Curable arcylic/fumaric pressure-sensitive adhesives

Claim 2

A pressure-sensitive adhesive which is a cured pressure sensitive adhesive-layer interpolymer formed on a substrate comprising a pressure-sensitive adhesive polymer having a weight average molecular weight of at least about 100,000 and formed of an interpolymerized amount of a hard-monomer system comprising at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of methacrylate, and alkyl methacrylate containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms in alkyl group, an unsaturated carboxylic acid and mixtures thereof, said hard-monomer system being present in an amount up to about 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers; and a soft-monomer system being present in an amount of from about 50% to about 95% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and comprising at least one ester compound selected from alkyl monoesters and diesters of an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid containing 4 carbon atoms wherein each alkyl group independently contains from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms, and in which the ester compound is present in a total amount of up to about 30% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, said soft-monomer system further comprising at least one alkyl acrylate.

Claim 3

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 1 in which the adhesive layer is formed by application to a substrate as a hot-melt adhesive prior to cure.

Claim 4

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 2 in which there is present a multifunctional monomer in an amount from ahout 1% up to about 8% by weight of the total monomers.

Claim 5

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 3 in which the multifunctional monomer is selected from the group consisting of pentaerythritol triacrylate and tetraethyleneglycol dimethacrylate.

Claim 6

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 1 in which there is present an unsaturated carboxylic acid containing from 2 to about 8 carbon atoms in a positive amount up to about 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers.

Claim 7

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 5 in which the unsaturated carboxylic acid is acrylic acid.

Claim 8

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 1 in which there is present a multifunctional monomer in a positive amount from about 1% up to about 8% by weight of the total monomers.

Claim 9

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 7 in which the multifunctional monomer is selected from the group consisting of pentaerythritol triacrylate and tetraethyleneglycol dimethacrylate.

Claim 10

A pressure-sensitive-adhesive construction comprising a face material having thereon a cured pressure sensitive adhesive comprising, based on the total weight of electron-beam-irradiated interpolymerized monomers, from about 50% to ahout 95% by weight soft monomers having a homopolymerization glass-transition temoerature of less than about -25° C., of which from about 5% to about 30% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, is at least one alkyl diester of unsaturated dicarboxylic acid containing 4 carbon atoms, wherein each alkyl group independently contains from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms, and in which the balance of soft monomers is an alkyl acrylate containing from 2 to ahout 10 carbon atoms, the balance of the monomer system required to form 100 parts-by-weight monomer being comprised of hard monomers having a homopolymerization glass-transition temperature of greater than about -25° C. and selected from methyl acrylate and an alkyl methacrylate containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and present in an amount up to 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and including at least one unsaturated carboxylic acid containing from about 2 to about 8 carbon atoms and present in a positive amount of up to 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and a multifunctional monomer present in a positive amount up to about 8% by weight, based on the weight of the monomers, said polymer having a weight-average molecular-weight of at least about 100,000.

Claim 11

A pressure-sensitive-adhesive construction comprising a face material having thereon a cured pressure sensitive adhesive comprising, based on the total weight of electron-beam-irradiated interpolymerized monomers, from about 50% to ahout 95% by weight soft monomers having a homopolymerization glass-transition temoerature of less than about -25° C., of which from about 5% to about 30% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, is at least one alkyl diester of unsaturated dicarboxylic acid containing 4 carbon atoms, wherein each alkyl group independently contains from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms, and in which the balance of soft monomers is an alkyl acrylate containing from 2 to ahout 10 carbon atoms, the balance of the monomer system required to form 100 parts-by-weight monomer being comprised of hard monomers having a homopolymerization glass-transition temperature of greater than about -25° C. and selected from methyl acrylate and an alkyl methacrylate containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and present in an amount up to 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and including at least one unsaturated carboxylic acid containing from about 2 to about 8 carbon atoms and present in a positive amount of up to 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and a multifunctional monomer present in a positive amount up to about 8% by weight, based on the weight of the monomers, said polymer having a weight-average molecular-weight of at least about 100,000.

