Photopolymerizable composition with epoxy stabilizers

Claim 2

A photopolymerizable composition consisting essentially of (a) about 20% to 80% by weight of a polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomer, (b) about 0.01 to about 20% by weight of a photopolymerization initiator, for (a), represented by the general formula (I): ##STR14## wherein Z represents the non-metallic atoms necessary to complete a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic nucleus; R 1 represents an alkyl group; and R 2 represents an alkyl group, an aryl group or a thienyl group; and (c), in an amount sufficient to function as a binder, a chlorinated polyolefin the improvement comprising said composition including (d), as a thermal stabilizer, about 1 to about 30% by weight based on the composition of a compound having at least one epoxy group and having an epoxy equivalent ranging from about 100 to about 1000.

Claim 3

The photopolymerizable composition of claim 1, wherein said compound having at least one epoxy group (d) is an epoxidized aliphatic mono ester having the formula: ##STR15## wherein R 11 is an alkyl group having up to 10 carbon atoms; a polyglycidyl ether of a polyhydric alcohol having the formula: ##STR16## wherein p is an integer of 2 to 6 and R 12 is a divalent to hexavalent residue of a polyol; an epoxidized triglyceride having the formula: ##STR17## wherein R 13 , R 14 and R 15 , which may be the same or different, are each an epoxidized alkyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms; an alkyl glycidyl ether having the formula: ##STR18## wherein R 16 is an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; an alkenyl glycidyl ether having the formula: ##STR19## wherein R 17 is an alkenyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms and also containing therein one double bond; an aryl glycidyl ether having the formula: ##STR20## wherein Q is a phenyl group or an alkylphenyl group; an epoxidized alicyclic compound having the formula: ##STR21## wherein R 18 represents a single bond or an alkylene or polymethylene group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms bonding the two alicyclic rings together, and the alicyclic rings bonded to R 18 , which may be the same or different, each is a monovalent residue of an alicyclic compound having 5, 6 or 7 carbon atoms, the alicyclic rings being unsubstituted or substituted with an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms; or a glycidyl ester of phthalic acid having the formula: ##STR22## wherein q is 1 or 2.

Claim 4

The photopolymerizable composition of claim 1, wherein said polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomer is an acrylate or a methacrylate, an acrylamide or methacrylamide, an allyl compound, a vinyl ether, a vinyl ester, an N-vinyl compound, a styrene compound, a crotonic acid ester or an addition-polymerizable polyester methacrylate or acrylate.

Claim 5

The photopolymerizable composition of claim 1, wherein said polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomer (a) has the general formula (II): ##STR23## wherein R represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, X represents an ester residue containing at least one ester linkage and comprising an ester of a polyhydric alcohol and a polycarboxylic acid, and n is an integer of from 1 to 6.

Claim 6

The photopolymerizable composition of claim 1, wherein R 1 is a lower alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, an alkoxyalkyl group, a carboxyalkyl group, a sulfoalkyl group or an aralkyl group; R 2 is a lower alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, an aryl group or a univalent residue of an aromatic heterocyclic compound; and Z forms a benzothiazoline nucleus, a naphthothiazoline nucleus, a benzoselenazoline nucleus, a naphthoselenazoline nucleus, a benzoxazoline nucleus or a naphthoxazoline nucleus.

Claim 7

The photopolymerizable composition of claim 1, wherein said photopolymerization initiator (b) represented by the general formula (I) is 2-benzoylmethylene-3-methyl-β-naphthothiazoline, 2-benzoylmethylene-3-ethyl-β-naphthothiazoline, 3-ethyl-2-(2-thenoyl)methylene-β-naphthothiazoline, 3-ethyl-2-propionylmethylene-β-naphthothiazoline or 5-chloro-3-ethyl-2-p-methoxybenzoylmethylenebenzothiazoline.

Claim 8

The photopolymerizable composition of claim 1, wherein said chlorinated polyolefin binder (c) is chlorinated polyethylene, chlorinated polypropylene or a mixture thereof.

Claim 9

The photopolymerizable composition of claim 1, wherein said chlorinated polyolefin binder (c) is a chlorinated polyolefin having a degree of polymerization between about 300 and about 20,000 and a chlorine content ranging from about 30 to about 75% by weight.

Claim 10

The photopolymerizable composition of claim 1, wherein said composition additionally contains a thermal polymerization inhibitor, a colorant, and/or a plasticizer.

Claim 11

A photosensitive element comprising a support having thereon a layer of the photopolymerizable composition of claim 1.