Radiation-curable poly(.alpha.-olefin) adhesives containing pendant olefinic funtionality

A composition radiation-curable to an adhesive comprising:

• a) an .alpha.-olefin polymer having the general formula:
• ##STR8## wherein x, y, z' and z" are numbers designating the relative molar amounts of monomer units comprising the backbone chain of the polymer such that the polymer has a weight average molecular weight in the range of 50,000 to 3.5 million, x is at least 45 mole percent of (x+y), y is from about 1 to 40 mole percent of (x+y), and (z'+z") is 0.1 to 15 mole percent of (x+y+z'+z") and either of z' or z" can be zero;
• R.sup.1 is an alkyl group having 4 to 8 carbon atoms;
• R.sup.2 is hydrogen or a hydrocarbyl group;
• R.sup.3 is an unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group having 3 to 18 carbon atoms, the unsaturated group of which is separated from the ##STR9## of the .alpha.-olefin polymer backbone by at least one carbon atom, preferably selected from linear and branched alkenyl groups having 3 to 18 carbon atoms, non-conjugated polyethylenically-unsaturated aliphatic groups having 6 to 18 carbon atoms, cyclic alkenyl groups having 5 to 18 carbon atoms, and cyclic non-conjugated polyethylenically-unsaturated groups having 6 to 18 carbon atoms, or R.sup.3 can also be --Q--R.sup.7, wherein R.sup.7 is a C.sub.2 to C.sub.10 monovalent hydrocarbyl group containing one or more ethylenically unsaturated groups and Q is a divalent radical, --O--, or ##STR10## wherein R.sup.8 and R.sup.9 are the same or different C.sub.1 to C.sub.12 monovalent organic groups selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkaryl, alkoxy, and aryloxy groups;
• and
• R.sup.4 is hydrogen or R.sup.4, together with R.sup.3 and the carbon atoms to which they are attached, forms an unsaturated or non-conjugated polyunsaturated monocyclic ring system having 6 to 18 carbon atoms, the unsaturated groups of which are separated from the ##STR11## of the .alpha.-olefin polymer backbone by at least one carbon atom;
• R.sup.5 is hydrogen or a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms or cyclic alkyl group having 5 to 18 carbon atoms;
• and
• R.sup.6 is a linear or branched ethylenically- or non-conjugated polyethylenically-unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 3 to 18 carbon atoms, or a cyclic ethylenically or non-conjugated polyethylenically-unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl group having 5 to 18
• carbon atoms;
• and
• b) an effective amount of a photoactive crosslinking agent to crosslink the composition upon exposure to a source of actinic radiation.