A thickened aqueous coating composition (preferably paints and the like or adhesives)
containing a film-forming polymeric binder which produces dried coatings having
less sensitivity to water by using a thickener which is autoxidisable. Preferred
autoxidisable moieties are provided by derivatives of long chain fatty acids of
the type used in alkyd paints and association is the preferred thickener mechanism.
The moieties may form part of a compound which can take part in a copolymerisation
to form a polymeric backbone for the thickener and if the compound is not very
soluble in water, the copolymerisation mixture is subjected to intensive agitation
to form droplets of less than 500 nm which compensates for the lack of solubility.
The thickener may serve as its own binder if sufficient amounts are used.
