CA1200713A - Photopolymerizable mixtures and photocurable elements produced therefrom - Google Patents
Photopolymerizable mixtures and photocurable elements produced therefromInfo
- Publication number
- CA1200713A CA1200713A CA000411306A CA411306A CA1200713A CA 1200713 A CA1200713 A CA 1200713A CA 000411306 A CA000411306 A CA 000411306A CA 411306 A CA411306 A CA 411306A CA 1200713 A CA1200713 A CA 1200713A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- glass transition
- blocks
- photopolymerizable
- block
- polymer
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
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Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
- C08F—MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS
- C08F287/00—Macromolecular compounds obtained by polymerising monomers on to block polymers
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
- G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
- G03F7/004—Photosensitive materials
- G03F7/027—Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds
- G03F7/032—Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds with binders
- G03F7/033—Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds with binders the binders being polymers obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. vinyl polymers
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S430/00—Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product thereof
- Y10S430/1053—Imaging affecting physical property or radiation sensitive material, or producing nonplanar or printing surface - process, composition, or product: radiation sensitive composition or product or process of making binder containing
- Y10S430/1055—Radiation sensitive composition or product or process of making
- Y10S430/106—Binder containing
- Y10S430/108—Polyolefin or halogen containing
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure: Photopolymerizable mixtures of (a) one or more block copolymers, (b) one or more photopolymerizable, ethylenically unsaturated, low mole-cular weight compounds and (c) a photopolymerization initia-tor, with or without (d) other additives, contain as com-ponent (a) block copolymers which are composed solely of elastomeric polymer blocks, and contain two or more elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition tem-perature of from -20°C to +15°C, linked by one or more elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition tem-perature of below -20°C.
Description
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- O . Z, 0050/35437 Photopolymerizable mixtures and photocurable elements produced t herefrom The present invent;on relates to photopolymeriz-ab~e m;xtures for the production of photocurable adhe5ives, webs of resilient~and flexible sheet ma~-erial, and relief plates~ which, in addition to a photoinitiator and one or more ethylenic-ally unsaturated~ ~o~ molecular ~eight compounds contain an elastomeric block copolymer~
Photopolymeri7able m;xtures for the production of shaped articles~ in particular of relief printing plates for flexographic printing, are knoNn per se and are dis closed in, for example9 British Patents 1~366,769 and 1,395~822, German Laid-Open Applications ~05 2,815,67~, DOS Z,939,989 and D05 2,942,183 and U.S. Patents 3,674,486 4,045,231, 4,162,~19 and 4,179,531. These conventional photopo~ymerizable mixtures contain, as the polymer for the relief-forming photopolymerizable layer, an elastomer-ic block copo~ymer ~hich in addition to one or more elasto-meric polymer blocks, for example containing isoprene or buta-diene units, contains one or more non-elas~omeric, thermo~
plastic polymer blocks, for example of polystyrene. Ho~-ever, the relief printing plates produced f rom these photopolymerizable mixtures tend, on storage, especially if mounted on a press cylinder, to develop crazing in the printing surface. This crazing greatly !owers the quality of the prints and a printing pla~e, once it has been produced, becomes~ in a matter of days, unfit for re-use.
It is an object of the present invention to pro-~Z~ 7~3 vide photopolymerizable mixtures which are suitable for the production of relief plates, especially for the production of flexographic printing plates, can be produced simply, economically and with readily reproductible properties, can be processed by conventional methods and give relief printing plates which not only produce true-to-original prints and exhibit good resistance to conventional printing ink solvents but also have very little tendency to craze, so that they can be re-used a large number of times even after prolonged storage.
We have found that, surprisingly, this object is achieved if the photopolymerizable mixture contains, as a polymeric binder, an elastomeric block copolymer composed of three or more polymer blocks, of which none is a thermoplastic block, the polymer being composed, instead, solely of elasto-meric polymer blocks with different glass transition tempera-tures.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a photopolymerizable mixture which contains (a) from 40 to 99%
by weight, based on (a) and (b), of at least one block copolymer which is soluble in a developer solvent and consists only of elastomeric polymer blocks, at least two elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of from -20C to +15C and at least one elastomeric polymer block located between two such blocks and having a glass transition temperat~re of below -20C, (b) from l to 60% by weight, based on (a) and (b), of at least one photopolymerizable ethylenically unsaturated low molecular weight compound compatible with the elastomeric block copolymer (a), (c) from 0.1 to 10% by weight, based on the total photopolymerizable mixture, of at least one photopolymerization initiator, and ~d) from 0 to 40~ by weight, based on the total photopolym-erizable mixture, of one or more suitable additives.
The invention further relates to the production ofphotosensitive multilayer elements which are suitable for the production of relief printing plates and which contain a photosensitive layer of the above photopolymerizable mixture on a dimensionally stable base. The invention yet further relates to special embodiments oE the photopolymerizable mixtures and of the multilayer elements, as described in detail below.
Since, in the prior art, photopolymerizable mixtures only employed block copolymers which contained one or more thermoplastic polymer blocks, it was not only sur-prising that photopolymerizable mixtures suitable for the production of relief printing plates are obtained even if a block copolymer composed only of elastomeric blocks is used as the polymeric binder, but it was also entirely unforesee-able that using the photopolymerizable mixtures according to the invention it would be possible to produce relief printing plates which in addition to having excellent printing properties and performance characteristics would also, without any special additional measures, `tf,~ ~b 12(~07~3 - 4 - 0.Z. 0050/35437 exhibit high res;stance to crazing on storage.
