Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Air Products Polymers, L.p.

Cajetan F Cordeiro

Lloyd Mahlon Robeson

Richard Henry Bott

Hsueh-Chi Lee

Jeffrey A Kuphal

Francis Peter Petrocelli

A continuous emulsion polymerization process consisting of multiple stirred-tanks in series is used to produce a broad particle-size distribution for vinyl acetate-based emulsions utilizing polyvinyl alcohol as a protective colloid. When low-molecular-weight grades of PVOH and a continuous process are employed, a high-solids emulsion can be produced. This process eliminates the need for a co-surfactant, which is required to make similar high-solids emulsions via a batch process.

Vinyl acetate/ethylene high solids emulsions

Polymeric compositions are disclosed containing miscible blends of copolymers, one of which is a vinyl acetate/ethylene copolymer containing about 5 to 30 weight percent ethylene and the other is a copolymer of either acrylic acid or a maleic anhydride with a comonomer selected from styrene, ethyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate. Windows of miscibility for each of the copolymer blends have been defined and the blends can be advantageously formed by polymerizing the acrylic acid copolymer in the presence of an emulsion of the vinyl acetate/ethylene copolymer in such a way that the polymerization takes place in the suspended vinyl acetate/ethylene copolymer rather than in the aqueous phase.

Miscible blends of vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymers and copolymers of

A poly(vinyl chloride) product is provided containing as a permanent plasticizer, a copolymer of vinyl acetate and ethylene which is copolymerized in the presence of porous particles of the PVC. The copolymerization is carried out in either suspension or emulsion and under conditions which provide a copolymer containing 60 to 85 wt % vinyl acetate in amounts from about 20 to 60 wt % of the vinyl acetate/ethylene copolymer in the final composition. A free flowing powder is formed which can be used for PVC compounding operations. If over 60 up to 80 wt % of the composition contains the copolymer, the product is a reinforced VAE dispersion.

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Kutztown, PA, United States of America

Cajetan F Cordeiro