Polymers containing complex hydrophobic groups

• US 5,292,828 A
• Filed: 05/29/1992
• Issued: 03/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology Corporation (Dow, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology Corporation (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shay, Gregory D., Bassett, David R., Jenkins, Richard D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schofer, Joseph L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAROFIM, NABIL F
• Application Number:
  US07/887,641
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 526/318.6, 526/318.5, 526/271, 526/301, 526/313, 526/333, 526/334, 525/420, 525/437, 536/85, 536/111
• US Class Current: 525/420
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 283/06 on to polyethers, polyoxymethylenes or polyacetals C08F283/004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 65/08 Saturated oxiranes
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 65/2612 containing aromatic or arylaliphatic hydroxyl groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 65/329 with organic compounds

Abstract

Water-soluble polymers are disclosed which comprise hydrophobic segments, each segment containing at least one hydrophobic group or comlex hydrophobic group covalently bonded to the polymer, wherein the polymer has an amount of complex hydrophobic groups sufficient to provide for enhanced thickening of aqueous solutions containing the polymer. These polymers provide superior thickening and leveling in aqueous systems through hydrophobic associations, and aid suspension of particulate materials in non-aqueous systems.

Claims

1. A water-soluble polymer which comprises hydrophobic segments, each segment containing at least one hydrophobic group or complex hydrophobic group covalently bonded to the polymer, wherein the polymer has an amount of complex hydrophobic groups sufficient to provide for enhanced thickening of aqueous solutions containing the polymer when compared with a polymer of essentially the same structure but which has only hydrophobic groups other than complex hydrophobic groups, wherein said complex hydrophobic group is derived from a compound represented by the formula selected from:

##STR18## wherein R₁ and R₂ are the same or different and are hydrogen or a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon residue, R₃ is a substituted or unsubstituted divalent or trivalent hydrocarbon residue, each R₄ is the same or different and is a substituted or unsubstituted divalent hydrocarbon residue, each R₅ is the same or different and is a substituted or unsubstituted divalent hydrocarbon residue, R₆ is hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon residue or an ionic substituent, a and b are the same or different and are a value of 0 or 1, and x and y are the same or different and are a value of 0 or greater;

provided at least two of R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄, R₅ and R₆ are a hydrocarbon residue having greater than 2 carbon atoms in the case of R₁, R₂ and R₆ or having greater than 2 pendant carbon atoms in the case of R₃, R₄ and R₅ ; and

##STR19## wherein R₇ and R₈ are the same or different and are hydrogen or a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon residue, R₉ and R₁₂ are the same or different and are a substituted or unsubstituted divalent or trivalent hydrocarbon residue, each R₁₀ is the same or different and is a substituted or unsubstituted divalent hydrocarbon residue, each R₁₃ is the same or different and is a substituted or unsubstituted divalent hydrocarbon residue, R₁₁ and R₁₄ are the same or different and are hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon residue or an ionic substituent, R₁₅ is a substituted or unsubstituted divalent hydrocarbon residue, d and e are the same or different and are a value of 0 or 1, and f and g are the same or different and are a value of 0 or greater;

provided at least two of R₇, R₈, R₉, R₁₀, R₁₁, R₁₂, R₁₃, R₁₄ and R₁₅ are a hydrocarbon residue having greater than 2 carbon atoms in the case of R₇, R₈, R₁₁ an R₁₄ or having greater than 2 pendant carbon atoms in the case of R₉, R₁₀, R₁₂, R₁₃ and R₁₅.

2. The polymer of claim 1 which has hydrophobe bunching wherein each hydrophobe bunch contains at least two hydrophobic groups which are separated from each other by no more than about 50covalently bonded sequentially connected atoms.

3. The polymer of claim 2 wherein the amount of hydrophobe bunching is greater than an average of about 0.25 bunched hydrophobe segments per polymer molecule.

4. The polymer of claim 1 wherein there are an average of greater than about 1.2 hydrophobic groups per hydrophobic segment

5. The polymer of claim 3 wherein there are an average of from 2 to about 6 hydrophobic groups per bunch.

6. The polymer of claim 1 wherein a substantial proportion of hydrophobic segments have bunched hydrophobes.

7. The polymer of claim 1 wherein a substantial portion of hydrophobic segments have complex hydrophobic groups.

8. The polymer of claim 1 containing from about 2 to about 25 hydrophobic segments.

9. The polymer of claim 1 wherein R₁, R₂, R₇ and R₈ are selected from substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, arylalkyl, cycloalkyl or mixtures thereof.

10. The polymer of claim 1 wherein R₁, R₂, R₇ and R₈ are selected from dodecylphenyl, nonylphenyl, octylphenyl or mixtures thereof.

11. The polymer of claim 1 wherein at least one of R₁, R₂, R₇ and R₈ is a hydrocarbon radical represented by the formula:

##STR20## wherein R₁₆ and R₁₇ are the same or different and are hydrogen or a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon residue, R₁₈ is a substituted or unsubstituted divalent or trivalent hydrocarbon residue, and h and i are the same or different and are a value of 0 or 1.

12. The polymer of claim 1 wherein at least one of R₄, R₅, R₁₀ and R₁₃ is a hydrocarbon radical represented by the formula:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">--CH[(OR.sub.19).sub.j OR.sub.20 ]--

wherein each R₁₉ is the same or different substituted or unsubstituted divalent hydrocarbon residue, R₂₀ is hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon residue or an ionic substituent, and j is a value of 0 or greater.

13. The polymer of claim 1 wherein each R₄, R₅, R₁₀ and R₁₃ is selected from --CH₂ CH₂ --, --CH₂ CH(CH₃)-- or mixtures thereof.

14. The polymer of claim 1 wherein R₆, R₁₁ and R₁₄ are hydrogen.

15. The polymer of claim 1 wherein the values of x, y, f and g are from 0 to about 200 or greater.

16. The polymer of claim 1 wherein R₁₅ is selected from -phenylene-(CH₂)_m (Q)_n (CH₂)_m -phenylene-and -naphthylene-(CH₂)_m (Q)_n (CH₂)_m -naphthylene-, wherein Q individually represents a substituted or unsubstituted divalent bridging group selected from --CR₂₁ R₂₂ --, --O--, --S--, --NR₂₃ --, --SiR₂₄ R₂₅ --and --CO--, wherein R₂₁ and R₂₂ individually represent a radical selected from hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 12 carbon atoms, phenyl, tolyl and anisyl;

R₂₃, R₂₄ and R₂₅ individually represent a radical selected from hydrogen and methyl, and each m and n individually have a value of 0 or 1.

17. The polymer of claim 1 having the structure:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">A[B(C).sub.y '"'"'].sub.x '"'"'

wherein A is a water-soluble polymer segment;

B is a divalent connecting segment comprising a covalent bond or an organic radical;

C is a hydrophobic or complex hydrophobic group;

the number of hydrophobic a complex hydrophobic segments, x'"'"', defined by B(C)_y '"'"', is greater than 0; and

the number of hydrophobes and complex hydrophobes, C, for each hydrophobic segment, defined as y'"'"', is greater than or equal to 1;

the polymer having an amount of complex hydrophobic groups sufficient to provide for enhanced thickening of aqueous solutions containing the polymer.