(oxyethylene) groups and in some cases also hydroxy groups. An example of a suitable initiators of this class is the bis-amide of 4,4'-azobis(cyanopentanoic acid) and a-amino-X-hydroxy-poly(oxyethylene) of mol.wt. 1600, having the formula EMI14.2 The preparation of this compound from the aminohydroxy compound and the corresponding acid chloride, and of related compounds, is described in t polyApplication No . 83300647.1. (vi) Compounds satisfying the foregoing distribution ratio requirement and having the general formula EMI14.3 wherein R4, R5 and R6 have the same significance as in formula (II) above and q is an integer from 10 to 100, preferably from 20 to 50. An example of a suitable initiator of this class is thebisester of the monomethyl ether of polyethylene glycol, mol. wt. 2000, and 2,2'-azobis-(2-methylpropanoic acid) having the formula EMI15.1 This compound is further described in European Application No:. 82305792.2 and its,preparation from stoichiometric proportions of z azobis(2 methylpropionitrile) and the, monomethyl ether of polyethylene glycol, via the corresponding bis(iminoether), is described in Application No . 82305791.4. (vii) Compounds satisfying the foregoing distribution ratio requirement and having the general formula EMI15.2 where R9 and n have the same significance as in formula (IV) above and r is an integer from 10 to 100, preferably from 26 to 50. Examples of suitable initiators of this class include the esters of 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropanoic acid) with 1- boly-(ethyleneoxy)) -glycerol containing 30(ethyleneoxy) units and with the condensate of 1 mole of D-glucofuranose with 24 moles of ethylene oxide. The preparation of these compounds is described in our European Application No . 83301855.9 already referred to. The azo initiator may if desired be added to the polymerisation mixture when emulsification of the monomer or monomers is complete, but usually it will be found more convenient to add it, along with the surface-active compound, at the beginning of the process. The proportion of the water-soluble azo initiator which is used may vary considerably according to the particular monomers which are being polymerised and the rate at which it is desired the polymerisation should proceed, and the optimum amount may readily be ascertained by simple experiment. Typically, however, the initiator is used in an amount ranging from 0.1 mol % to 3.0 mol %, based on the amount of monomer. As already indicated, the steric stabilisation of the polymer particles produced in the polymerisation is achieved by means of an amphipathic copolymer which is generated in situ during the process. The precursor of this stabiliser is the surface-active compound which acts initially as the monomer emulsifier, its role at this later stage depending upon the presence in its molecule of the unsaturated grouping. This grouping enables it to copolymerise with some of the monomer or monomers being polymerised, resulting in the formation of a further polymeric component which is inherently non-solvatable by the aqueous phase of the polymerisation mixture and consequently becomes associated with the polymer of the disperse phase. The actual stabilising entities are the hydrophilic chains present in the copolymer and derived from the surface-active precursor which are solvated by the aqueous phase and as a result take up a chain-extended configuration, whereby a steric barrier is formed around the polymer particles. There may also be present during the polymerisation process a chain transfer agent which, like the initiator, is soluble in the aqueous medium. An example of a suitable agent is thioglycollic acid. The chain transfer agent may be used in an amount of from 0.1% to 2% of the weight of monomer. The effect of the chain transfer agent is to regulate the molecular weight of the disperse polymer and ultimately to reduce the proportion of finer particles in the disperse phase, thus increasing the average particle size. In carrying out the process of the invention, it is possible to introduce the whole of the monomer or monomers to be polymerised into the aqueous medium all at once; this may conveniently be described as a "one-shot" procedure. As already indicated, this monomer becomes emulsified in the aqueous medium and provides a reservoir from which monomer is gradually drawn as polymerisation proceeds until all of it has converted to disperse polymer. An alternative, and preferred, procedure is to add initially to the aqueous medium part of the monomer only, this being emulsified and allowed to polymerise to form a dispersion of fine "seed" polymer particles, after which the remainder of the monomer is gradually added, with resulting growth of the particles. This may be referred to as a "seed and feed" process; its chief advantage is that it enables better control of the particle size of the polymer dispersion to be