Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Nitrogen-containing reactant
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-28
2004-09-28
Truong, Duc (Department: 1711)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Nitrogen-containing reactant
C528S422000, C528S425000, C528S373000, C526S217000, C526S273000, C546S351000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06797805
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to organic polymers having high water wettability, molded or otherwise formed products comprising the organic polymers, novel polymerizable compounds and compositions capable of affording organic polymers having high water wettability, and antifouling materials, anti-mist materials, dew preventing materials, water (liquid) absorbent materials and optical materials, all of which make use of organic polymers and molded or otherwise formed products having high water wettability.
BACKGROUND ART
As a representative physical value expressing water wettability, water contact angle is known. In general, those having water contact angles of less than 90° are classified as hydrophilic materials, and those having water contact angles of greater than 90° are classified as water repellant materials. As the water contact angle approaches from 90° toward 0°, the material can be considered to be higher in water wettability.
High water wettability is extremely effective for water retaining materials or the like, which are useful, for example, for the inhibition of dew-induced misting of windowpanes, mirrors, agricultural vinyl sheets, eyeglass lenses, camera lenses and the like, for the suppression of a reduction in the efficiency of heat exchange due to formation of water droplets and deposition of fouling substances on cooling fins, for the protection of building exterior walls and the like from fouling by improving their property to eliminate (self-clean), with rain or water, fouling (airborne hydrophobic substances) deposited on the building exterior walls, for the improvement of dew preventing property of building interior finish paints and materials and the like, for the improvement of contact lens wear comfort and anti-fouling property, and for water-retention materials used for the greening of deserts or the growth promotion of general plants.
In these applications, the products are large in size or complex in structure, accuracy is required, productivity, controllability and product flexibility and safety are needed, water absorbency is needed, and coloration or dyeing is preferred. Accordingly, difficulties are encountered with inorganic materials in any instances, resulting in an increasingly high demand for organic materials.
Known as organic materials capable of showing high water wettability include polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol [water contact angle: 36°, “Cho-shinsui Cho-hassuika Gijutsu (Superhydrophilicity, Super Water-repellancy Imparting Technology)”, Published by Gijutsu Joho Kyokai Co., Ltd., 2001], polyisopropylacrylamide (water contact angle: about 44° Langmuir, 11, 2301, 1995), and polyacrylonitrile (water contact angle: about 53°, Desalination, 72, 263, 1989).
These polymers show the effect by hydroxyl groups, nitrile groups or amide groups which they themselves have. These functional groups are, however, known to be high in reactivity, and in some instances, may tend to cause a quality deterioration or change in final products due to induction of undesired unnecessary reactions such as acetylation with aldehydes, esterification with acids or acid anhydrides, changes into amides or carboxylic acids through hydrolysis and esterification by alcoholysis or the like, and induction of Diels-Alder reaction or Michael addition [“Plastic Jiten (Plastic Dictionary)”, Published by Asakura-Shoten Pub., Co., Ltd., 1992]. Such polymers are accompanied by further problems such that they themselves may be dissolved or eluted into water and may be low in mechanical strength or the like.
With a view to solving, for example, problems of dissolution or elution, mechanical strength and the like, it has been proposed to add copolymerizable compounds to form them into network polymers. This modification, however, has a tendency of deteriorating the wettability, and is not considered to be a proposal that assures sufficient strength while retaining high wettability.
As an unconventional material, an agar gel (water contact angle: about 20°, Langmuir, 10, 2435, 1994) is known. It is, however, not considered to be sufficient in physical and chemical properties for its insufficient mechanical strength, insufficient heat resistance and insufficient water resistance and chemical resistance. Practically, it is extremely difficult to use it for such purposes as described above.
As other methods for exhibiting high water wettability, methods which primarily involve surface modifications are known, including a method that provides a photocatalytic reaction layer of titanium oxide (JP 11-58629 A, JP 11-1659 A), a method that coats a coating formulation making use of silanol groups (JP 9-40907 A, JP 9-40908 A, JP 11-21826 A), a method that subsequent to corona discharge treatment, provides a layer containing silyl groups and ionic hydrophilic groups (carboxyl groups) and polyvinyl alcohol (JP 9-76428 A), a method that provides a layer making use of a quaternary ammonium base (JP 10-296895 A), a method that forms a number of micropits on a surface by etching treatment (JP 7-198290 A), a method that introduces active hydrogen groups such as an amido group, carboxyl group and hydroxyl group, or ionic functional groups such as sodium sulfonate, into a surface by graft copolymerization (J. Poly. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem., 32, 1569, 1994; Macromolecules, 25, 6842, 1992), and a method that treats a surface with a chloric acid-potassium chlorate mixed solution [Polymer (Korea), 24, 877, 2000].
According to these methods, high water wettability can be certainly realized in some instances. However, they tend to cause various problems such as decomposition at the interface with a coated material through a photocatalytic reaction, ineffectiveness in a dark ambient, delamination due to differences in a physical property such as coefficient of linear expansion, flexibility or refractive index, crazing in a coating layer or a coated material, development of interference bands, insufficient strength and weather resistance of a coating layer and a treated surface, and a reduction in performance due to an undesired reaction with active hydrogen groups or ionic groups. On top of these problems, these methods generally require high ingenuity and special apparatus in many instances, and also require a procedure of forming molded or otherwise formed products beforehand and then treating or coating the products further. These surface-modifying methods, therefore, are proposals that lead to cumbersome production and are not considered to be effective, tend to result in high cost, and in some instances, also have some doubts in safety.
In the field of resins, polymers and the like, on the other hand, the possession of excellent transparency is significantly effective. They can be used in the field of optical materials led by spectacle lenses, contact lenses, camera lenses, pickup lenses and organic glasses and the field of transparent materials such as transparent films, and moreover, are expected to develop new markets and high functionality, such as improvements in color vividness and luster, in the field of paints, coating formulations and the like.
Nonetheless, it has been unknown whether or not high-wettability organic polymers with which the present invention are concerned have high transparency.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Namely, it has been extremely difficult to solve the above-mentioned numerous problems and to propose organic polymers, resins and the like having high wettability and high transparency.
With such circumstances in view, the present inventors have proceeded with an extensive investigation. As a result, it has been found that use of a polymerizable compound having a polar structure, the dipolar moment of which is high (about 3 debyes or higher), as a partial structure is effective for solving the problems and also that among such polar structures, an alkylene(thio)urea structure analogous to the structure of polyurea considered to be poor in practical utility for its high cost and low thermal stability [“Plastic Daijiten (E
Nakatsuka Shiro
Okazaki Koju
Seki Ryouichi
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Mitsui Chemicals Inc.
Truong Duc
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