The photopolymerizable mixtures according to the invention containf as the binder component (a), block co-polymers which are devoid of thermoplastic blocks and are composed of three or more elastomeric polymer bLocks, there being Located, between t~o eLastomeric polymer bLocks having a glass transition te~perature of from -20C to ~15C, one or more, and preferably only one, - eLastomeric polymer block different from the said two poly-mer blocks and having a gLass transition temperature of beLo~ -20C. The elastomeric poLymer blocks having a gLass transition temperature of from -zoQc to +15C may be identical or different, both in respect of chemical structure or in respect of mo~ecuLar ~eight, bu~ ;t has proved advantageous if they are identical~ Moreover, the block copolymers to be empLoyed according to the invention can also conta;n a plurality of elastomeric polymer bLocks hav;ng a glass transition temperature of below -~0C, pro-vided there is at least one such block between two elasto-meric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of from 20C to +15C. Preferred elastomeric block copolymers are those where the elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of from -20C to ~15C are the terminal blocks. These include not only three-block copolymers but also, for example, five-block or seven-block copolymers. Preferred block copolymers to use in the novel photopoly~erizable mixtures are elasto-meric three-block copolymers in ~hich the two terminal eLastomeric polymer blocks having glass transition tem-~U17i3 ,, 5 _ O.Z. 0050/35437peratures of from -~0C to ~15C are linked by a central elastomeric polymer block having a glass transition tem-perature of belo~ -20C~.
The eLastomeric blsck copolymers ta~ used in the novel mixtures in generaL have an intrinsic viscosity, ~easured in O~SX strength by ~eight toluene solution at 25C, of from about 60 to 350 ml/g and especially from about 100 to 200 ml/g~ cQrresponding to a mean molecular - - ~eight Mv of from 60,000 to 300,000, preferably from about 100,000 to 200,0aO. The elastomeric po~ymer b~ocks having a g-ass transition temperature of from -20C to +15C
usual~y have a viscosity-average molecular ~eight of from 5,000 to about 100,000; the viscosity-average molecular weight of the elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transit;on temperature of belo~ -20C is on the other hand in genera~ from about 20,000 to 200~000. The proportion of the individual poLymer blocks in the bLock copolymer can vary ~ithin ~ide limits, for example~ the elastomeric polymer bloGk or blocks haYing a glass transition tempera-ture of below 20C can account for from 10 to 90X by weight of the total block copoLymer. Very suitable block copolymers contain from 40 to 90% by weight of elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of below -20C and from 6~ to 10X by weight of eLastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of from -20C to +15C~
The elastomeric bl~ck copolymers to be used accord-ing to the invention are in par~;cular synthesized from a~iphatic conjugated diolefins and vinyl aromatic hydro-~017~L3 carbons. Preferred diolefins are the aliphatic conjug-ated diene hydrocarbons of 4 or 5 carbon atoms, especially butadiene and isoprene~ Amongst vinyL~aromatic hydro-sarbons, s~yrene and styrene derivatives~ eg. nuclear-substituted and sidecha;n-substituted styrenes, are parti-cular~y suitable~ Styrene and styrene derivatives are, ~o~ s;mp~ic;ty~ herea~ter re~err~d to co-~ecti~e~y as styrene monomers. Specific examples of styrene monomers are ~-methylstyrene, viny~toluenes, tertO-butylstyrene and especially styrene itseLf.
The elastomeric polymer block having a glass transition temperature of belo~ -Z0C can be, for example, a pure poLybutadiene block or polyisoprene block;
ho~ever~ the polymer block can also be a copolymer of butadiene and isoprene or of butadiene and/or isoprene and styrene monomers in random distribution of the monomer units~ If the eLastomeric polymer block having a glass transition telnpera$ure of below -20C contains styrene monomer units~ the proport;on of these must be such tha~
the glass transition temperature of the block remains below -2aoc. Preferably~ the said polymer blocks are p~re poLybutadiene blocks or, more preferably still, pure poly-isoprene blocks.
In YieW of their different glass transition tem-peratures, the elastomeric polymer blocks having a transi-tion temperature of from ~20C to +15C are also different ~n chemical structure from the elastomeric polymer block having a glass transition temperature of below -20C.
For example, the former bLocks can be butadiene homopoLymer ~Z~13 - 7 ~ O.Z. OG50/35437 bloc~s in ~hich more than 75X by ~eight of the poly~erized butadiene units have the 1,Z-configuration, or isoprene homopolymer blocks in ~hich more than 40X by weight of the polymerized isoprene units have the 3,4-configuration.
More especially, however, the elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of from -20C to ~15C are copoLymer blocks of aLiphatic conjugated diene hydrocarbons of 4 or 5 carbon atom¢O eg. butadiene and/or isoprene, and styrene monomers, the d;str;bution of the eomonomer units in the bLock being random. The proportion of copoLymeri ed diene hydrocarbon units in such a random copolymer block is advantageousLy from 65 to 30X by ~eight, especially from 50 to 30X by weight, ~hilst ~hat of the copolymerized styrene units is advantageously from 35 to 70X by weight, especially from 50 to 70X by weight, in each case based on the weight of the random copolymer block, the proportions of the various comonomers being subject, in particular, to the limits imposed by the required glass transition temperature of the block.
Typical examp~es of the eLastomeric block copoly-mers to be employed according to the invention are threP-block copolymers wherein the t~o terminal polymer b~ocks are random copolymer blocks of styrene and butad;ene and/
or isoprene, whilst the central polymer block is a butadiene or isoprene homopolymer block.
The elastomeric block copolymers employed in the photopolymerizable mixtures according to the invention can be obtained by conventional methods of preparation. For example, the block copolymers of al~phatic diene hydro-~;~0~713 carbons and styrene monomer~ can advantageously be prepared by sequentiaL anionic polymerization, advantageously using - uhere random copolymer blocks are to be obtained - the monomer feed technique. For details of the methods of preparation of block copolymers, re~erence may be made So the relevant literature.
For certain app~ications, and to obtain improved oxidation resistance and aging resistance, the elastomeric block copo~ymers based on diene hydrocarbons can also be partially or co~pletely hydrogenatedl Such block copoly~
mers also include selectively hydrogenated products in which only the o~efinic doub(e bonds but not the aromatic double bonds have been hydrogenated~
Depending on the particular applications it is of course also possible to use, as the polymeric binder (a) in the photopolymerizab~e mixture, a m;xture of elastomeric block copolymers of the stated type and/or a mixture ~ith ~;nor amounts of other~ compatible poLymers, especially e~astomers.
