Patent ID: 8173999

Claim:
A method for modifying a polymer, the method comprising: reacting an acid with a polymer having dithiocarbamate moieties and a structural formula (I): wherein: Ar is selected from the group consisting of arylene and heteroarylene, wherein Ar is unsubstituted or substituted with one or more substituents independently selected from the group consisting of C 1-20 alkyl, C 1-20 alkoxy, C 1-20 alkylsulfate, poly(ethylene oxide), oligo(ethylene oxide), poly(ethylene glycol), oligo(ethylene glycol), aryl, and aryl-C 1-4 alkyl, wherein the heteroarylene comprises up to 4 heteroatoms independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen; R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of C 1-20 alkyl, C 3-10 cycloalkyl, aryl, aryl-C 1-20 alkyl and heterocyclyl; R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-20 alkyl, C 3-10 cycloalkyl, aryl, aryl-C 1-4 alkyl and heterocyclyl; and n is such that a number average molecular weight of the polymer is from about 5,000 to about 1,000,000 Dalton, whereby a modified polymer is obtained.