Acrylate compositions

Abstract

The formation of non-aqueous polymeric dispersions, solutions, hydrosols and collodial suspensions by polymerizing vinyl monomers (A) in a hydrocarbon medium containing dissolved therein a stabilizing component (B) comprising an acrylic polymer previously formed from acrylic monomers (E). The invention comprises use, in (B), of minor proportions of (2-(1-aziridinyl)-ethyl- methacrylate to provide, by reason of its high reactivity, higher molecular weight backbones (B) and simultaneously by reason of its high functionality, to provide active sites for grafting side chains onto backbone (B). Furthermore, the reactivity thereof can make the final product self-cross-linking. The above system produces a dispersion of a vinyl polymer (C) formed from the polymerized vinyl monomers (A) in the hydrocarbon medium wherein a modified stabilizer (D) is formed either in situ from a precursor or in a preliminary separate step by grafting a portion of the vinyl monomers (A) onto the soluble polymeric stabilizer backbone (B). It is possible to produce thermosetting emulsions of graft copolymers or lacquers of the graft copolymers. The stabilized acrylic copolymers thus resulting can be used for many coating purposes in view of their self-cross-linking and internal plasticization properties.