Claim 12

A pressure-sensitive-adhesive construction as claimed in claim 9 in which the adhesive is applied as a hot-melt adhesive and is cured by electron-beam radiation or ultraviolet radiation.

Claim 13

A pressure-sensitive-adhesive construction as claimed in claim 9 in which the multifunctional monomer is selected from the group consisting of pentaerythritol triacrylate and tetraethyleneglycol dimethacrylate.

Claim 14

A pressure-sensitive-adhesive construction as claimed in claim 9 in which the unsaturated carboxylic-acid content of the polymer is from about 2% to about 10% by weight based on the total weight of the monomers, the carboxylic acid is acrylic acid, and the polymer has a weight-average molecular-weight of at least about 140,000.

Claim 15

A pressure-sensitive-adhesive construction as claimed in claim 12 in which there is present a multifunctional monomer in an amount of from about 1% to about 8% by weight based on the total weight of the monomers.

Claim 16

A curable pressure-sensitive adhesive comprising a pressure-sensitive adhesive polymer having a weight average molecular weight of at least about 100,000 and formed of an interpolymerized amount of a hard-monomer system comprising at least one monomer which will homopolymerize to form a polymer having a glass transition temperature greater than about -25° C., said hard-monomer system being present in an amount up to about 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers; and a soft-monomer system being present in an amount of from about 50% to about 95% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and comprising at least one ester compound selected from alkyl monesters and diesters of an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid containing 4 carbon atoms wherein each alkyl group independently contains from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms, and in which the diester of the unsaturated dicarboxylic acid is present in a total amount of up to about 30% by weight based on the total weight of the monomers, said soft-monomer system further comprising at least one additional soft-monomer which will homopolymerize to form a polymer having a glass transition temperature less than -25° C.

Claim 17

A curable pressure-sensitive adhesive comprising a pressure-sensitive adhesive polymer having a weight average molecular weight of at least about 100,000 and formed of an interpolymerized amount of a hard-monomer system comprising at least one monomer which will homopolymerize to form a polymer having a glass transition temperature greater than about -25° C., said hard-monomer system being present in an amount up to about 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers; and a soft-monomer system being present in an amount of from about 50% to about 95% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and comprising at least one ester compound selected from alkyl monesters and diesters of an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid containing 4 carbon atoms wherein each alkyl group independently contains from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms, and in which the diester of the unsaturated dicarboxylic acid is present in a total amount of up to about 30% by weight based on the total weight of the monomers, said soft-monomer system further comprising at least one additional soft-monomer which will homopolymerize to form a polymer having a glass transition temperature less than -25° C.

Claim 18

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 14 in which there is present a multifunctional monomer in a positive amount up to about 8% by weight of the total monomers.

Claim 19

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 14 in which there is present an unsaturated carboxylic acid containing from 2 to about 8 carbon atoms in a positive amount up to about 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers.

Claim 20

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 16 in which the unsaturated carboxylic acid is acrylic acid.

Claim 21

A pressure-sensitive adhesive which is an electron-beam-cured adhesive-layer interpolymer comprising an interpolymerized hard-monomer system comprising at least one alkyl methacrylate containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, said hard-monomer system being present in an amount up to about 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and comprising at least one ester compound selected from alkyl monoesters and diesters of an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid containing 4 carbon atoms wherein each alkyl group independently contains from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms, and in which the ester compound is present in a total amount of up to about 30% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, said soft-monomer system further comprising at least one alkyl acrylate.

Claim 22

A pressure-sensitive adhesive which is an electron-beam-cured adhesive-layer interpolymer comprising an interpolymerized hard-monomer system comprising at least one alkyl methacrylate containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, said hard-monomer system being present in an amount up to about 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and comprising at least one ester compound selected from alkyl monoesters and diesters of an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid containing 4 carbon atoms wherein each alkyl group independently contains from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms, and in which the ester compound is present in a total amount of up to about 30% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, said soft-monomer system further comprising at least one alkyl acrylate.

