Abstract: Copolymers of certain amounts of ethylene, carbon monoxide, a third monomer copolymerizable therewith to provide solid but flexible polymers, and a fourth monomer containing epoxy side groups provide new and useful copolymers. The copolymers are useful as blending resins with thermosetting resins. Blends of these copolymers with thermosetting resins provide performance unattainable with the thermosetting resin alone in terms of flexibility, toughness, and adhesion. Such blends may be used, for example, to produce flexible, semirigid or rigid films, coatings, fibers, foams or molded articles.

Abstract: 6-Nylons and 12-nylons having primary amino end-groups and an average degree of polymerization of about 5-60 are grafted onto elastomeric trunk polymers having anhydride groups, vicinal carboxylic groups, or carboxylic groups adjacent to alkoxycarbonyl groups by heating a mixture of the nylon and the trunk polymer, preferably under high shear conditions for about 1 minute or less to 30 minutes or more above the melting temperature of the nylon. The resulting elastomeric graft polymers are suitable for fabricating into a variety of articles, such as, for example, wire jacketing, hose, belts, seals, gaskets, and low pressure tires.

Abstract: Plastic graft copolymers consisting essentially of a crystalline trunk copolymer derived from ethylene and a comonomer providing amine-reactive sites selected from the group consisting of an anhydride group, a vicinal pair of carboxylic groups and a carboxylic group adjacent to an alkoxycarbonyl group, the alkoxy group having up to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and side chain polymers linked to said reactive sites through amide or imide linkages, the side chains having an average degree of polymerization of 5 to 30, preferably 6 to 10, and being derived from monomers selected from the group consisting of caprolactam or laurolactam, said graft copolymer having a polyamide content of 15 to 50 percent by weight based on the weight of graft copolymer with the proviso that the graft copolymer has two DTA melting points, one at 80.degree. to 115.degree.C. and the other at at least 165.degree.C., preferably at 175 to 200.degree.C. when polycaprolactam side chains are present and at least 150.

Abstract: Process for the preparation of thermoplastic graft copolymers which comprises heating for about 15 seconds to 60 minutes, with mixing, a trunk copolymer of at least two monomers, at least one of said monomers providing amine-reactive sites taken from the group consisting of the anhydride group, e.g., maleic anhydride; a vicinal pair of carboxylic groups and a carboxylic acid adjacent to an alkoxycarbonyl group, wherein the alkoxy group contains up to 20 carbon atoms, and at least one of said monomers containing no amine-reactive sites, and at least one side chain polymer having per chain one active amine site taken from the group consisting of primary and secondary amines, the remainder of said side chain polymer being substantially unreactive with the reactive sites, e.g., amino-substituted polycaprolactam, polylaurolactam, polyethylene oxide, etc., of the trunk copolymer. The process provides control of the type and length of the side chain polymer grafted onto the trunk copolymer.