Abstract: Terpolymers based on (meth)acrylamide, hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate and sulfobetaine monomers and their use as thickeners for aqueous salt solutions are described. The terpolymers display their thickening effect within wide concentration and density ranges of the aqueous salt solutions. In addition, their thermal stability is retained also with respect to salt solutions containing calcium chloride and/or calcium bromide and/or zinc bromide.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a semiconductor device using a copolymer-containing photoresist, and a process for manufacturing the same. As a norbornene derivative (monomer) having a hydrophilic group is synthesized and introduced to the backbone chain of a polymer, the polymer according to the present invention has excellent etching resistance and heat resistance, which are the characteristic points of alicyclic olefin structure, and provide excellent resolution due to prominent enhancement of adhesiveness resulted from introducing a hydrophilic group (—OH).

Abstract: The present invention provides a polymer that can be used as an anti-refelctive coating (ARC) polymer, an ARC composition comprising the same, methods for producing the same, and methods for using the same. The polymer of the present invention is particularly useful in a submicrolithographic process, for example, using KrF (248 nm) or ArF (193 nm) lasers as a light source. The polymer of the present invention comprises a chromophore that is capable of absorbing light at the wavelengths used in a submicrolithographic process. Thus, the ARC of the present invention significantly reduces or prevents back reflection of light and the problem of the CD alteration caused by the diffracted and/or reflected light. The ARC of the present invention also significantly reduces or eliminates the standing wave effect and reflective notching.

Abstract: A process of making a cosmetically or pharmaceutically-acceptable emulsion or gel composition which comprises: (a) heating a reaction mixture comprising, by weight, about 5-70% of a vinyl monomer in about 30-95% of an oil as solvent, wherein said oil is selected from the group consisting of a silicone oil, a mineral oil and a water-insoluble organic ester and a free radical initiator, optionally in the presence of a crosslinking agent and/or an oil soluble surfactant, with agitation, under an inert gas, at about 40-150° C., wherein the oil is present in an amount sufficient to keep the resultant vinyl polymer in a stirrable state until the end of the polymerization, (b) adding a surfactant, if a suitable surfactant was not present during polymerization, and, (c) then adding water to form an oil-in-water, a water-in-oil or a water-in-oil-in-water emulsion or gel, in a volume ratio of oil-in-water of 30:70 to 10:90, or water-in-oil of 90:10 to 30:70.

Abstract: There is provided a process for efficiently and economically producing a polymer which is superior in transmittances of visible light and far-ultraviolet light, has a high molecular weight and is light-colored. A process for producing a light-colored vinylphenol-based polymer by subjecting p-vinylphenol to homopolymerization or subjecting p-vinylphenol and a vinyl compound copolymerizable with p-vinylphenol to copolymerization, in the presence of a cationic polymerization catalyst or a radical polymerization initiator, which process comprises subjecting a p-vinylphenol-containing raw material to vacuum flash distillation in the presence of a phenolic compound having no unsaturated side chain and water and subjecting the resulting p-vinylphenol-containing fraction to polymerization.

Abstract: Disclosed are stabilized unimolecular initiator compounds which are useful for initiating living radical polymerization of polymerizable hydrocarbons. The stabilized unimolecular initiator compounds are the reaction products of polymerization initiator radical-forming compounds, such as organo peroxides and azo compounds, and stable radical-forming compounds, wherein the polymerization initiator radicals are capable of initiating polymerization of polymerizable hydrocarbons and the stable radicals, alone, are not capable of initiating polymerization of hydrocarbons. An exemplary stabilized unimolecular initiator compound is 1-benzoylperoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidine which is the reaction product of benzoyl peroxide, (BPO), and 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidineyloxy, (TEMPO).

Abstract: A non-aqueous, heterogeneous polymerization process comprises heating a reaction mixture of about 5-70%, preferably 10-30%, by weight, of a vinyl monomer in an oil as solvent, and a free radical initiator, optionally in the presence of a crosslinking agent and/or a surfactant, wherein the oil solvent is present in an amount sufficient to keep the resultant polymer in a stirrable state throughout the polymerization. The polymer reaction product is capable of forming a uniform emulsion or gel upon addition of water thereto.

Abstract: The present invention provides a macroporous hyperhydroxy polymer formed from a monomer mixture of substantially similar fractions of functional acrylic monomers which are combined to form a compound having a polymer skeleton which provides a high number of hydroxyl sites. The result is a material which, when hydrated, has a pore size relative to oxygen and water which provides a high ratio of free water to bound water. When formed into contact lenses, the material exhibits oxygen permeability approaching that of a static layer of tears of equal thickness and water contents of 95% or greater. The polymer is also suitable for use as burn dressings, bandages, soil hydratants, surface treatments, lubricants and coatings, absorbents, transport membranes and the like.

Abstract: Macroazo compounds, which comprise a repeating unit composed of a moiety of the formula (a), a (b) and a moiety of the formula (c) wherein X, E, Z and T are independently a lower alkylene group, R1, R2, R3 and R4 are independently a lower alkyl group or a cyano group, R5, R6, R7 and R8 are independently a lower alkyl group or an aryl group, and m and n are independently a positive integer, those moieties being bound with one another through a carboxylic acid ester linkage or a carboxylic acid amido linkage, make it possible, for instance, in a case of using the compound as a polymerization initiator, to produce easily and at high efficiency a block polymer containing both polyorganosiloxane units and polyoxyalkylene units in its molecule.