Amphiphilic copolymeric material
An amphiphilic polymeric material which has a straight or branched chain polymer backbone and a multiplicity of side chains attached to the backbone, wherein the backbone is a copolymer of at least one ethylenically-unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon monomer and maleic anhydride, or is a terpolymer of maleic anhydride, ethylene, and a further ethylenically unsaturated monomer. A method of synthesizing said polymeric material is also provided, together with chewing gum bases, compositions and emulsions comprising amphiphilic polymeric materials.
1. An amphiphilic polymeric material of general formula (I):
B—(OR) x (I)
wherein:
B consists of a copolymer where a straight or branched chain polymer backbone thereof is at least one ethyleneically-unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon monomer of 3-5 carbon atoms and maleic anhydride, wherein the copolymer is 5 to 75 wt % maleic anhydride;
each OR is a hydrophilic side chain attached to the backbone;
X denotes the number of side chains and is in the range of 1 to 5000; and
R is general formula (II)
—(YO) a —(ZO) b —R 3 (II)
where:
each of Y and Z is, independently, an alkylene group having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms;
R 3 is H or a C 1-12 alkyl group; and
each of a and b is, independently, an integer from 1 to 120 provided that the sum of a+b has a value in the range of 20 to 120.
2. An amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein the ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon monomer is selected from the group consisting of isobutylene, 1,3 butadiene and isoprene.
3. An amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein the side chains OR are attached to maleic anhydride in the backbone.
4. An amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein x is in the range of 1 to 300.
5. An amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein each side chain has a molecular weight in the range of 800-10,000.
6. An amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein the backbone has a molecular weight in the range of 1,000-10,000.
7. An amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein Y and Z are both —CH 2 CH 2 —.
8. An amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein R 3 is H or CH 3 .
9. An amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein the copolymer of the backbone comprises 5-50 wt % maleic anhydride.
10. An amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein R 3 is H.
11. An amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein R 3 is a C 1-4 alkyl group.
12. An amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein R 3 is CH 3 .
13. A composition comprising:
(i) an amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 ;
(ii) a backbone precursor which is a copolymer consisting of at least one ethylenically-unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon monomer of 3-5 carbon atoms and maleic anhydride, wherein the copolymer comprises 5 to 75 wt % of maleic anhydride; and
(iii) side chain precursors of general formula (III), HO—R, wherein R is general formula (II):
—(YO) a —(ZO) b —R 3 (II)
where each of Y and Z is, independently, an alkylene group having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms;
R 3 is H or a C 1-12 alkyl group; and
each of a and b is, independently, an integer from 1 to 120, provided that the sum of a+b has a value in the range of 20 to 120.
14. A chewing gum base comprising the amphiphilic polymeric material as defined in claim 1 .
15. A chewing gum composition comprising the chewing gum base as defined in claim 14 .
16. An emulsion comprising the amphiphilic polymeric material according to claim 1 , wherein said amphiphilic polymeric material is a surfactant.
17. An emulsion according to claim 16 , which is a water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion.
18. A method of cleaning a surface, the method comprising: applying the amphiphilic polymeric material as defined in claim 1 to a surface, wherein said amphiphilic polymeric material is a surfactant and cleans said surface.