PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF STERICALLY STABILISED NON-AQUEOUS DISPERSIONS OF POLYMER MICROPARTICLES FROM ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERS

V. 31077 ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE A process is described for making sterically stabilised non-aqueous dispersions of polymer microparticles, in which (1) monomers including at least one crosslinking monomer are polymerised in an aqueous medium at a temperature at least 10° higher than the glass transition temperature of the polymer to be formed, in the presence of a block or graft copolymer stabilising agent containing in the molecule, as the component solvated by the aqueous medium, a polymer chain derived from a polyethylene glycol of molecular weight at least 1000, under conditions such that there is at no time present a separate monomer phase and (2) the microparticles thus obtained are transferred into a non-aqueous medium which is capable of dissolving the polyethylene glycol in question, when the latter is in the non-hydrated state, to the extent of at least 10% by weight at room temperature. The microparticles are of value for incorporation into coating compositions the main film-forming constituent of which is compatible with the polyethylene glycol-derived stabilising chains of the particles.