The copolymer includes divalent units represented by formula —[CF.sub.2—CF.sub.2]—, divalent units represented by formula; and one or more divalent units independently represented by formula: The copolymer has an —SO.sub.2X equivalent weight in a range from 300 to 2000. A polymer electrolyte membrane that includes the copolymer and a membrane electrode assembly that includes such a polymer electrolyte membrane are also provided.

An adhesion improver for amine curing epoxy resin paint which, when added in a small amount to amine curing epoxy resin paint, is capable of preventing the inhibition of adhesion caused by amine blushing and of giving good interlayer adhesion is provided. This adhesion improver is a composition which contains a polymer obtained by the polymerization of (A) acrylic acid ester and/or methacrylic acid ester which has a formula as follows: ##STR00001##
wherein R.sub.1 denotes a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R.sub.2 denotes a branched alkyl group having 3 to 18 carbon atoms, and (B) acrylic acid ester other than (A) above and/or methacrylic acid ester other than (A) above and/or vinyl ether.

An adhesion improver for amine curing epoxy resin paint which, when added in a small amount to amine curing epoxy resin paint, is capable of preventing the inhibition of adhesion caused by amine blushing and of giving good interlayer adhesion is provided. This adhesion improver is a composition which contains a polymer obtained by the polymerization of (A) acrylic acid ester and/or methacrylic acid ester which has a formula as follows: ##STR00001##
wherein R.sub.1 denotes a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R.sub.2 denotes a branched alkyl group having 3 to 18 carbon atoms, and (B) acrylic acid ester other than (A) above and/or methacrylic acid ester other than (A) above and/or vinyl ether.

An adhesion improver for amine curing epoxy resin paint which, when added in a small amount to amine curing epoxy resin paint, is capable of preventing the inhibition of adhesion caused by amine blushing and of giving good interlayer adhesion is provided. This adhesion improver is a composition which contains a polymer obtained by the polymerization of (A) acrylic acid ester and/or methacrylic acid ester which has a formula as follows: ##STR00001##
wherein R.sub.1 denotes a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R.sub.2 denotes a branched alkyl group having 3 to 18 carbon atoms, and (B) acrylic acid ester other than (A) above and/or methacrylic acid ester other than (A) above and/or vinyl ether.

An object of the invention is to provide modified polyolefin particles which have a satisfactory amount of grafting and a sufficient molecular weight, are substantially free from gels, and exhibit excellent handleability and workability when shaped or mixed with various resins. The particles include a modified polyolefin obtained by grafting a monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated group and a polar functional group in the same molecule to a polymer including one, or two or more α-olefins selected from C.sub.2-18 α-olefins and having a melting point of not less than 50° C. and less than 250° C., the modified polyolefin particles satisfying the following requirements (1) to (3): (1) the amount of grafting x by the monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated group and a polar functional group in the same molecule is not less than 0.5 wt % and not more than 20 wt %; (2) the amount of grafting x (wt %) and the intrinsic viscosity [i](dl/g) measured in decalin at 135° C. satisfy the relation: log.sub.10[η]≧0.1−0.15x; and (3) the particles have a gel content of less than 1 wt %.

An object of the invention is to provide modified polyolefin particles which have a satisfactory amount of grafting and a sufficient molecular weight, are substantially free from gels, and exhibit excellent handleability and workability when shaped or mixed with various resins. The particles include a modified polyolefin obtained by grafting a monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated group and a polar functional group in the same molecule to a polymer including one, or two or more α-olefins selected from C.sub.2-18 α-olefins and having a melting point of not less than 50° C. and less than 250° C., the modified polyolefin particles satisfying the following requirements (1) to (3): (1) the amount of grafting x by the monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated group and a polar functional group in the same molecule is not less than 0.5 wt % and not more than 20 wt %; (2) the amount of grafting x (wt %) and the intrinsic viscosity [i](dl/g) measured in decalin at 135° C. satisfy the relation: log.sub.10[η]≧0.1−0.15x; and (3) the particles have a gel content of less than 1 wt %.

The present invention relates to water-soluble hydrophobically associating copolymers which are obtained in the presence of a nonpolymerizable surface-active compound and which comprise novel hydrophobically associating monomers. The monomers comprise an ethylenically unsaturated group and a polyether block, the polyether block comprising a hydrophilic polyethyleneoxy block and a hydrophobic polyalkyleneoxy block consisting of alkyleneoxy units having at least 4 carbon atoms. The monomers may optionally have a terminal polyethyleneoxy block. The invention further relates to processes for preparing the copolymers and to the use thereof.

A method of producing a homopolymer or random copolymer of hydroxyl group-containing vinyl ether by polymerizing a monomer component comprising at least one hydroxyl group-containing vinyl ether using an oil-soluble radical polymerization initiator in the absence or presence of a solvent.

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 sulfonate group-containing copolymer is provided which comprising a structural unit (a) derived from a sulfonate group-containing monomer (A); a structural unit (b) derived from a (poly)oxyalkylene monomer (B); a structural unit (c) derived from a carboxyl group-containing monomer (C). The sulfonate group-containing copolymer comprises from 20% to 90% by mass in an acid form equivalent of the structural unit (c) in 100% by mass of all the structural units constituting the sulfonate group-containing copolymer. The product (P×Mw×n) of the ratio by mass P of the structural unit (b) to the structural unit (a) multiplied by the weight average molecular weight Mw of the sulfonate group-containing copolymer multiplied by the value n is from 950,000 to 800,000,000.