Macromer reinforced pressure sensitive skin adhesive

Claim 1

A method of adhering a substrate to skin comprising the step of interposing between the substrate and the skin an adhesive composition comprising a copolymer of copolymerized A monomers, C macromers, and optionally B monomers, wherein: A is a monomeric acrylate or methacrylate ester of a non-tertiary alcohol, said alcohol having from about 1 to about 14 carbon atoms with the average number of carbon atoms being from about 4 to about 12; B, when used, is at least one ethylenically unsaturated compond copolymerizable with said A monomer, with B monomers comprising from about 0% to about 25% of the total weight of A and B monomers; and C is a macromer having the general formula: X-(Y).sub.n -Z wherein: X is a vinyl group copolymerizable with said A and B monomers, X having the general formula: ##STR5## wherein R is a hydrogen atom or a COOH group and R' is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; Y is a divalent linking group with n being either 0 or 1; and z is a monovalent polymeric moiety having a T g greater than about 20° C. and a molecular weight in the range of about 2,000 to about 30,000 and being essentially unreactive under copolymerization conditions, Z having the general formula: ##STR6## wherein R 2 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, R 3 is a lower alkyl group, n is an integer from about 20 to about 500, and R 4 is a monovalent radical selected from the group consisting of: ##STR7## wherein R 5 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group and R 6 is a lower alkyl group; wherein the number and composition of said C macromers is such that the adhesive composition has a creep compliance of at least about 1.2×10 -5 cm 2 /dyne when measured after about 3 minutes of subjection to stress.

Claim 2

A method of adhering a substrate to skin comprising the step of interposing between the substrate and the skin an adhesive composition comprising a copolymer of copolymerized A monomers, C macromers, and optionally B monomers, wherein: A is a monomeric acrylate or methacrylate ester of a non-tertiary alcohol, said alcohol having from about 1 to about 14 carbon atoms with the average number of carbon atoms being from about 4 to about 12; B, when used, is at least one ethylenically unsaturated compond copolymerizable with said A monomer, with B monomers comprising from about 0% to about 25% of the total weight of A and B monomers; and C is a macromer having the general formula: X-(Y).sub.n -Z wherein: X is a vinyl group copolymerizable with said A and B monomers, X having the general formula: ##STR5## wherein R is a hydrogen atom or a COOH group and R' is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; Y is a divalent linking group with n being either 0 or 1; and z is a monovalent polymeric moiety having a T g greater than about 20° C. and a molecular weight in the range of about 2,000 to about 30,000 and being essentially unreactive under copolymerization conditions, Z having the general formula: ##STR6## wherein R 2 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, R 3 is a lower alkyl group, n is an integer from about 20 to about 500, and R 4 is a monovalent radical selected from the group consisting of: ##STR7## wherein R 5 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group and R 6 is a lower alkyl group; wherein the number and composition of said C macromers is such that the adhesive composition has a creep compliance of at least about 1.2×10 -5 cm 2 /dyne when measured after about 3 minutes of subjection to stress.