--By vary;ng the nature of the elastomeric b~ock copolymers used~ for example ;n respect of the molecular ~eights and chemical composition of the individual polymer blocks, it is possible to control the mechanical proper-t;es and use character;stics of the novel photopolymer;z-~ble mixtures ~ithin a ~;de range, to suit the particular app~ication. For examp~e, from the point of vie~ of handling non-crossl;nked, unexposed layers of the novel photopolymerizable mixtures it is advantageous to formu-late m;xtures ~hich have very l;ttle tendency to cold~flow 7 ~ 3 _ ~ ~ O Z. 0050/35437 and to mnder~o plastic deformation, and which in general.are ~irm and non-tacky at room te~perature~
As component (b), the photopoLymerizable mixtures according to the ;nvention contain one or more photopoly-~erizable ethylenically unsaturated lo~ molecular weight compounds which are compatible ~;th the elastomeric block copolymer (a) and in general have a boi ling point of above 100C under atmospheric ~ressure~ Suitable photopoly-merizabLe ethylenically ~nsaturated low molecuLar weight compounds which in general have a molecular weight of be~o~ 3,00aO preferably o~ up to 2,000, are the pho~opoly-~rizable monomers and/or oligomers conventionally employed in photopolymerizable mixtures, as describedO for example, in U.S. Patents 2,760,~63 and 3,060,02~. Amongst the photopolymerizable, ethylenically unsaturated lo~ moLecular weight compounds~ the esters of acryLic acid and/or meth-acrylic acid with monohydric or polyhydric alcohols are particularly important. They include, inter alia, butyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate~ 2-ethylhexyl acryLate, laury~ acrylate and methacrylate, ethyLene glycol diacryl-ate and dimethacrylate, butane-1,4-dioL diacry~ate and di-methacrylate, neopentyL glycol d;acrylate and dimethacrylate, 3-methylpentanediol d;acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl acrylate and methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyL acrylate and me~hacrylate, hexane-1,6-dio~ diacrylate and dimethacrylate, 1,1,1-tri-methylolpropane triacrylate and trimethacryla~e, d;ethylene glycol d;acrylate, triethy~ene glycol diacrylate, tetra-ethylene glycol diacrylate, tripropylene glycol diacrylate and pentaerythritol tetraacrylate. Vinyl esters of ali-)07~3 phatic monocarboxylic acids, eg. vinyL oleate, and vinyl ethers of alcohoLs, such as octadecyl vinyl ether and butane-1,4-diol divinyl ether, are aLso suitabLe~ Further suitab~e components (b) of the novel photopolymnerizable mixtures are the diesters of fumaric acid and maLeic acid, as described, for example, in German Laid-Open Application DOS 2~815,678~ and reaction products of OH-terminated oligo-meric poLybutadienes with maLeic anhydr;de or acry~ic or methacrylic acid, these reaction products being oligomeric polybutadienes having activated~ photopolymerizable ole-~i~ic doub~e bonds.
Yery suttab~e photopo~ymer;zabLe m;xtures accord-ing to the invention contain from 60 to 95% by ~eigh~ of the elastomeric block copolymer (a) and from 40 to 5X by weight of the photopoLymerizable ethylenicaLly unsatura-ted to~ moLecuLar weight compound (b), the percentages ;n each case being based on the sum of the components ~a) and (b~.
The photopoLymerizable mixture in addition contains an effective amount, in generaL from 0.01 to 1~X by ~eight and especialLy from 0.05 to 5% by ~eight, based on the tota~ mixture, of one or more photopoLymerization initia-tors, for example benzoin, benzoin derivatives, eg. the methyL~ isopropyL, n-butyL or iso~butyl ether, symmetric-ally or unsymmetrically substituted benziL ketals, such as benzil dimethyL ketaL and benzil methyL ethyL ketaL, acyl-phosphine oxide~ of the type described, for exampLe,-in German Laid-Open Application DOS 2,909,992, and substitu-ted and unsubstituted quinones, eg~ ethyLanthraquinone, 7~3 ~ 11 Z 0050/35437 benzanthraquinone~ benzophenone and 4,4'-bis-(d;methyL-amino)-benzophenone. The photopoLymerization initiators can be used individually or as mixtures with one another or conjointLy ~ith other co~initiators; for example ethyl~
anthraqu;none can be used ~;th 4~4'-bis-(dimethylamino)-benzophenone, benzoin methyL ether with triphenyLphosphine and diacyl-phosphine oxides ~ith tertiary amines.
The photopoLymerizable mix~ures can contain other additives and assistants such as are conventionally employed to improve the handling and processing of mixtures of the type in qwestion. Such addit;Yes in part;cular incLude thermal polymerization inhibitors, for example p-methoxyphenol, hydroquinone, 2,6~di-tert.-butyl-p-cresol, ~-naphthoL, m-d1nitrobenzene, N-nitrosoamines, eg. N-n;trosodiphenylamine, and saLts, for example the potassium and aLuminum salt, of nitrosocycLohexylhydroxylamineO
Such inhibitors must be devoid of any substantial characteristic absorption in the actinic range in which the photoinitiator e~pLoyed absorbs. The photopolymerization inh;b;tors are in general empLoyed in amounts of from O~On1 to 2X by ~eight, preferably from 0.005 to 0.5% by ~eight, based on the total mixture. Specifica~ly in mix-tures according to the invent;on ~hich contain elastomeric bLock copolymers having polybutadiene blocks~ it is advis-abLe to use inhibitors which act as an antioxidant pre-venting oxidative rubber degradation.
