Wasserloesliche quartaere Polyammoniumsalze, Verfahren zu ihrer Herstellung und ihre Verwendung.

EP 264710 A UPAB: 19940303 New water-soluble quat. polyammonium salts (I) are prepd. by radical-catalysed homo- or copolymerisation of an unsatd. quat. ammonium salt (II). When this conversion of (II) reaches 25-90%, a crosslinking comonomer (III) is added in an amt. of 0.1-3 mole.% based on (II). The prod. comprises (a) 10-100 wt.% of a highly branched polymer with a molecular wt. above 100,000, comprising 97-99.9 mole.% of units derived from (II) and 0.1-3 mole.% of units derived from (III), and (b) 0-90 wt.% of a linear homopolymer of (II). Component (a) has 1-25 branch sites per 100 monomer units. (II) is esp. dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride, but may also be another dimethyl diallyl ammonium salt, a vinylpyridinium salt or a quat. ester or amide of (meth)acrylic acid. (III) is a 1-3C alkyl triallyl ammonium salt, a tetraallyl ammonium salt, a tetraallyl alkylenediamine salt, a triallylamine salt or methylene bisacrylamide. Polymerisation is effected at 18-65 deg.C, using a 30-70% aq. soln. of (II). USE/ADVANTAGE - (I) are useful as flocculating agents, demulsifiers for breaking o/w emulsions, and for prodn. of electrically conductive films, e.g. on electrophotographic paper. The process gives high-molecular-wt. highly branched prods. with a low content of short-chain components, without the risk of gel formation.