Patent ID: 6936656

Claim:
A comb copolymer of the formula {In-[(A x -B y )} p -Z] q (I) wherein In represents the fragment of a polymerization initiator capable of initiating polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers in the presence of a catalyst which activates controlled radical polymerization; A represents an oligopolymer or polymer fragment which consists of ethylenically unsaturated repeating units of polymerizable monomers or oligopolymers; x represents a numeral greater than one and defines the number of repeating units in A; B represents a monomer, oligopolymer or polymer fragment copolymerized with A; y represents zero or a numeral greater than zero and defines the number of monomer, oligopolymer or polymer repeating units in B; Z represents a polymer backbone which consists of repeating units from polymerizable, ethylenically unsaturated monomers; p is one or a numeral greater than one which defines the number of groups of the partial formula In-(A x -B y )- (A) per polymer backbone Z; and q is one or a numeral greater than one which defines the number of groups of the partial formula -(A x -B y )- (B) per initiator fragment In; provided that one of p and q represents one and the other represents one or a numeral greater than one.