- The novel photopol~nerizable mixtures can moreover contain dyes or photochromic additives to control the exposure characteristics. Dyes or pigments ~ay also be 7:13 12 ~ O Z 0050/35437 ~dded for identification purposes or esthetic purposes, provided that the dyes do not strongly absorb the actinic radiation and provided that they do not interfere ~ith the photopolymerization reaction.
~ he photopolymeri2able mixtures may moreover advantageously contain other additives, for example com-patibLe plastici2ers, waxes, fi~rs or crossl;nking assistants, with the a;d of ~hich certain specia~ proper-ties depending on the particu~ar applica~ion can be obtained and improved~ For example, it is advisabLe to add p~astic;zers, espec7a~ly if the photopoLymerizable mix tures are to b~ employed for the production of resilient and flexible coatings having good impact resilience such as are required, ~or example, in photopolymerizable recording materiaLs for the production of resilient and f(exible relief printing piates. Examples of p~asticizers are phthalic acid esters, paraffin oi~s, naphthenic and/or a~romatic oils and lo~ molecular weight liquid polyisoprene or polybutadiene compounds. Addition o~ other materials, for example certain polymers or fillers, eg. oligomeric styrene, lo~ molecular ~eight styrene copolymers, randomstyrene/butadiene copolymers ~ith high styrene contents or d~-methy~styrene copolymers, can increase the hardness of exposed layers which have been produced from the photo-polymeri7able mixtures according to the invention.
Examples of further addi~ives are sllicas uith refractive indices matched to that of the photopolymerizable mixture, especially hydrophob;c silicas with large surface areas;
lubrlcants, for example calcium stearate, or anti-stick agents, '7~ 3 - 13 - O.Z 0050/35437 for ~xample small a~ounts of talc~ The addit;ves which influence the resilience and hardness are in general e~ployed in amo~nts of from S to 30X by weight, based on the tota~ photopo~y~er;zab~e mixture. Moreover, cross-~ink;ng assistants can be added to lmprove the exposure characteristics of the photopolymerizable m;xtures, examples being trifunctional or tetrafunctional mercapto compounds, as described for photopolymerizable mixtures of the type ir, question in, inter alia, U~S. Patents 4,179,531 and 4~234,676. For use as photocurable adhesives, tack;fying resins~ for example hydrocarbon resins, rosin esters, polyterpenes, coumaron~e-indene resins etc., can be added to the novel photopolymerizable mixtures, as can compounds of the type described in~ for example, U.S.
Patent 4~133,731. The proportion of the additives andlor assistants in the photopolymerizable mixture shou~d in general not e~ceed a total of 40X by ~eight and is usually from 5 to 30X by weight, based on the totaL mixture.
The novel photopolymerizable mixtures can be pre-pared in a conventional manner, by homogeneously mix;ng the individual co~ponents~ for example in solution~ or in a kneader or mixer. The novel mixtures have good process-ability and are particularly suitable for the production of photosensitive layers for, eg., coatings, adhesives or resilient and flexible layers.
Layers of the desired thickness can be produced from the mixtures by, for example, casting a solution in a suitable solvent (such as toluene, xylene, cyclohexane, tetrahydro~
furan, methyl isobutyl ketone or tetrachloroe~hylene) on 71l;3 ~ 14 - Z 0050/35437 an appropr;ate base; th;s is readily poss;ble because the eLastomer;c block copolymers used in~She novel mixtures have lo~ solution viscosities and hence homogenizing the constituents of the mixture is easy. Layers of the mix-ture can also be produced by compression molding, extru-sion and calendering, and given a suitable choice of inhibitors no incipient thermal crosslinking ~ill occur.
The thickness of the layers can be varied within ~ide lim;ts and easily be chosen to suit the particuLar applica-tion~
In particular, the novel photopolymerizable mix-tures for photosensitive mu1tilaye~ elements are useful in the production of relief plates, for example resists and~
especially, resilient and flexible relief plates for f~exograph;c printing. Such photopolymerizable recording ~aterials in general contain a photopolymerizable layer of the noveL mixture c,n a dimensionally stable base, the thickness of the layer us~al~y being from 0.01 to 6.5 mm.
Suitab~e bases for the photosensitivemultilayer recording materiàls are flexible, dimensionally stable materials having a sufficiently high modulus of elasticity.
These include ~heet~ or foils ma~e-~of metal, for example steel, aluminum and copper, as well as fi lms of high polymers5 for example of polyethylene tere-phthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, nylon or polycar-bonate. The choice of the base is not restricted to sheets, foils or films; woven fabrics, eg g-lass fiber fabrics, or nonwovens may aiso be used as bases. The photopoly-merizable layer can be directly anchored to a base of high - 15 - O.Z. 0050/35437 strength and dimensional stability; however, to obtain thicker plates,the thickness corresponding to that of conventional rubber plates which are ~Isua~ly used ~or flexographic printing, it is possible to use, as a substrate ~or the photopolymerizable layer, other resilient and flexible underlayers which in turn are firmly bonded to a dimensionally stable base. For example, it is possible to employ, for multilayer elements, the resilient and flexible under-layers described in German Laid-Open Application DOS
- O . Z, 0050/35437 Photopolymerizable mixtures and photocurable elements produced t herefrom The present invent;on relates to photopolymeriz-ab~e m;xtures for the production of photocurable adhe5ives, webs of resilient~and flexible sheet ma~-erial, and relief plates~ which, in addition to a photoinitiator and one or more ethylenic-ally unsaturated~ ~o~ molecular ~eight compounds contain an elastomeric block copolymer~
Photopolymeri7able m;xtures for the production of shaped articles~ in particular of relief printing plates for flexographic printing, are knoNn per se and are dis closed in, for example9 British Patents 1~366,769 and 1,395~822, German Laid-Open Applications ~05 2,815,67~, DOS Z,939,989 and D05 2,942,183 and U.S. Patents 3,674,486 4,045,231, 4,162,~19 and 4,179,531. These conventional photopo~ymerizable mixtures contain, as the polymer for the relief-forming photopolymerizable layer, an elastomer-ic block copo~ymer ~hich in addition to one or more elasto-meric polymer blocks, for example containing isoprene or buta-diene units, contains one or more non-elas~omeric, thermo~
plastic polymer blocks, for example of polystyrene. Ho~-ever, the relief printing plates produced f rom these photopolymerizable mixtures tend, on storage, especially if mounted on a press cylinder, to develop crazing in the printing surface. This crazing greatly !owers the quality of the prints and a printing pla~e, once it has been produced, becomes~ in a matter of days, unfit for re-use.
