Patent ID: 7429393

Claim:
A process for forming an extended polyalkylene-grafted interpolymer or gel, comprising: a) in a mixer, mixing 1) a polymer comprising mer units derived from maleic anhydride and mer units derived from at least one of (A) a vinyl aromatic monomer, and (B) an R 1 (R 2 )ethylene monomer in which R 1 and R 2 independently are selected from H and substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 alkyl or alkoxyl groups, and 2) a maleated polyalkylene, so as to form a blend; b) in said mixer, adding to said blend a diamine and allowing it to react with the mer units derived from maleic anhydride and with the maleated polyalkylene to form a polyalkylene grafted interpolymer; and c) allowing the polyalkylene-grafted interpolymer to cool in said mixer and, without removing the interpolymer from the mixer, adding an extender to provide said extended polyalkylene-grafted interpolymer; and d) optionally, extruding the extended polyalkylene-grafted interpolymer to form a gel having a tan δ of at least 0.3.