Ciba-geigy Corporation

Alliedsignal Inc.

Michael C Bochnik

Frank Mares

Karl F Mueller

Reginald T Tang

Steve Arnold

Bernhard Seiferling

New styrene-functional polysiloxanes are described which are obtained by reaction of aminoalkyl functional polysiloxanes with styrene isocyanates. The styrene functional urea polysiloxanes have improved hydrolytic stability and are useful, either by themselves or in combination with copolymerizable comonomers, in UV- or heat curable biocompatible and oxygen permeable coatings, films or shaped articles, especially in form of oxygen permeable contact lenses.

Unsaturated urea polysiloxanes

A process of forming block and/or graft copolymers of a polyester and a polyphenylene oxide which comprises heating a mixture of the polyester and the polyphenylene oxide in the presence of a phosphite compound.

Process for preparing graft and block copolymers of polyphenylene oxides

Hard polymers with extremely high oxygen permeability are described, which consist of the copolymerization product of 1-15% by weight of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) bearing multiple polymerizable vinyl groups and having a number-average molecular weight M.sub.n of 1000-7000, 20-50% of an oligosiloxanylalkyl (meth)acrylate, 25-50% of an at least three fluorine atoms containing vinyl-monomer, 0-30% of copolymerizable monomers, which by themselves as homo- or copolymers have a Shore-D hardness of at least 85, 1-25% of polyvinyl-crosslinking monomer of 200-1000 molecular weight, and 0-15% of a watersoluble, copolymerizable monomer. The novel polymers combine a Shore-D hardness of 70-85 with an oxygen permeability of 40-90 barrers, making them outstanding materials for the manufacture and use as rigid, gas-permeable contact lenses.

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Yonkers, NY, United States of America

Michael C Bochnik