Fiber-forming graft copolymers of acrylonitrile on n-vinyl-3-morpholinone polymer substrates, their preparation and use

摘要

Film and fibre-forming polymers are made by graft polymerizing acrylonitrile or comonomers containing a predominant proportion of acrylonitrile on to a homo- or co-polymer of an N-vinyl-3-morpholinone monomer (VM) dissolved in an aqueous saline polyacrylonitrile solvent solution, e.g. aqueous zinc chloride. Preferred VM monomers are those of the formula: FORM:0929245/IV(a)/1 in which X, Y and Z represent hydrogen atoms or alkyl groups. VM copolymers specified are those with methyl methacrylate, sodium styrene sulphonate, sodium vinyl toluene sulphonate N-vinyl lactams, N-vinyl oxazolidinone, N-vinyl succinimide and vinyl acetate. Comonomers specified for use with acrylonitrile are allyl alcohol, vinyl acetate, propionate and butyrate, methyl and ethyl acrylates, dimethylaminoethyl acrylate, methacrylamide, methacrylonitrile, vinyl acetic, acrylic, fumaric and itaconic acids, fumaronitrile, ethylene sulphonic, allyl sulphonic, styrene sulphonic and vinyl toluene sulphonic acids and alkali metal salts thereof, vinyl ethylpyridine and butadiene. As catalysts for the graft polymerization there are specified hydrogen peroxide and azoisobutyronitrile. The resulting graft polymer solutions may be formed directly into shaped articles, or may be blended with solutions of fibre-forming acrylonitrile polymers and then subjected to a shaping operation. In either case the products are dyeable with acid, vat, acetate, direct, naphthol and sulphur dyestuffs. Specification 819,049 is referred to.