Patent ID: 6884839

Claim:
An aqueous composition comprising a polymer having a diameter ≦500 nm comprising a controlled free-radical microemulsion or miniemulsion polymerization product of A) at least one olefinically unsaturated monomer and B) at least one olefinically unsaturated monomer that is different than the olefinically unsaturated monomer (A) and has the general formula I R 1 R 2 C═CR 3 R 4 (I) wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 are each independently one of a hydrogen atom, an unsubstituted alkyl radical, an unsubstituted cycloalkyl radical, an unsubstituted alkylcycloalkyl radical, an unsubstituted cycloalkylalkyl radical, an unsubstituted aryl radical, an unsubstituted alkylaryl radical, an unsubstituted cycloalkylaryl radical, an unsubstituted arylalkyl radical, an unsubstituted arylcycloalkyl radical, a substituted alkyl radical, a substituted cycloalkyl radical, a substituted alkylcycloalkyl radical, a substituted cycloalkylalkyl radical, a substituted aryl radical, a substituted alkylaryl radical, a substituted cycloalkylaryl radical, a substituted arylalkyl radical, and a substituted arylcycloalkyl radical, with the proviso that at least two of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 are at least one of an unsubstituted aryl radical, an unsubstituted arylalkyl radical, an unsubstituted arylcycloalkyl radical, a substituted aryl radical, a substituted arylalkyl radical, and a substituted arylcycloalkyl radical; in the presence of at least C) at least one hydrophobic crosslinking agent for the polymerization product of (A) and (B); wherein the aqueous composition is one of a primary dispersion and a coating material, and wherein the polymer is at least one of a dispersed solid polymer particle, an emulsified solid polymer particle, a dispersed liquid polymer particle, an emulsified liquid polymer particle, and a dispersed solid core-shell particle.