achieved. The process may be carried out over a wide range of temperatures, depending on the particular monomer or monomers being polymerised, the particular initiator employed and the rate of polymerisation desired; it is in addition important that the temperature employed should not be so high that the solvatable component of the stabiliser ceases to be effectively solvated by the aqueous phase. In general, however, the polymerisation temperature will lie in the range 50-1000C, preferably 50-8OOC. In general, the polymerisation process is carried out following the operational procedures and employing the equipment (e.g. reaction vessel and stirrer configuration) which are well established in the emulsion polymerisation field and which are known to those skilled in the art. The aqueous polymer dispersions obtained by the process of the invention are useful inter alia, for the formulation of water-borne coating compositions having superior properties attributable to the wholly steric mode of stabilisation of.the dispersions. The invention is illustrated but nit limited by the following Examples, in which percentages are by weight, The polymer latices obtained were subjected to determination of particle size and distribution by means of the "Nanosizer" (Registered Trade Mark), an instrument marketed in the U.K. by Coulter Electronics Limited. The results of this determination are expressed by two numbers, e.g. 3:361; the first number is ameasure of the degree of polydispersity of the latex particles on an arbitrary scale from 0 (monodisperse) to 10, and the second number is the average size of the particle in nanometres. EXAMPLE I In this Example, the surface-active compound which also functions as precursor for the polymer stabiliser formed in situ had the following structure: EMI19.1 in which the value of x corresponds to a poly (ethylene- oxide) chain molecular weight of about 2000 and the value of y corresponds to a poly(butylene oxide) chain molecular weight of about 700. The above-identified surfactant/precursor (4. 5g) was dissolved in deionised water (300g) in a 2-litre "culture vessel" (that is to say, a reaction vessel having a flat bottom and vertical sides) fitted with a nitrogen inlet, a condenser, an anchor-type stirrer with baffle bar and separate feed lines for monomer and initiator. To the aqueous solution were added methyl methacrylate (13g) and butyl acrylate (log) together with the bis(diethanolamide) of 4,4' -azobis(cyanopentanoic acid) as initiator (l.Og). The mixture was heated with stirring under nitrogen at about 80 C for 1¸ hours, to give a "seed" polymer latex for which "Nanosizer" examination gave a result of 4:63. With stirring and heating at 800C continued, a first monomer feed consisting of methyl methacrylate (65g), butyl acrylate (50g) and the surfactant/ precursor (8.4g) was added over 3 hours, with simultaneous addition of further initiator (8.0g) dissolved in deionised water. At the end of this period, the latex obtained had a solids content of 18.9% and "Nanosizer" examination gave the result 5:117. The latex was kept at room temperature for about 50 hours, then re-heated with stirring to 800C and a second monomer feed consisting of methyl methacrylate (26g), butyl acrylate (20g) and a surfactant/precursor (1.8g) was added over 2 hours, accompanied by initiator (3.or) dissolved in deionised water. The "Nanosizer11 reading on the latex was then 6:139. Finally, a third monomer feed consisting of methyl methacrylate (60g), butyl acrylate (45g) and surfactant/precursor (8.4gj was added under the same conditions as before, together with initiator (3.0g) dissolved in deionised water. The copolymer latex thus obtained was filtered through nylon mesh; it had a solids content of 36% and "Nanosizer" determination gave the result 4:142. EXAMPLE 2 In this Example, the surfactant/precursor used was the product of reaction of allyl alcohol (1 mol) successively with styrene oxide (1 mol), butylene oxide (1 mol) and ethylene oxide (35 mols) respectively. A mixture of deionised water (bog), the above surfactant/precursor (2g), vinyl acetate (20g) and the bis(diethanolamide) of 4,4' -azobis(cyanopentanoic acid) (O.5g) was stirred (magnetic stirrer) and heated in a 250 ml round-bottomed flask under a nitrogen atmosphere at 800C for 6 hours. At the end of this time, the conversion of monomer to polymer was 91% and "Nanosizer" examination of the resulting latex gave the values 4:229. Some settlement of the disperse phase occurred on standing. EXAMPLE 3 The surfactant/precursor used in this Example was the product of reaction of pentaerythritol triallyl ether (1 mol) successively with butylene oxide (2 mols) and ethylene oxide (35 mols). The apparatus and procedure employed were those described in Example 1. Details of the reaction mixtures at the "seed" and "feed" stages are as follows: "Seed" Stage Deionised water 200g Surfactant/precursor 4. 