Method for the preparation of copolymers of alkyl methacrylates and maleic anhydride

1. A method for the preparation of a sulfur-free copolymer,

the copolymer comprising as copolymerized units an alkyl methacrylate monomer unit and a maleic anhydride monomer unit;

the method comprising:

a) providing an initial solution comprising a portion of the alkyl methacrylate monomer, a portion of the maleic anhydride monomer, a portion of the radical initiator and a portion of the solvent;

b) heating the initial solution to a reaction temperature;

c) preparing a reaction mixture by adding a first feed solution comprising a further portion of the maleic anhydride and a further portion of the solvent to the initial solution at the reaction temperature;

d) adding a second feed solution comprising a further portion of the alkyl methacrylate monomer and a further portion of the radical initiator to the initial solution at the reaction temperature; and

e) adding a final portion of the initiator after addition of the feed solutions has been completed:

wherein

the method does not comprise a sulfur chain transfer agent,

a molar ratio of the total of the portions of alkyl methacrylate monomer employed in the reaction to the total of the portions of the maleic anhydride employed in the reaction is from 10:1 to 1:1,

the additions of both first and second feed solutions are started at the same time, and the duration of the additions of the first and second feed solutions are adjusted such that addition of the first feed solution is completed faster than the addition of the second feed solution, and

wherein the sulfur-free copolymer has a number average molecular weight of 3000 to 9000 g/mol, being the number average molecular weight determined by gel permeation chromatography against poly(methyl methacrylate) standards, and a polydispersity index in the range of 1 to 5, being the polydispersity index determined by gel permeation chromatography against poly(methyl methacrylate) standards, and

wherein a molar ratio of copolymerized alkyl methacrylate monomer to the copolymerized maleic anhydride in the sulfur-free copolymer is from 10:1 to 1:1, and

the composition of the sulfur-free copolymer obtained corresponds to the composition of the respective monomers employed in the reaction.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second feed solutions are added over the course of 30 minutes to 12 hours.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first feed solution is added to the reaction mixture over the course of 2 to 4 hours and the second feed solution is added to the reaction mixture over the course of 5 to 7 hours.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first feed solution is added to the reaction mixture over the course of 2.5 to 3.5 hours and the second feed solution is added to the reaction mixture over the course of 5.5 to 6.5 hours.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the portion of the alkyl methacrylate monomer in the initial solution is 5 to 25 wt-% based on the total amount of the alkyl methacrylate monomer added in the method.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the portion of the alkyl methacrylate monomer in the second feed solution is 75 to 95 wt-% based on the total amount of the alkyl methacrylate monomer added in the method.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sum of the portions of the alkyl methacrylate monomer in the initial solution and in the second feed solution is 50 to 100 wt-% based on the total amount of the alkyl methacrylate monomer added in the method.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the portion of the maleic anhydride in the initial solution is 5 to 25 wt-% maleic anhydride based on the total amount of maleic anhydride added in the method.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the portion of the maleic anhydride in the first feed solution is 75 to 95 wt-% maleic anhydride based on the total amount of maleic anhydride added in the method.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sum of the portions of the maleic anhydride in the initial solution and in the first feed solution is 50 to 100 wt-% based on the total amount of the maleic anhydride added in the method.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the total amount of the alkyl methacrylate monomer and the maleic anhydride is from 10 to 60 wt.-% relative to the total weight of the sum of the initial solution, the first feed solution and the second feed solution.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least 80 mol-% of the alkyl methacrylate monomer is selected from the group consisting of C 6 to C 22 alkyl methacrylates and a mixture thereof.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a portion or all of the solvent is selected from the group consisting of methyl ethyl ketone, isobutyl methyl ketone, anisole, n-butanol, dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, benzene, petroleum ether, acetone, 1-hexene, ethanol, ortho-xylene, and mixtures thereof.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an initiator content of the final portion of the initiator is at least 0.05 wt-% based on the total amount of the monomers added in the method.