Fluorine-containing copolymers, a process for their preparation and

Abstract

Fluorine-containing copolymers are prepared by free radical-initiated copolymerization of ethylenically unsaturated, copolymerizable monomers, containing vinyl esters, 0.05 to 60% by weight, relative to the total amount of monomers employed, of fluorine-containing monomers in which the copolymerizable ethylene group is substituted by radicals containing fluorocarbon groups, the fluorocarbon groups being composed of at least 2 adjacent carbon atoms having F--C bonds, if appropriate, ethylenically unsaturated monocarboxylic and/or dicarboxylic acids, and if appropriate, further monomers, and, if appropriate, the subsequent partial or complete saponification of the vinyl ester units present in the resulting copolymers to give vinyl alcohol units. The fluorine-containing copolymers and, in particular, the fluorine-containing saponification products, thereof, which can have a surprisingly powerful viscosity-increasing effect in aqueous systems, all useful as emulsifiers, protective colloids or components of adhesives, for modifying the surface of organic and/or inorganic substrates, as a constituent in photosensitive layers and/or in photosensitive printing plates, for the preparation of aqueous hydraulic fluids, as auxiliaries in tertiary petroleum extraction, as paper coating agents and as sizing agents in the textile industry.