High performance, photoimageable resin compositions and printing plates prepared therefrom

A high performance, photoimageable resin composition comprising:

• (I) in the range of 20 up to about 75 wt % of at least one copolymer comprising:
• (i) 5 up to about 95 mol % of at least one aliphatic conjugated diene monomer,
• (ii) 1 up to about 30 mol % of at least one α,β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, sulfonic acid, phosphonic acid, amine, or ammonium,
• (iii) 0.1 up to about 10 mol % of at least one polyfunctional vinyl monomer,
• (iv) 0 up to about 70 mol % of at least one monofunctional vinyl monomer,
• (v) 0 up to about 50 mol % of at least one emulsifier per mol of free carboxyl, sulfonyl, phosphonyl, ammonium, or amine.
• (II) in the range of 0 up to about 40 wt % of a linear thermoplastic, elastomeric polymer of formula B, or block copolymer having at least one unit of the general formula (A-B), (A-B)n, or (A-B-A), wherein A is a non-elastomeric polymer block having a number average molecular weight in the range of about 2,000 to about 100,000 and a glass transition temperature above about 25° C., and B is an elastomeric polymer or polymer block having a number average molecular weight in the range of about 25,000 to about 1,000,000 and a glass transition temperature below about 10° C.,
• (III) in the range of 0 to about 20 wt % of a (meth)acrylate terminated urethane oligomer having molecular weight from 2000 to about 100,000 having the structure:
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• wherein:
• each R is independently —H or methyl,
• each R1 is independently straight or branched chain lower alkylene, oxyalkylene, alkenylene, and/or oxyalkenylene,
• each R2 is independently straight or branched chain alkylene, cycloalkylene, arylene, or alkylarylene,
• each R3 is independently straight or branched chain alkylene, oxyalkylene, alkenylene, and/or oxyalkenylene, and
• z is 0 to about 100.
• (IV) in the range of 0 up to about 20 wt % of at least one monofunctional, ethylenically unsaturated monomer having the structure:
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• wherein:
• R is —H or methyl, and
• X is an alkyl group having in the range of about 4 up to about 40 carbon atoms,
• (V) in the range of 5 up to about 25 wt % of at least one polyfunctional, ethylenically unsaturated monomer having the core structure:
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• wherein R is as defined above and X′ is selected from:
• (i) alkylene or substituted alkylene having in the range of 1 up to about 50 carbon atoms, and z is 1,
• (ii) oxyalkylene or substituted oxyalkylene having in the range of 1 up to about 200 carbon atoms, and z is 1,
• (iii) a polyvalent alkylene or oxyalkylene moiety, wherein z is 2, 3 or 4, and
• (iv) a bisphenolyl moiety,
• (VI) in the range of 2 to about 35 wt % of a basic nitrogen-containing compound,
• (VII) in the range of 0 to about 20 wt % of at least one plasticizer having carboxyl, sulfonyl, phosphonyl, ammonium, or amine groups, or alkoxylated derivatives thereof, having from 5 to about 500 carbon atoms, or a mixture of any two or more thereof,
• (VIII) in the range of 0 to about 5 wt % of a chain transfer agent,
• (IX) in the range of about 0.01 up to about 10 wt % of a photopolymerization initiation system, and
• (X) in the range of 0 to about 5 wt % of a tack reducing agent,
• with the proviso that (III) or (VIII) is present in the composition.