Method of making nylon constituent block copolymers of predetermined pliability at low temperatures

Abstract

Abstract Polymers of anionically polymerized monomers are made with an organo alkali metal initiator and then reacted with either polyisocyanates or polyisothiocyanates which remove the alkali atoms and form a novel polymeric composition containing isocyanate or isothiocyanate terminated polymers. These polymers may then be reacted with compounds containing an isocyanate or an isothiocyanate reactive group. The isocyanate or isothiocyanate terminated polymers under anhydrous polymerization conditions may also be blocked with nylon forming monomers to form various nylon block copolymers. The isocyanate or isothiocyanate terminated polymers of the polymeric composition when reacted with urea forming monomers produce urea block copolymers. Reaction of the isocyanate or isothiocyanate terminated polymers with urethane forming monomers will produce urethane block copolymers. The isocyanate and isothiocyanate terminated polymers of the polymeric composition when reacted with imide forming monomers produce imide block copolymers. All of these block copolymers have the surprising property of generally being processable at ambient or low temperatures. It has now been found that at low temperatures the pliability of the block copolymers which possess a nylon constituent is surprisingly and unexpectedly inversely proportional to the molecular weight of the nylon constituent.

Inventors

• 👤 William L Hergenrother
• 👤 Richard J Ambrose

Bibliographic Details