Microemulsion compositions and methods of making and using same
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsRosa Uy, Chung I Young
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for making a bicontinuous, conductive, pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), such that the starting microemulsion has a convenient viscosity for coating, and such that only a single polmerization step is needed. This has been accomplished by the discovery of a class of thickening agents having a carboxylic acid functionality that are compatible with the microemulsion and yet do not damage the properties of the final adhesive.
Claims21
A polymerizable composition comprising:
- (a) an aqueous microemulsion comprising one or more hydrophobic monomers, one or more hydrophilic and/or amphiphilic monomers, one or more initiators;
- and
- (b) at least one thickening agent comprising a polymer or copolymer of acrylic acid, having a molecular weight between about 200,000 and about 800,000.
A polymerizable composition comprising:
- (a) an aqueous microemulsion comprising one or more hydrophobic monomers, one or more hydrophilic and/or amphiphilic monomers, one or more initiators;
- and
- (b) a thickening agent comprising a solution of a polymer or copolymer of acrylic acid having a molecular weight between about 200,000 and about 800,000.
A method of forming a polymerized microemulsion pressure sensitive adhesive in contact with a substrate, comprising the steps of:
- (1) providing an aqueous microemulsion comprising one or more hydrophobic monomers, one or more hydrophilic and/or amphiphilic monomers and one or more initiators;
- (2) combining the aqueous microemulsion with at least one thickening agent comprising a polymer or copolymer of acrylic acid having a molecular weight between about 200,000 and about 800,000;
- (3) coating the thickened microemulsion onto the substrate;
- and
- (4) irradiating the microemulsion in order to form the pressure sensitive adhesive in contact with the substrate.
A method of forming a polymerized microemulsion pressure sensitive adhesive in contact with a substrate, comprising the steps of:
- (1) mixing hydrophilic monomer(s) and/or amphiphilic monomer(s) in a weight percent ratio of from about 100/0 to about 0/100 to form a first mixture;
- (2) mixing hydrophobic monomer(s), having a glass transition temperature suitable for forming a hydrophobic pressure sensitive adhesive, into the first mixture in a weight percent ratio of from about 80/20 to about 10/90 hydrophobic monomers/first mixture to form a second mixture;
- (3) mixing surfactant(s) into the second mixture in a weight percent ratio of from about 5/95 to about 30/70 surfactant/second mixture to form a third mixture;
- (4) mixing initiator(s) into the third mixture in a weight percent ratio of from about 0.01/99.99 to about 2/98 initiator/third mixture to form a fourth mixture;
- (5) independently, mixing water and water-soluble or water-dispersible additives together in a weight percent ratio of from about 100/0 to about 80/20 to form an aqueous mixture;
- (6) mixing the aqueous mixture and the fourth mixture together in a weight percent ratio of from 5/95 to about 50/50 aqueous mixture/fourth mixture to form a microemulsion;
- (7) mixing the microemulsion with a thickening agent comprising a polymer or copolymer of acrylic acid monomer having a molecular weight between about 200,000 and about 800,000 together in a weight ratio of from about 0.5/99.5 to about 5/95 to form a thickened microemulsion;
- (8) coating the thickened microemulsion onto the substrate;
- and
- (9) irradiating the microemulsion in order to form the pressure sensitive adhesive in contact with the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.