It is an object of the present invention to pro-~Z~ 7~3 vide photopolymerizable mixtures which are suitable for the production of relief plates, especially for the production of flexographic printing plates, can be produced simply, economically and with readily reproductible properties, can be processed by conventional methods and give relief printing plates which not only produce true-to-original prints and exhibit good resistance to conventional printing ink solvents but also have very little tendency to craze, so that they can be re-used a large number of times even after prolonged storage.
We have found that, surprisingly, this object is achieved if the photopolymerizable mixture contains, as a polymeric binder, an elastomeric block copolymer composed of three or more polymer blocks, of which none is a thermoplastic block, the polymer being composed, instead, solely of elasto-meric polymer blocks with different glass transition tempera-tures.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a photopolymerizable mixture which contains (a) from 40 to 99%
by weight, based on (a) and (b), of at least one block copolymer which is soluble in a developer solvent and consists only of elastomeric polymer blocks, at least two elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of from -20C to +15C and at least one elastomeric polymer block located between two such blocks and having a glass transition temperat~re of below -20C, (b) from l to 60% by weight, based on (a) and (b), of at least one photopolymerizable ethylenically unsaturated low molecular weight compound compatible with the elastomeric block copolymer (a), (c) from 0.1 to 10% by weight, based on the total photopolymerizable mixture, of at least one photopolymerization initiator, and ~d) from 0 to 40~ by weight, based on the total photopolym-erizable mixture, of one or more suitable additives.
The invention further relates to the production ofphotosensitive multilayer elements which are suitable for the production of relief printing plates and which contain a photosensitive layer of the above photopolymerizable mixture on a dimensionally stable base. The invention yet further relates to special embodiments oE the photopolymerizable mixtures and of the multilayer elements, as described in detail below.
Since, in the prior art, photopolymerizable mixtures only employed block copolymers which contained one or more thermoplastic polymer blocks, it was not only sur-prising that photopolymerizable mixtures suitable for the production of relief printing plates are obtained even if a block copolymer composed only of elastomeric blocks is used as the polymeric binder, but it was also entirely unforesee-able that using the photopolymerizable mixtures according to the invention it would be possible to produce relief printing plates which in addition to having excellent printing properties and performance characteristics would also, without any special additional measures, `tf,~ ~b 12(~07~3 - 4 - 0.Z. 0050/35437 exhibit high res;stance to crazing on storage.
The photopolymerizable mixtures according to the invention containf as the binder component (a), block co-polymers which are devoid of thermoplastic blocks and are composed of three or more elastomeric polymer bLocks, there being Located, between t~o eLastomeric polymer bLocks having a glass transition te~perature of from -20C to ~15C, one or more, and preferably only one, - eLastomeric polymer block different from the said two poly-mer blocks and having a gLass transition temperature of beLo~ -20C. The elastomeric poLymer blocks having a gLass transition temperature of from -zoQc to +15C may be identical or different, both in respect of chemical structure or in respect of mo~ecuLar ~eight, bu~ ;t has proved advantageous if they are identical~ Moreover, the block copolymers to be empLoyed according to the invention can also conta;n a plurality of elastomeric polymer bLocks hav;ng a glass transition temperature of below -~0C, pro-vided there is at least one such block between two elasto-meric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of from 20C to +15C. Preferred elastomeric block copolymers are those where the elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of from -20C to ~15C are the terminal blocks. These include not only three-block copolymers but also, for example, five-block or seven-block copolymers. Preferred block copolymers to use in the novel photopoly~erizable mixtures are elasto-meric three-block copolymers in ~hich the two terminal eLastomeric polymer blocks having glass transition tem-~U17i3 ,, 5 _ O.Z. 0050/35437peratures of from -~0C to ~15C are linked by a central elastomeric polymer block having a glass transition tem-perature of belo~ -20C~.
The eLastomeric blsck copolymers ta~ used in the novel mixtures in generaL have an intrinsic viscosity, ~easured in O~SX strength by ~eight toluene solution at 25C, of from about 60 to 350 ml/g and especially from about 100 to 200 ml/g~ cQrresponding to a mean molecular - - ~eight Mv of from 60,000 to 300,000, preferably from about 100,000 to 200,0aO. The elastomeric po~ymer b~ocks having a g-ass transition temperature of from -20C to +15C
usual~y have a viscosity-average molecular ~eight of from 5,000 to about 100,000; the viscosity-average molecular weight of the elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transit;on temperature of belo~ -20C is on the other hand in genera~ from about 20,000 to 200~000. The proportion of the individual poLymer blocks in the bLock copolymer can vary ~ithin ~ide limits, for example~ the elastomeric polymer bloGk or blocks haYing a glass transition tempera-ture of below 20C can account for from 10 to 90X by weight of the total block copoLymer. Very suitable block copolymers contain from 40 to 90% by weight of elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of below -20C and from 6~ to 10X by weight of eLastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of from -20C to +15C~
The elastomeric bl~ck copolymers to be used accord-ing to the invention are in par~;cular synthesized from a~iphatic conjugated diolefins and vinyl aromatic hydro-~017~L3 carbons. Preferred diolefins are the aliphatic conjug-ated diene hydrocarbons of 4 or 5 carbon atoms, especially butadiene and isoprene~ Amongst vinyL~aromatic hydro-sarbons, s~yrene and styrene derivatives~ eg. nuclear-substituted and sidecha;n-substituted styrenes, are parti-cular~y suitable~ Styrene and styrene derivatives are, ~o~ s;mp~ic;ty~ herea~ter re~err~d to co-~ecti~e~y as styrene monomers. Specific examples of styrene monomers are ~-methylstyrene, viny~toluenes, tertO-butylstyrene and especially styrene itseLf.
