METHOD FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF A COPOLYMER CONTAINING IMIDAZOLE PENDANT GROUPS
A process for synthesizing a copolymer bearing imidazole pendant groups is provided. The process comprises the radical copolymerization of a monomer mixture comprising a terminal olefin and a functional monomer bearing a (meth)acryloyl group and an imidazole group.
1 . A process for synthesizing a copolymer bearing imidazole pendant groups, which process comprises radical copolymerization of a monomer mixture comprising a terminal olefin and a functional monomer bearing a (meth)acryloyl group and an imidazole group.
2 . A process according to claim 1 , in which the radical copolymerization is a statistical copolymerization.
3 . A process according to claim 1 , in which the terminal olefin is ethylene, a conjugated diene or the mixture thereof.
4 . A process according to claim 3 , in which the conjugated diene is butadiene, isoprene or the mixture thereof.
5 . A process according to claim 1 , in which the monomer mixture consists of the terminal olefin and the functional monomer.
6 . A process according to claim 1 , in which the monomer mixture additionally comprises another monomer having an ethylenic double bond.
7 . A process according to claim 6 , in which the terminal olefin is ethylene, and the other monomer having an ethylenic double bond is a vinyl ester of carboxylic acid having 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
8 . A process according to claim 6 , in which the terminal olefin is a conjugated diene, and the other monomer having an ethylenic double bond is a vinylaromatic compound having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms.
9 . A process according to claim 1 , in which the monomer mixture before polymerization comprises between 50 mol % and 99.9 mol % of terminal olefin.
10 . A process according to claim 1 , in which the monomer mixture before polymerization comprises between 0.1 mol % and 50 mol % of functional monomer.
11 . A process according to claim 1 , in which the monomer mixture before polymerization comprises between 0.1 mol % and 20 mol % of functional monomer.
12 . A process according to claim 1 , in which the functional monomer is selected from the monomer of formula (I), the monomer of formula (II) and the mixture thereof,
R being methyl or hydrogen,
A being an alkylene group that may contain one or more heteroatoms.
13 . A process according to claim 12 , in which the functional monomer is an isocyanatoalkyl (meth)acrylate, the isocyanate function of which is blocked by the imidazole group.
14 . A process according to claim 13 , in which A represents A1-NH—CO, A1 being an alkylene group.
15 . A process according to claim 14 , in which A1 is the 1,2-ethanediyl group.
16 . A process according to claim 1 , in which the functional monomer is N-acryloylimidazole or N-methacryloylimidazole.
17 . A copolymer capable of being obtained by the process defined according to claim 1 .
18 . A process according to claim 17 , which copolymer is an elastomer.
19 . A composition based on a reinforcing filler, a crosslinking system and a polymer matrix containing the copolymer defined according to claim 17 .
20 . A composition according to claim 19 , in which the copolymer is an elastomer and represents at least 50% by weight of the polymer matrix.
21 . A tire which comprises a composition defined according to claim 19 .