Copolymers of Acrylic Acid with Vinyl Alcohol, Methyl Vinyl Ether and 2-Hydroxyacrylic Acid

Poly [(sodium acrylate) -co- (vinyl alcohol)] P (A-VA), poly [(sodium acrylate) -co- (methyl vinyl ether)] P (A-MVE), polyL (sodium 2-hydroxyacrylate) -co- (sodium acrylate) P (HA-A), poly [(disodium maleate) -alt- (vinyl alcohol) P (Ma-VA), poly (disodium fumarate) -alt- (vinyl alcohol)] P (F-VA) were prepared, and their building performances in detergents were examined. Their sequestering power for Ca2+ and dispersing power MnO2 were determined and compared with the corresponding properties of sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and disodium 3-oxapentandioate (ODA). The biodegradability of the oligomers was also studied under aerobic conditions.These oligomers showed better detergency building performances than those of ODA, and some of them were superior to those of STPP. Oligomeric P (A-VA) prepared by UV polymerization showed the best building performances in detergent systems and biodegradability tested in this report. The introduction of hydroxyl groups and ether groups to poly (sodium acrylate) promoted their detergency power and biodegradability.