The elastomeric polymer block having a glass transition temperature of belo~ -Z0C can be, for example, a pure poLybutadiene block or polyisoprene block;
ho~ever~ the polymer block can also be a copolymer of butadiene and isoprene or of butadiene and/or isoprene and styrene monomers in random distribution of the monomer units~ If the eLastomeric polymer block having a glass transition telnpera$ure of below -20C contains styrene monomer units~ the proport;on of these must be such tha~
the glass transition temperature of the block remains below -2aoc. Preferably~ the said polymer blocks are p~re poLybutadiene blocks or, more preferably still, pure poly-isoprene blocks.
In YieW of their different glass transition tem-peratures, the elastomeric polymer blocks having a transi-tion temperature of from ~20C to +15C are also different ~n chemical structure from the elastomeric polymer block having a glass transition temperature of below -20C.
For example, the former bLocks can be butadiene homopoLymer ~Z~13 - 7 ~ O.Z. OG50/35437 bloc~s in ~hich more than 75X by ~eight of the poly~erized butadiene units have the 1,Z-configuration, or isoprene homopolymer blocks in ~hich more than 40X by weight of the polymerized isoprene units have the 3,4-configuration.
More especially, however, the elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of from -20C to ~15C are copoLymer blocks of aLiphatic conjugated diene hydrocarbons of 4 or 5 carbon atom¢O eg. butadiene and/or isoprene, and styrene monomers, the d;str;bution of the eomonomer units in the bLock being random. The proportion of copoLymeri ed diene hydrocarbon units in such a random copolymer block is advantageousLy from 65 to 30X by ~eight, especially from 50 to 30X by weight, ~hilst ~hat of the copolymerized styrene units is advantageously from 35 to 70X by weight, especially from 50 to 70X by weight, in each case based on the weight of the random copolymer block, the proportions of the various comonomers being subject, in particular, to the limits imposed by the required glass transition temperature of the block.
Typical examp~es of the eLastomeric block copoly-mers to be employed according to the invention are threP-block copolymers wherein the t~o terminal polymer b~ocks are random copolymer blocks of styrene and butad;ene and/
or isoprene, whilst the central polymer block is a butadiene or isoprene homopolymer block.
The elastomeric block copolymers employed in the photopolymerizable mixtures according to the invention can be obtained by conventional methods of preparation. For example, the block copolymers of al~phatic diene hydro-~;~0~713 carbons and styrene monomer~ can advantageously be prepared by sequentiaL anionic polymerization, advantageously using - uhere random copolymer blocks are to be obtained - the monomer feed technique. For details of the methods of preparation of block copolymers, re~erence may be made So the relevant literature.
For certain app~ications, and to obtain improved oxidation resistance and aging resistance, the elastomeric block copo~ymers based on diene hydrocarbons can also be partially or co~pletely hydrogenatedl Such block copoly~
mers also include selectively hydrogenated products in which only the o~efinic doub(e bonds but not the aromatic double bonds have been hydrogenated~
Depending on the particular applications it is of course also possible to use, as the polymeric binder (a) in the photopolymerizab~e mixture, a m;xture of elastomeric block copolymers of the stated type and/or a mixture ~ith ~;nor amounts of other~ compatible poLymers, especially e~astomers.
--By vary;ng the nature of the elastomeric b~ock copolymers used~ for example ;n respect of the molecular ~eights and chemical composition of the individual polymer blocks, it is possible to control the mechanical proper-t;es and use character;stics of the novel photopolymer;z-~ble mixtures ~ithin a ~;de range, to suit the particular app~ication. For examp~e, from the point of vie~ of handling non-crossl;nked, unexposed layers of the novel photopolymerizable mixtures it is advantageous to formu-late m;xtures ~hich have very l;ttle tendency to cold~flow 7 ~ 3 _ ~ ~ O Z. 0050/35437 and to mnder~o plastic deformation, and which in general.are ~irm and non-tacky at room te~perature~
As component (b), the photopoLymerizable mixtures according to the ;nvention contain one or more photopoly-~erizable ethylenically unsaturated lo~ molecular weight compounds which are compatible ~;th the elastomeric block copolymer (a) and in general have a boi ling point of above 100C under atmospheric ~ressure~ Suitable photopoly-merizabLe ethylenically ~nsaturated low molecuLar weight compounds which in general have a molecular weight of be~o~ 3,00aO preferably o~ up to 2,000, are the pho~opoly-~rizable monomers and/or oligomers conventionally employed in photopolymerizable mixtures, as describedO for example, in U.S. Patents 2,760,~63 and 3,060,02~. Amongst the photopolymerizable, ethylenically unsaturated lo~ moLecular weight compounds~ the esters of acryLic acid and/or meth-acrylic acid with monohydric or polyhydric alcohols are particularly important. They include, inter alia, butyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate~ 2-ethylhexyl acryLate, laury~ acrylate and methacrylate, ethyLene glycol diacryl-ate and dimethacrylate, butane-1,4-dioL diacry~ate and di-methacrylate, neopentyL glycol d;acrylate and dimethacrylate, 3-methylpentanediol d;acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl acrylate and methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyL acrylate and me~hacrylate, hexane-1,6-dio~ diacrylate and dimethacrylate, 1,1,1-tri-methylolpropane triacrylate and trimethacryla~e, d;ethylene glycol d;acrylate, triethy~ene glycol diacrylate, tetra-ethylene glycol diacrylate, tripropylene glycol diacrylate and pentaerythritol tetraacrylate. Vinyl esters of ali-)07~3 phatic monocarboxylic acids, eg. vinyL oleate, and vinyl ethers of alcohoLs, such as octadecyl vinyl ether and butane-1,4-diol divinyl ether, are aLso suitabLe~ Further suitab~e components (b) of the novel photopolymnerizable mixtures are the diesters of fumaric acid and maLeic acid, as described, for example, in German Laid-Open Application DOS 2~815,678~ and reaction products of OH-terminated oligo-meric poLybutadienes with maLeic anhydr;de or acry~ic or methacrylic acid, these reaction products being oligomeric polybutadienes having activated~ photopolymerizable ole-~i~ic doub~e bonds.
