Patent ID: 7101928

Claim:
A thickened oil composition comprising (1) an oil, and (2) dispersed in the oil, a polymer which (a) has a crystalline melting point, T p , and an onset of melting temperature, T o , such that T p −T o is less than T p 0.7 ; (b) is soluble in the oil at temperatures above T p , (c) has been dispersed in the oil by a process which comprises (i) dissolving the polymer in the oil at a temperature above T p , and (ii) cooling the solution to crystallize the polymer in the oil, (d) is a side chain crystalline (SCC) polymer which is substantially free of functional groups, and which consists of (i) 50 to 100% by weight of units derived from at least one n-alkyl acrylate or methacrylate in which the n-alkyl group contains 12 to 50 carbon atoms, and (ii) 0 to 50% by weight of units derived from at least one alkyl acrylate or methacrylate in which the alkyl group is not an n-alkyl group containing 12 to 50 carbon atoms, and (e) is present in amount 3 to 10 % by weight; (ii) the composition being at a temperature below T p .