Claim 23

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 18 in which the alkyl acrylate is selected from the group consisting of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and butyl acrylate.

Claim 24

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 18 in which there is present acrylic acid in a positive amount up to about 10% by weight based on the total weight of the monomers.

Claim 25

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 18 in which the alkyl methacrylate is methyl methacrylate.

Claim 26

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 18 in which there is present an unsaturated carboxylic acid containinc from 2 to about 8 carbon atoms in a positive amount up to about 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers.

Claim 27

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 22 in which the unsaturated carboxylic acid is acrylic acid.

Claim 28

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 18 in which there is present during cure, a multifunctional monomer in an amount from aoout 1% up to about 8% by weight of the total monomers.

Claim 29

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 24 in which the multifunctional monomer is selected from the group consisting of pentaerythritol triacrylate and tetraethyleneglycol dimethacrylate.

Claim 30

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 18 in which the adhesive layer is formed by aoplication to a substrate as a hot-melt adhesive prior to electron-beam cure.

Claim 31

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 26 in which the alkyl methacrylate is methyl methacrylate.

Claim 32

A pressure-sensitive adhesive which comprises an electron-beam-cured pressure-sensitive adhesive-layer interpolymer having a weight average molecular weight of at least about 100,000 comprising an interpolymerized hard-monomr system comprising at least one alkyl methacrylate containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, said hard-monomer system being present in an amount up to about 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and comprising at least one ester compuund selected from alkyl monoesters and diesters of an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid containing 4 carbon atoms wherein each alkyl group independently contains from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms, and in which the ester compound is present in a total amount of up to about 30% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, said soft-monomer system further comprising at least one alkyl acrylate.

Claim 33

A pressure-sensitive adhesive which comprises an electron-beam-cured pressure-sensitive adhesive-layer interpolymer having a weight average molecular weight of at least about 100,000 comprising an interpolymerized hard-monomr system comprising at least one alkyl methacrylate containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, said hard-monomer system being present in an amount up to about 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and comprising at least one ester compuund selected from alkyl monoesters and diesters of an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid containing 4 carbon atoms wherein each alkyl group independently contains from 4 to about 8 carbon atoms, and in which the ester compound is present in a total amount of up to about 30% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, said soft-monomer system further comprising at least one alkyl acrylate.

Claim 34

A pressure-sensitive adhesive as claimed in claim 28 in which the alkyl acrvlate is selected from the group consisting of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and butyl acrylate.

Claim 35

An electron-beam-cured pressure-sensitive adhesive comprising a pressure-sensitive adhesive polymer having a weight average molecular weight of at least about 100,000 and containing, on an interpolymerized basis and based on the total weight of the monomers, from about 5% to about 30% by weight of dibutyl fumarate, from about 55% to about 95% by weight of an alkyl acrylate selected from the group consisting of butyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate in a positive amount of up to about 20% by weight, and acrylic acid in an amount of up to about 10% by weight.

Claim 36

An electron-beam-cured pressure-sensitive adhesive comprising a pressure-sensitive adhesive polymer having a weight average molecular weight of at least about 100,000 and containing, on an interpolymerized basis and based on the total weight of the monomers, from about 5% to about 30% by weight of dibutyl fumarate, from about 55% to about 95% by weight of an alkyl acrylate selected from the group consisting of butyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate in a positive amount of up to about 20% by weight, and acrylic acid in an amount of up to about 10% by weight.

Claim 37

A pressure-sensitive-adhesive construction as claimed in claim 30 in which the unsaturated carboxylic-acid content of the polymer is from about 2% to about 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, and the carboxylic acid is acrylic acid.

Claim 38

A pressure-sensitive-adhesive construction as claimed in claim 31 in which there is present a multifunctional monomer in an amount of from about 1% to about 8% by weight hased on the total weight of the monomers.

Claim 39

A pressure-sensitive adhesive-construction as claimed in claim 32 in which the multifunctional monomer is selected from the group consisting of pentaerythritol triacrylate and tetraethyleneglycol dimethacrylate.