Yery suttab~e photopo~ymer;zabLe m;xtures accord-ing to the invention contain from 60 to 95% by ~eigh~ of the elastomeric block copolymer (a) and from 40 to 5X by weight of the photopoLymerizable ethylenicaLly unsatura-ted to~ moLecuLar weight compound (b), the percentages ;n each case being based on the sum of the components ~a) and (b~.
The photopoLymerizable mixture in addition contains an effective amount, in generaL from 0.01 to 1~X by ~eight and especialLy from 0.05 to 5% by ~eight, based on the tota~ mixture, of one or more photopoLymerization initia-tors, for example benzoin, benzoin derivatives, eg. the methyL~ isopropyL, n-butyL or iso~butyl ether, symmetric-ally or unsymmetrically substituted benziL ketals, such as benzil dimethyL ketaL and benzil methyL ethyL ketaL, acyl-phosphine oxide~ of the type described, for exampLe,-in German Laid-Open Application DOS 2,909,992, and substitu-ted and unsubstituted quinones, eg~ ethyLanthraquinone, 7~3 ~ 11 Z 0050/35437 benzanthraquinone~ benzophenone and 4,4'-bis-(d;methyL-amino)-benzophenone. The photopoLymerization initiators can be used individually or as mixtures with one another or conjointLy ~ith other co~initiators; for example ethyl~
anthraqu;none can be used ~;th 4~4'-bis-(dimethylamino)-benzophenone, benzoin methyL ether with triphenyLphosphine and diacyl-phosphine oxides ~ith tertiary amines.
The photopoLymerizable mix~ures can contain other additives and assistants such as are conventionally employed to improve the handling and processing of mixtures of the type in qwestion. Such addit;Yes in part;cular incLude thermal polymerization inhibitors, for example p-methoxyphenol, hydroquinone, 2,6~di-tert.-butyl-p-cresol, ~-naphthoL, m-d1nitrobenzene, N-nitrosoamines, eg. N-n;trosodiphenylamine, and saLts, for example the potassium and aLuminum salt, of nitrosocycLohexylhydroxylamineO
Such inhibitors must be devoid of any substantial characteristic absorption in the actinic range in which the photoinitiator e~pLoyed absorbs. The photopolymerization inh;b;tors are in general empLoyed in amounts of from O~On1 to 2X by ~eight, preferably from 0.005 to 0.5% by ~eight, based on the total mixture. Specifica~ly in mix-tures according to the invent;on ~hich contain elastomeric bLock copolymers having polybutadiene blocks~ it is advis-abLe to use inhibitors which act as an antioxidant pre-venting oxidative rubber degradation.
- The novel photopol~nerizable mixtures can moreover contain dyes or photochromic additives to control the exposure characteristics. Dyes or pigments ~ay also be 7:13 12 ~ O Z 0050/35437 ~dded for identification purposes or esthetic purposes, provided that the dyes do not strongly absorb the actinic radiation and provided that they do not interfere ~ith the photopolymerization reaction.
~ he photopolymeri2able mixtures may moreover advantageously contain other additives, for example com-patibLe plastici2ers, waxes, fi~rs or crossl;nking assistants, with the a;d of ~hich certain specia~ proper-ties depending on the particu~ar applica~ion can be obtained and improved~ For example, it is advisabLe to add p~astic;zers, espec7a~ly if the photopoLymerizable mix tures are to b~ employed for the production of resilient and flexible coatings having good impact resilience such as are required, ~or example, in photopolymerizable recording materiaLs for the production of resilient and f(exible relief printing piates. Examples of p~asticizers are phthalic acid esters, paraffin oi~s, naphthenic and/or a~romatic oils and lo~ molecular weight liquid polyisoprene or polybutadiene compounds. Addition o~ other materials, for example certain polymers or fillers, eg. oligomeric styrene, lo~ molecular ~eight styrene copolymers, randomstyrene/butadiene copolymers ~ith high styrene contents or d~-methy~styrene copolymers, can increase the hardness of exposed layers which have been produced from the photo-polymeri7able mixtures according to the invention.
Examples of further addi~ives are sllicas uith refractive indices matched to that of the photopolymerizable mixture, especially hydrophob;c silicas with large surface areas;
lubrlcants, for example calcium stearate, or anti-stick agents, '7~ 3 - 13 - O.Z 0050/35437 for ~xample small a~ounts of talc~ The addit;ves which influence the resilience and hardness are in general e~ployed in amo~nts of from S to 30X by weight, based on the tota~ photopo~y~er;zab~e mixture. Moreover, cross-~ink;ng assistants can be added to lmprove the exposure characteristics of the photopolymerizable m;xtures, examples being trifunctional or tetrafunctional mercapto compounds, as described for photopolymerizable mixtures of the type ir, question in, inter alia, U~S. Patents 4,179,531 and 4~234,676. For use as photocurable adhesives, tack;fying resins~ for example hydrocarbon resins, rosin esters, polyterpenes, coumaron~e-indene resins etc., can be added to the novel photopolymerizable mixtures, as can compounds of the type described in~ for example, U.S.
Patent 4~133,731. The proportion of the additives andlor assistants in the photopolymerizable mixture shou~d in general not e~ceed a total of 40X by ~eight and is usually from 5 to 30X by weight, based on the totaL mixture.