48g Methyl methacrylate 9.6g Butyl acrylate S.3g Initiator* in deionised water 5 g Polymerisation temperature : 700C Polymerisation time : 1 hour 'Nanosizer" determination on "seed" latex : 1:103 First "Feed" Stag Methyl methacrylate E9.8g Butyl acrylate 60.8g Hydroxyisopropyl methacrylate 16.8g Surfactant/precursor 14. 7g Polymerisation temperature : 700C Polymerisation time : 3 hours *During the progress of both this first feed stage and the second feed stage described below, aliquots were added every 10 minutes of a solution of initiator (4.4g) in deionised water (20g). The initiator used throughout this Example was the bis(diethanolamide) of 4,4'-azobis(cyanopentanoic acid). "Nanosizer" determination at the end of the first feed stage gave the result 1:162. Second "Feed" Staqe Methyl methacrylate 17.2g Butyl acrylate 14.2g Hydroxyisopropyl methacrylate 3.6g Surfactant/prenursor 1.75g Polymerisation temperature : 700C Polymerisation time : 4 hour The overall conversion of monomer to polymer was 998%. After removal of about 16g of coagulated matter, the latex finally obtained gave a "Nanosizer" result of 1:192. EXAMPLE 4 The surfactant/precursor used in this Example was similar to that used in Example 3, but the molar quantities of butylene oxide and ethylene oxide were 4 and 46 respectively. The procedure and quantities of materials were otherwise the same as in Example 3. The overall conversion of monomer to polymer was 97%; about 15g of coagulum were separated from the latex finally obtained. The results of "Nanosizer" determination were as follows: After "seed" stage : 5:82 After first "feed" stage : 2:109 Final stage : 3:159

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A process for the preparation of a sterically stabilised aqueous polymer dispersion, in which at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer, having a solubility in water in the range 0.08 - 8% by weight but giving rise to a polymer which is insoluble in water, is emulsified in water in the presence of a non-ionic surface-active compound which comprises in the molecule (a) a component of molecular weight at least 400 which is per se soluble in the aqueous phase, (b) another component of molecular weight in the range 150 - 1000 which is per se soluble in the monomer phase and (c) an unsaturated grouping which is capable of copolymerising with the monomer or monomers, the said grouping being attached to or integral with the monomer-soluble component afore mentioned, and (ii) the emulsified monomer is then subjected to polymerisation in the additional presence of a non-ionisable free radical-type organic azo polymerisation initiator which is soluble in water and substantially insoluble in the monomer or monomers. 2. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aqueous phase-soluble component of the surface-active compound is derived from a polyethylene glycol, or a monomethyl ether thereof, of molecular weight in the range 2000 - 4000. 3. A process as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the weight ratio in the surface-active compound of the aqueous phase-soluble component to the monomer phase soluble component is in the range 20:1 to 1:1. 4. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the surface-active compound is a block copolymer of the formula : EMI24.1 where x and y have values corresponding to poly(oxy ethylene) and poly(o t utylene) block molecular weights of 2000 and 700 respectively. 5. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the surface-active compound is a block copolymer of the formula : CH2 = CH.CE2O(C4R80) y (C2H4O)x H where x and y have values corresponding to poly(oxy ethylene and poly(oxybutylene) block molecular weights of 2000 and 700 respectively. 6. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the surface-active compound is the product of the successive condensation of 1 mole of the triallyl ether of pentaerythritol with 2 moles of butylene oxide and 35 moles of ethylene oxide. 7. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the surface-active compound is present in a proportion of from 1 to 10% of the weight of monomer taken. 8. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the azo polymerisation initiator exhibits a distribution ratio between water and pure styrene of at least 12. 9. A process as claimed in claim 8, wherein the initiator is the bis(diethanolamide) or bis(diisopropanolamide) of 4,4'-azobis(cyanopentanoic acid). 10. A process as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the azo initiator is used in an amount of from 0.1 mol% to 3.0 mol.% of the amount of monomer.

Inventors: DAVIES, STEPHEN PARRY, GIBSON, DAVID VINCENT, PARR, RODNEY WALTER, THOMPSON, MORICE WILLIAM
Applicants: DULUX AUSTRALIA LTD, IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES PLC
Application year: 1983
Main classification: C08F2
IPC codes: C08F220, C08F20, C08F2, B01F17, C08F4