The present invention includes vinyl ether functional oligomers and methods for their preparation, the method including alternating free radical copolymerization of a dialkyl maleate or dialkyl fumerate monomer with a multifunctional vinyl ether monomer in the presence of a solvent with a high chain transfer constant. Also within the scope of the invention are uses for the vinyl ether functional oligomers compositions of this invention, including radiation curable coatings, adhesives, printing inks and composites.

There is provided a carboxyl group-containing polymer composition having excellent water solubility and aqueous solution-thickening properties, having a minimal change in viscosity due to the thermal history in a drying step, and having high transparency of a neutral viscous solution obtained by mixing with water. The carboxyl group-containing polymer composition comprises (A) a carboxyl group-containing polymer obtained by copolymerization of an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid (a1) and a compound (a2) having at least two or more ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule; (B) a polyhydric alcohol fatty acid ester alkylene oxide adduct; and (C) a polyoxyalkylene modified product, which is at least one of an ether (c1) of a polyoxyalkylene with a fatty alcohol, and a polyoxyalkylene fatty acid ester (c2).

There is provided a carboxyl group-containing polymer composition having excellent water solubility and aqueous solution-thickening properties, having a minimal change in viscosity due to the thermal history in a drying step, and having high transparency of a neutral viscous solution obtained by mixing with water. The carboxyl group-containing polymer composition comprises (A) a carboxyl group-containing polymer obtained by copolymerization of an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid (a1) and a compound (a2) having at least two or more ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule; (B) a polyhydric alcohol fatty acid ester alkylene oxide adduct; and (C) a polyoxyalkylene modified product, which is at least one of an ether (c1) of a polyoxyalkylene with a fatty alcohol, and a polyoxyalkylene fatty acid ester (c2).

A transparent body production method that includes subjecting the compound represented by formula (1) to heating at a temperature equal to or greater than the melting point of said compound. In formula (1), each of W.sup.1 and W.sup.2 is the group represented by formula (2) in which the ring Z is an aromatic hydrocarbon ring, X is a single bond or —S—, R.sup.1 is a single bond or an alkylene group having 1-4 carbon atoms, R.sup.2 is a specific substituent, and m is an integer of 0 or higher, the group represented by formula (4) is —OH— or a (meth)acryloyloxy group, each of the rings Y.sup.1 and Y.sup.2 is an aromatic hydrocarbon ring, R is a single bond or a specific divalent group, each of R.sup.3a and R.sup.3b is —CN, a halogen group, or a monovalent hydrocarbon group, and each of n1 and n2 is an integer of 0-4.

A curable composition based on a curable acrylate or methacrylate component; an organoborane initiator component; a vinyl ether component; and an activator for the organoborane component. The composition exhibits good storage stability and good bonding properties when used to bond low surface energy substrates.

There is provided a vinyl alcohol-based polymer having an ethylenic double bond with a saponification degree of 70 mol % or more, wherein the vinyl alcohol-based polymer is water-soluble; a molar ratio of the ethylenic double bond to the total of vinyl alcohol units and vinyl acetate units is 0.05/100 to 2/100; and a limiting viscosity [η] and a weight-average molecular weight Mw of a vinyl ester-based polymer which is produced by esterifying the vinyl alcohol-based polymer satisfy the following formulas (1) and (2).

4.7≦log Mw 6.3   (1)

0.60<(log [η]+3.75)/log Mw<0.69   (2)

There is provided a vinyl alcohol-based polymer having an ethylenic double bond with a saponification degree of 70 mol % or more, wherein the vinyl alcohol-based polymer is water-soluble; a molar ratio of the ethylenic double bond to the total of vinyl alcohol units and vinyl acetate units is 0.05/100 to 2/100; and a limiting viscosity [η] and a weight-average molecular weight Mw of a vinyl ester-based polymer which is produced by esterifying the vinyl alcohol-based polymer satisfy the following formulas (1) and (2).

4.7≦log Mw 6.3   (1)

0.60<(log [η]+3.75)/log Mw<0.69   (2)

A process for preparing a composition by free-radical polymerization of a monomer composition comprising: a) at least one ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid containing monomer or anhydride thereof; b) optionally at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer different from a) but copolymerizable therewith; and c) at least one crosslinking monomer containing at least two ethylenically unsaturated groups. The monomer composition is polymerized in an organic medium having a solubilizing effect on one or more of the monomeric ingredients, but substantially none on the resulting polymer. The polymerization is conducted in the presence of a free radical forming catalyst and at least one steric stabilizing polymer polymerized from a vinyl lactam and a copolymerizable monomer selected from a short chain alkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acid, a long chain alkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acid, and combinations thereof.

A process for preparing a composition by free-radical polymerization of a monomer composition comprising: a) at least one ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid containing monomer or anhydride thereof; b) optionally at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer different from a) but copolymerizable therewith; and c) at least one crosslinking monomer containing at least two ethylenically unsaturated groups. The monomer composition is polymerized in an organic medium having a solubilizing effect on one or more of the monomeric ingredients, but substantially none on the resulting polymer. The polymerization is conducted in the presence of a free radical forming catalyst and at least one steric stabilizing polymer polymerized from a vinyl lactam and a copolymerizable monomer selected from a short chain alkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acid, a long chain alkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acid, and combinations thereof.

The fluorine-containing copolymer of the present invention includes: a structural unit (A) represented by the following formula (1); and at least one selected from the group consisting of a structural unit (B) represented by the following formula (2), a structural unit (C) represented by the following formula (3), and a structural unit (D) represented by the following formula (4):

##STR00001##

in the formula (1), R.sub.ff.sup.1 to R.sub.ff.sup.4 each independently represent a fluorine atom, a perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 7 carbon atoms, or a perfluoroalkyl ether group having 1 to 7 carbon atoms, and R.sub.ff.sup.1 and R.sub.ff.sup.2 are optionally linked to form a ring;

##STR00002##

in the formula (2), R.sup.1 to R.sup.3 each independently represent a fluorine atom or a perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 7 carbon atoms, R.sup.4 represents a perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 7 carbon atoms, the perfluoroalkyl group optionally has a ring structure, one or some of the fluorine atoms are optionally substituted by a halogen atom other than a fluorine atom, and one or some of fluorine atoms in the perfluoroalkyl group are optionally substituted by a halogen atom other than a fluorine atom;

##STR00003##

in the formula (3), R.sup.5 to R.sup.8 each independently represent a fluorine atom or a perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 7 carbon atoms, the perfluoroalkyl group optionally has a ring structure, one or some of the fluorine atoms are optionally substituted by a halogen atom other than a fluorine atom, and one or some of fluorine atoms in the perfluoroalkyl group are optionally substituted by a halogen atom other than a fluorine atom; and

##STR00004##

in the formula (4), Z represents an oxygen atom, a single bond, or —OC(R.sup.19R.sup.20)O—, R.sup.9 to R.sup.20 each independently represent a fluorine atom, a perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, or a perfluoroalkoxy group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, one or some of the fluorine atoms are optionally substituted by a halogen atom other than a fluorine atom, one or some of fluorine atoms in the perfluoroalkyl group are optionally substituted by a halogen atom other than a fluorine atom, one or some of fluorine atoms in the perfluoroalkoxy group are optionally substituted by a halogen atom other than a fluorine atom, s and t are each independently 0 to 5, and s+t represents an integer of 1 to 6 (when Z is —OC(R.sup.19R.sup.20)O—, s+t is optionally 0).