Abstract: A vinyl alcohol polymer is provided that is particularly useful for efficiently producing an inkjet recording material having an ink-receiving layer which is not cracked on its surface, which is highly glossy, which can absorb ink well and which is highly transparent, wherein the vinyl alcohol polymer has specific polyoxyalkylene group-containing monomer units and where the product of the viscosity-average degree of polymerization, P, of the vinyl alcohol polymer and the content, S (mol %), of polyoxyalkylene group-containing monomer units, P×S, and the number, n, of the oxyalkylene repeating units in the polyoxyalkylene group-containing monomer unit satisfy specific relational formulae.

Abstract: A polyvinyl alcohol obtained by hydrolysis of a polyvinyl ester that contains silyl group functionalized monomer units.

Abstract: A polyvinyl alcohol having hydrolyzed silyl group functionalized monomer units.

Abstract: Provided are a water resistant composition comprising a uniform mixture of (A) at least one of modified polyvinyl alcohol containing either from 1 to 20 mol % of &agr;-olefin units with not more than 4 carbon atoms, from 0.01 to 1 mol % of silyl groups, or from 1 to 20 mol % of &agr;-olefin units with not more than 4 carbon atoms and from 0.01 to 1 mol % of silyl groups and (B) an organotitanium compound having a chelating ligand, in a blend ratio of component (A) to the component (B) between 99.99/0.01 and 60/40 by weight; a coating agent comprising the composition; a thermal recording material having a coat layer of the composition; and an ink-jet recording material having an ink-absorbing layer of the composition.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there are provided a process for producing a vinyl alcohol polymer comprising reaction of a vinyl ester polymer (A) having an epoxy group with a compound (B) having a thiol or thioester group and hydrolysis thereof, said hydrolysis being conducted during or after said reaction; and a process for producing a vinyl alcohol polymer comprising reaction of a vinyl ester polymer (C) having a thiol or thioester group with a compound (D) having an epoxy group and hydrolysis thereof, said hydrolysis being conducted during or after said reaction. According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently introduce into PVA various functional groups having excellent reactivity, crosslinkability, ionic interactivity, water-solubility, interfacial physical properties, low-temperature flexibility, etc., under relatively mild reaction conditions.