ABSTRACT
Amine functional polymers (AFPs) have a wide range of potential applications, which include wet strength additives for nonwovens, water treatment chemicals, and curing agents for epoxies and polyurethanes. Recent routes to AFPs have centered on (co)polymerization of a derivative of vinylamine, such as Nvinylformamide, and subsequent removal of the derivatizing group [1-3]. While effective, such processes often generate stoichiometric quantities of formate salts which require catalytic decomposition [4-5] or physical removal and disposal. In contrast, reductive amination of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) with polyfunctional amines might offer direct access to a family of novel AFPs, with water as the only coproduct.
