Hybrid adhesives, articles, and methods

Abstract

Described are curable adhesives containing a polyacrylate component and an epoxy component, and that are preferably optically clear, as well as methods of using such adhesives and optical components and optical elements prepared from the adhesives.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 10 / 005,669, filed Nov. 2, 2001, now allowed, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The invention relates to curable adhesives, particularly including a polyacrylate and any epoxy component. The invention further relates to methods of using such adhesives and to articles prepared using the adhesives, such as optical products. BACKGROUND [0003] Curable adhesives are useful in industry. An example of curable adhesives is the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,694. Specific applications for pressure sensitive adhesives, having sufficient clarity, involve the preparation of optical elements. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,180,200 and 5,897,727. Curable pressure sensitive adhesives can be useful and preferred due to their ability to be applied to substrates while the adhesive is tacky like a pressure sensitive adhesive, and to subsequently cure the adhesive to form a secure ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] The invention relates to adhesive compositions that include a polyacrylate and an epoxy component. Preferred adhesives can be considered as “hybrid” adhesives, which can exhibit properties of a pressure sensitive adhesive in combination with a curable structural adhesive. The pressure sensitive adhesive properties can be due to a polyacrylate component, and the structural adhesive properties can be due to an epoxy component. Preferred embodiments of the compositions can have useful optical transmissivity, e.g., be optically clear, and can remain substantially optically clear for a period of a useful product lifetime. The polyacrylate component and epoxy component can optionally and preferably be formed into an interpenetrating polymer network, more preferably an inter-reacted interpenetrating polymer network, to provide additional stability and clarity. This can be done using a crosslinker or by direct reaction between functional groups of the epoxy component and the polyacrylate.

[0009] The relative amounts and chemical compositions of materials in the curable adhesive, including polyacrylate, epoxy component (sometimes referred to as “epoxy resin,”), and cationic photoinitiator, and also including optional components such as other photoinitiators, crosslinkers, grafting agents, photosensitizers, etc., can be selected to provide a curable adhesive and a cured adhesive that exhibit desired combinations of properties including tackiness, bond strength, stability, and, in particular for use with optical products, clarity and stability of clarity. A preferred cured adhesive can be a single phase, which enhances optical clarity, bond strength, and stability. A single phase can be provided by selecting a proper amount of epoxy component versus polyacrylate, for example less than sixty parts by weight epoxy component (e.g., “epoxy resin”) based on one hundred parts total epoxy component and polyacrylate. A minimum amount of epoxy component will provide structural integrity in the cured adhesive. The minimum amount can vary, but an exemplary lower limit may be in the range from about 1 to about 5 parts by weight epoxy component based on one hundred parts total epoxy component and polyacrylate.

[0011] The adhesive, being optically clear, can be useful to make a variety of useful products, especially products that benefit from an optically transmissive adhesive such as optical elements and optical products. Optical elements typically include a number of different layers of different materials, which can be any one or more of polymeric, glass, metal or metallized polymer, or of the present adhesive or another adhesive, e.g., another pressure sensitive or structural adhesive. Any one or more of these materials may be flexible, rigid, reflective, antireflective, polarizing, and is typically sufficiently optically transmissive to function as a component of the optical element.

[0013] Other optical material layers may be fragile, for example heat sensitive, humidity sensitive, water sensitive, or otherwise sensitive to mechanical stresses or to conditions to which an optical material may be exposed during preparation or use. The fragile layer may upon exposure to such condition degrade, shrink, rip, tear, or stretch, or otherwise lose its structural integrity. The adhesive described herein can be useful, and preferred, when used adjacent to such a fragile material, because the adhesive in such a position can provide structural support for a fragile layer. With the adhesive supporting the fragile layer, the fragile layer, if exposed to conditions such as heat, moisture, or water, or mechanical stress, etc., will be structurally supported by the adhesive and will not degrade or lose its structural integrity.

Problems solved by technology

While a variety of curable adhesives have been prepared from countless combinations and mixtures of ingredients including various polymers, e.g., acrylates, (meth)acrylates; epoxies; crosslinkers; other heat and cationically curable polymers; and heat or radiation sensitive initiators; not all such compositions are suitable for use, especially in optical applications where clarity and stability are required.

Often, any of these components of an optical element, or other adjacent components, can adversely affect the stability, clarity, bond strength, or other performance property of an adhesive in the same optical element.

As another matter, other optical materials can be particularly fragile, and may, for example, exist in the form of a fragile film.

The fragile film can be a material that is not thermally stable, is not dimensionally stable, is water or humidity sensitive, etc.

Such a material may shrink or otherwise degrade when exposed to a high temperature or high humidity condition.

It can be difficult to include these fragile materials in optical elements, due to such instability.

Images