Vinyl polymer wetting and dispersing agent
View Patent ↗A vinyl polymer pigment dispersing agent having a vinyl addition polymer backbone, one or more polymer side chains with pendant cyclic urea functional group(s) separated from the polymer backbone by at least 10 intervening atoms, and in some embodiments one or more polymer side chains comprising pendant urea functional groups separated from the polymer back-bone by less than 10 intervening atoms. The dispersing agent may be made by addition polymerizing a mixture of one or more vinyl monomers and one or more monomers having cyclic urea functional groups and vinyl functional groups. The dispersing agent may be combined with pigment particles, a carrier and an optional surfactant to make a pigment grind dispersion with excellent pigment wetting and dispersing properties.
1. A vinyl polymer pigment dispersing agent comprising a solution polymer or water-dispersible polymer having:
a) a vinyl addition polymer backbone;
b) one or more polymer side chains comprising a pendant cyclic urea functional group separated from the polymer backbone by at least 10 intervening atoms; and
c) one or more polymer side chains comprising pendant urea functional groups separated from the polymer backbone by less than 10 intervening atoms.
2. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the vinyl polymer is a solution polymer.
3. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the vinyl polymer is a water-dispersible polymer.
4. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the pendant cyclic urea functional groups are terminal groups on their respective polymer side chains
5. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the pendant cyclic urea functional groups are separated from the polymer backbone by 10 to 20 intervening atoms.
6. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the pendant cyclic urea functional groups are separated from the polymer backbone by two or more urethane groups derived from a monomeric polyisocyanate.
7. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the pendant cyclic urea functional groups are separated from the polymer backbone by two urethane groups derived from a monomeric diisocyanate.
8. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the pendant urea functional groups separated from the polymer backbone by less than 10 intervening atoms comprise cyclic urea groups.
9. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the vinyl polymer has one or more polymer side chains comprising pendant cyclic urea functional groups separated from the polymer backbone by less than 5 intervening atoms.
10. An agent according to claim 1 containing less than 2 weight percent pendant cyclic urea functional groups separated from the polymer backbone by at least 10 intervening atoms and less than 2 weight percent pendant cyclic urea functional groups separated from the polymer backbone by less than 5 intervening atoms.
11. An agent according to claim 1 containing less than 5 weight percent polymer side chains comprising a pendant cyclic urea functional group.
12. An agent according to claim 1 containing less than 2 weight percent polymer side chains comprising a pendant cyclic urea functional group.
13. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the vinyl addition polymer backbone is derived from styrene.
14. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the vinyl addition polymer backbone is derived from a fatty acid (meth)acrylate.
15. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the vinyl polymer has a hydroxyl number greater than 0 and less than about 200.
16. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the vinyl polymer has a hydroxyl number greater than about 20 and less than about 100.
17. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the vinyl polymer has an acid number less than about 20.
18. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the vinyl polymer has a weight average molecular weight greater than about 2,000.
19. An agent according to claim 1 , wherein the vinyl polymer has a weight average molecular weight less than about 20,000.
20. A method for making a vinyl polymer pigment dispersing agent, which method comprises forming a solution polymer or water-dispersible polymer by addition polymerizing a mixture comprising:
a) one or more vinyl monomers;
b) one or more monomers having cyclic urea functional groups and vinyl functional groups separated from one another by at least 10 intervening atoms; and
c) one or more other monomers having pendant urea functional groups and vinyl groups separated from one another by less than 10 intervening atoms.
21. A pigment grind dispersion, comprising a stable blend of:
a) a vinyl polymer pigment dispersing agent comprising a solution polymer or water-dispersible polymer having:
i) a vinyl addition polymer backbone; and
ii) one or more polymer side chains comprising a pendant cyclic urea functional group separated from the polymer backbone by at least 10 intervening atoms;
b) pigment particles; and
c) a carrier.
22. A pigment grind dispersion according to claim 21 , wherein the vinyl polymer is a solution polymer.
23. A pigment grind dispersion according to claim 21 , wherein the vinyl polymer is a water-dispersible polymer.
24. A pigment grind dispersion according to claim 21 , wherein the pendant cyclic urea functional groups are terminal groups on their respective polymer side chains.
25. A pigment grind dispersion according to claim 21 , wherein the pendant cyclic urea functional groups are separated from the polymer backbone by 10 to 20 intervening atoms.
26. A pigment grind dispersion according to claim 21 , wherein the pendant urea functional groups separated from the polymer backbone by less than 10 intervening atoms comprise cyclic urea groups.
27. A pigment grind dispersion according to claim 21 , wherein the vinyl polymer has one or more polymer side chains comprising pendant cyclic urea functional groups separated from the polymer backbone by less than 5 intervening atoms.
28. A pigment grind dispersion according to claim 27 , containing less than 2 weight percent pendant cyclic urea functional groups separated from the polymer backbone by at least 10 intervening atoms and less than 2 weight percent pendant cyclic urea functional groups separated from the polymer backbone by less than 5 intervening atoms.
29. A pigment grind dispersion according to claim 21 , containing less than 5 weight percent polymer side chains comprising a pendant cyclic urea functional group
30. A pigment grind dispersion according to claim 21 , wherein the vinyl addition polymer backbone is derived from styrene or from a fatty acid (meth)acrylate.
31. A pigment grind dispersion according to claim 21 , wherein the vinyl polymer has a hydroxyl number greater than 0 and less than about 200.
32. A pigment grind dispersion according to claim 21 , wherein the vinyl polymer has a weight average molecular weight greater than about 2,000 and less than about 20,000.
33. A method according to claim 20 , comprising forming the vinyl polymer as a solution polymer.
34. A method according to claim 20 , comprising forming the vinyl polymer as a water-dispersible polymer.
35. A method according to claim 20 , wherein the one or more vinyl monomers comprise styrene or a fatty acid (meth)acrylate.
36. A method according to claim 20 , wherein the cyclic urea functional groups are pendant groups.
37. A method according to claim 36 , wherein the cyclic urea functional groups and vinyl groups in the one or more monomers having cyclic urea functional groups and vinyl functional groups are separated from one another by 10 to 20 intervening atoms.
38. A method according to claim 20 , wherein the one or more other monomers having pendant urea functional groups and vinyl groups are separated from one another by less than 5 intervening atoms.
39. A method according to claim 20 , wherein the one or more other monomers having pendant urea functional groups and vinyl groups comprise hydroxyethylethylene urea acrylate, hydroxyethylethylene urea methacrylate, acrylamidoethylethylene urea or methacrylamidoethylethylene urea.
40. A method according to claim 20 , wherein the vinyl polymer contains less than 2 weight percent pendant cyclic urea functional groups separated from the polymer backbone by at least 10 intervening atoms and less than 2 weight percent pendant cyclic urea functional groups separated from the polymer backbone by less than 5 intervening atoms.
41. A method according to claim 20 , wherein the vinyl polymer has a hydroxyl number greater than 0 and less than about 200 and a weight average molecular weight greater than about 2,000 and less than about 20,000.