Flexible, fast processing, photopolymerizable composition

A sheet or roll of a photopolymerizable composition on a flexible film support, said photopolymerizable composition being peelable from the support and which on a 100 parts by weight basis consists essentially of:

• A. from about 10 to about 60 parts by weight of an addition polymerizable material comprised of
• (i) from about 5 to about 50 parts by weight of an acrylate having a boiling point greater than about 175.degree. C. and having the formula ##STR15## wherein m is from 1 to 4, n is from 1 to 12, R.sub.1 is selected from the group consisting of H, CH.sub.3 and mixtures thereof and R.sub.2 is selected from the group consisting of unsubstituted phenyl, substituted phenyl, unsubstituted naphthenyl, substituted naphthenyl, branched or unbranched, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl having 5 or 6 carbon atoms in the ring and mixtures thereof and
• (ii) from about 5 to about 50 parts by weight of one or more non-gaseous compounds, containing at least two terminal ethylenic groups and having a boiling point about 100.degree. C.;
• B. from about 0.001 to about 20 parts by weight of a photoinitiated free-radical generating addition polymerization initiating system;
• C. from about 0.001 to about 5 parts by weight of a thermal-addition polymerization inhibitor;
• and
• D. from about 40 to about 90 parts by weight of a preformed macromolecular polymeric binding agent which is a polymer of:
• (i) a first monomeric material which contains one or more non-acidic compounds selected from the group having the general formulas ##STR16## wherein R is hydrogen, an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or a halo group and wherein, when X is hydrogen, Y is OOCR.sub.1, OR.sub.1, OCR.sub.1, COOR.sub.1, CN, CH.dbd.CH.sub.2, ##STR17## or Cl;
• when X is methyl, Y is COOR.sub.1, CN, CH.dbd.CH.sub.2, or ##STR18## and when X is chlorine, Y is Cl;
• and wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl group having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a phenyl group or a benzyl group and R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are hydrogen, an alkyl group having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms or a benzyl group;
• and
• (ii) a second monomeric material which consists essentially of one or more alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid- or anhydride-containing monomers having from 3 to 15 carbon atoms;
• wherein the ratio of the first monomeric material to the second monomeric material is sufficient to render substantially all of the binding agent soluble in a substantially wholly aqueous solution containing 1% by weight of sodium carbonate.

A coated composition of a photopolymerizable composition on a substrate, said photopolymerizable composition being capable of being formed into a storable sheet or roll on a peelable support and which on a 100 parts by weight basis consists essentially of:

• A. from about 10 to about 60 parts by weight of an addition polymerizable material comprised of
• (i) from about 5 to 50 parts by weight of an acrylate having a boiling point greater than about 175.degree. C. and having the formula ##STR20## wherein m is from 1 to 4, n is from 1 to 12, R.sub.1 is selected from the group consisting of H, CH.sub.3 and mixtures thereof and R.sub.2 is selected from the group consisting of unsubstituted phenyl, substituted phenyl, unsubstituted naphthenyl, substituted naphthenyl, branched or unbranched, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl having 5 or 6 carbon atoms in the ring and mixtures thereof and
• (ii) from about 5 to about 50 parts by weight of one or more non-gaseous compounds, containing at least two terminal ethylenic groups and having a boiling point above 100.degree. C.;
• B. from about 0.001 to about 20 parts by weight of a photoinitiated free-radical generating addition polymerizaion initiating system;
• C. from about 0.001 to about 5 parts by weight of a thermal-addition polymerization inhibitor;
• and
• D. from about 40 to about 90 parts by weight of a preformed macromolecular polymer binding agent which is a polymer of:
• (i) a first monomeric material which contains one or more non-acidic compounds selected from the group having the general formulas ##STR21## wherein R is hydrogen, an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or a halo group and wherein, when X is hydrogen, Y is OOCR.sub.1, OR.sub.1, OCR.sub.1, COOR.sub.1, CN, CH.dbd.CH.sub.2, ##STR22## or Cl;
• when X is methyl, Y is COOR.sub.1, CN, CH.dbd.CH.sub.2, or ##STR23## and when X is chlorine, Y is Cl;
• and wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl group having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a phenyl group or a benzyl group and R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are hydrogen, an alkyl group having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms or a benzyl group;
• and
• (ii) second monomeric material which consists essentially of one or more alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid- or anhydride-containing monomers having 3to 15 carbon atoms;
• wherein the ratio of the first monomeric material to the second monomeric material is sufficient to render substantially all of the binding agent soluble in a substantially wholly aqueous solution containing 1% by weight of sodium carbonate.