Powdery porous polymers containing N-vinylimidazol units, process for their preparation and their use

• US 6,025,317 A
• Filed: 03/03/1998
• Issued: 02/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BASF AG (BASF SE)
• Original Assignee: BASF AG (BASF SE)
• Inventors: Stein, Stefan, Boeckh, Dieter, Schade, Christian, Rossler, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Gupta, Yogendra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garrett, Dawn L.
• Application Number:
  US09/029,075
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 510/475, 510/476, 510/360, 510/361, 510/299, 510/500, 521/149, 525/281, 526/258, 526/263
• US Class Current: 510/360
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 26/02 by a single or double bond to nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 26/06 by a heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/0021 Dye-stain or dye-transfer inhibiting compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/3776 Heterocyclic compounds, e.g. lactam

Abstract

Porous polymers which are in powder form and contain N-vinylimidazole units and which are obtainable by free-radical precipitation polymerization of

a) 5-100% by weight of at least one N-vinylimidazole of the formula ##STR1## where R¹, R² and R³ are identical or different and are H, C₁ -C₄ -alkyl, N-vinylaxazolidone, N-vinyltriazole, 4-vinylpyridine N-oxide or mixtures of said monomers,

b) 0-95% by weight of other copolymerizable monoethylenically unsaturated monomers and

c) 0-50% by weight of at least one monomer with at least two non-conjugated ethylenic double bonds in aqueous solution which contains 0.5-30% by weight of at least one electrolyte and, based on the monomers employed, 0.5-80% by weight of at least one surfactant, a process of the preparation thereof, and the use of the porous polymers.

Claims

1. A porous polymer which is in powder form and contains N-vinylimidazole units, which is obtained by free-radical precipitation polymerization of

a) 5-100% by weight of a monomer selected from the group consisting of at least one N-vinylimidazole monomer of the formula ##STR7## where R¹, R² and R³ are identical or different and are H, C₁ -C₄ -alkyl, monomers of the formula ##STR8## where R⁴ and R⁵ are identical or different and together form a ring of 3 to 5 methylene groups,

N-vinylaxazolidone, N-vinyltriazole, 4-vinylpyridine N-oxide and mixtures of said monomers,

b) 0-95% by weight of other copolymerizable monoethylenically unsaturated monomers selected from the group consisting of a (meth acrylic ester, a (meth) acrylamide, a vinyl ester, an unsaturated carboxylic acid, an acrylic ester which has a basic nitrogen atom, 2-vinylpyridine and 4-vinylpyridine;

and

c) 0-50% by weight of at least one monomer with at least two non-conjugated ethylenic double bonds

in aqueous solution which contains 0.5-30% by weight of at least one electrolyte and, based on the monomers employed, 0.5-80% by weight of at least one surfactant.

2. A porous polymer which is in powder form and contains N-vinylimidazole units as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monomers employed in the polymerization are

a) N-vinylimidazole or mixtures of N-vinylimidazole and N-vinylpyrrolidone and

c) at least one monomer with at least two non-conjugated ethylenic double bonds.

3. A porous polymer which is in powder form and contains N-vinylimidazole units as claimed in claim 1, wherein alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, ammonium or aluminum salts or mixtures of such salts are employed as electrolyte.

4. A process for preparing a porous polymer which is in powder form and contains N-vinylimidazole units as claimed in claim 1, which comprises polymerizing

a) 5-100% by weight of at least one N-vinylimidazole monomer of the formula ##STR9## where R¹, R² and R³ are identical or different and are H, C₁ -C₄ -alkyl, monomers of the formula ##STR10## where R⁴ and R⁵ are identical or different and together form a ring of 3 to 5 methylene groups, and optionally additional monomers selected from the group consisting of N-vinylaxazolidone, N-vinyltriazole, 4-vinylpyridine N-oxide and mixtures of said monomers,

b) 0-95% by weight of other copolymerizable monoethylenically unsaturated monomers selected from the group consisting of a (meth)acrylic ester, a (meth) acrylamide, a vinyl ester, an unsaturated carboxylic acid, an acrylic ester which has a basic nitrogen atom, 2-vinylpyridine and 4-vinylpyridine;

and

c) 0-50% by weight of at least one monomer with at least two non-conjugated ethylenic double bonds

in a precipitation polymerization in the presence of free-radical initiators in aqueous solutions which contains 0.5-30% by weight of at least one electrolyte and, based on the monomers employed, 0.5-80% by weight of at least one surfactant.

5. A process as claimed in claim 4, wherein the polymerization is carried out in aqueous solutions which contain 1-25% by weight of an electrolyte selected from the group consisting of sodium sulfate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and mixtures thereof.

6. A process as claimed in claim 4, wherein adducts of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide with C₁₀ -C₃₀ -alcohols, C₁ -C₁₈ -alkylphenols, fatty amines containing at least 12 carbon atoms, fatty acids containing at least 10 carbon atoms, sucrose esters, sorbitan esters, (poly)glycerol esters or alkyl (poly)glycosides with 8-22 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, or mixtures of said compounds, are employed as surfactant.

7. A process as claimed in claim 4, wherein the surfactants are employed in amounts of from 1 to 60% by weight.

8. A method for inhibiting color transfer during a washing process comprising:

adding a porous polymer which is in powder form and contains N-vinylimidazole units as claimed in claim 1 to a phosphate-free or a reduced phosphate detergent.

9. The polymer of claim 1, wherein said monomer of formula (II) is selected from the group consisting of N-vinylpyrrolidone, N-vinylpiperidone and N-vinylcaprolactam.

10. The process of claim 4, wherein said monomer of formula (II) is selected from the group consisting of N-vinylpyrrolidone, N-vinylpiperidone and N-vinylcaprolactam.