Polyacrylate thickener and method of making same

摘要

An improved polyacrylate thickener and a method for making same are provided. The polyacrylate thickener is made using a monomer blend containing ethyl acrylate. In one embodiment the ethyl acrylate is polymerized and then hydrolyzed using a metal hydroxide. The resulting thickener contains unhydrolyzed polyacrylates, metal polyacrylates and ethanol. The final product, which is nontoxic and nonhazardous, can then be added to other compositions, such as textile coatings, as a viscosity enhancer.