The novel photopolymerizable mixtures can be pre-pared in a conventional manner, by homogeneously mix;ng the individual co~ponents~ for example in solution~ or in a kneader or mixer. The novel mixtures have good process-ability and are particularly suitable for the production of photosensitive layers for, eg., coatings, adhesives or resilient and flexible layers.
Layers of the desired thickness can be produced from the mixtures by, for example, casting a solution in a suitable solvent (such as toluene, xylene, cyclohexane, tetrahydro~
furan, methyl isobutyl ketone or tetrachloroe~hylene) on 71l;3 ~ 14 - Z 0050/35437 an appropr;ate base; th;s is readily poss;ble because the eLastomer;c block copolymers used in~She novel mixtures have lo~ solution viscosities and hence homogenizing the constituents of the mixture is easy. Layers of the mix-ture can also be produced by compression molding, extru-sion and calendering, and given a suitable choice of inhibitors no incipient thermal crosslinking ~ill occur.
The thickness of the layers can be varied within ~ide lim;ts and easily be chosen to suit the particuLar applica-tion~
In particular, the novel photopolymerizable mix-tures for photosensitive mu1tilaye~ elements are useful in the production of relief plates, for example resists and~
especially, resilient and flexible relief plates for f~exograph;c printing. Such photopolymerizable recording ~aterials in general contain a photopolymerizable layer of the noveL mixture c,n a dimensionally stable base, the thickness of the layer us~al~y being from 0.01 to 6.5 mm.
Suitab~e bases for the photosensitivemultilayer recording materiàls are flexible, dimensionally stable materials having a sufficiently high modulus of elasticity.
These include ~heet~ or foils ma~e-~of metal, for example steel, aluminum and copper, as well as fi lms of high polymers5 for example of polyethylene tere-phthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, nylon or polycar-bonate. The choice of the base is not restricted to sheets, foils or films; woven fabrics, eg g-lass fiber fabrics, or nonwovens may aiso be used as bases. The photopoly-merizable layer can be directly anchored to a base of high - 15 - O.Z. 0050/35437 strength and dimensional stability; however, to obtain thicker plates,the thickness corresponding to that of conventional rubber plates which are ~Isua~ly used ~or flexographic printing, it is possible to use, as a substrate ~or the photopolymerizable layer, other resilient and flexible underlayers which in turn are firmly bonded to a dimensionally stable base. For example, it is possible to employ, for multilayer elements, the resilient and flexible under-layers described in German Laid-Open Application DOS
2,444,118.
Depending on the materials employed, it may be advan-tageous and necessary, in the case of multilayer elements to be used as photopolymerizable recording materials, to anchor the photopolymerizable layer firmly to the base by means of a layer of adhesive having a thickness of from about 0.5 to 40 /um. Suitable adhesives are comrnercial one-component or two-component systems, the nature of which depends on the base material and on the materials in the photopolymerizable layer applied thereto. Commercial two-component adhesives based on polyurethane and polychloroprene are frequently suitable and can be applied in an appropriate thickness to the layers to be bonded, by coating or casting. Very suitable adhesives consist of a mixture of isocyanate-cured phenoxy resins and polycarbonate as described in German Laid-Open Application DOS 3,100,175 or of an isocyanate-cured cellulose ether adhesive as described in German Laid-Open Application DOS 3,107,741; these compositions may additionally contain an anti-halation agent.
~0071~
16 o,z. 0050/35437 It is often advantageous if the photocurable multilayer elements possess a firmly adhering, thin, non-tacky upper layer on the surface of the photopolymerizable layer which faces away from the base. Such an upper layer advantageously consists of a polymer which forms non-tacky, transparent, tear-resistant films and is soluble in the developer solvent for the photopolymerizable layer, for example a nylon, nylon copolymer, polyurethane, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene oxide of mole-cular weight greater than 100,000 or cyclized rubber having a high degree of cyclization. The thickness of this upper layer firmly bonded to the photopolymerizable layer is advantageously from about 0.5 to 20 /um. When producing relief printing plates, this upper layer for example enables the negative to be placed flat on the unexposed plate, without sticking thereto or bubbles being formed due to the presence of trapped air. The upper layer is usually removed together with the non-crosslinked, unexposed areas of the photopolymerizable layer in the washout operation when the relief is developed.
It is also often advantageous if the photosensi-tive multilayer elements to be used as photopolymerizable recording materials are provided with a strippable cover sheet, which may be either applied directly to the photo-polymerizable layer or conjointly with the upper layer mentioned above. Such a cover sheet which may consist, for example, of a nylon or a polyester and which advantageously is from about 20 to 1~0 /um thick is in general peeled off before imagewise exposure of the ~0~7~3 photosensitive multilayer materials; however, if the cover sheet is sufficiently transparent, exposure may be effected through it, and the sheet is then peeled off before develop-ing.
Photosensitive multilayer elements particularly suitable for the production of elastomeric relief printing plates possess, in addition to the .layers ment.ioned above, a resilient and flexible underlayer as described in German Laid-Open Application DOS 2,444,118~
The photosensitive multilayer elements may be pro-duced in a conventional manner, by processing the homo-~eneous photopolymerizable mixture into a layer of the desired thickness and bonding it to the dimensionally stable base. The photopolymerizable layers ~ay be prod~ced ~y, L5 for example, casting solutions of the mixtures on the base, as mentioned a~ove, or compression molding, calendering or extruding the photopolymerizable mixtures. To produce the photosensitive recording material, prefabricated photopolymerizable layers may be laminated or pressed onto the base, which may or may not have been coated with an adhesive, or the photopolymerizable mixture, as such, may be applied in a suitable manner, for example by casting a solution of the mixture onto the base, thus forming the photopolymerizable layer. Because of the low melt viscosity of the elastomeric block polymers used according to the invention, the photopolymerizable mixtures can very advantageously be processed by extrusion, calendering or compression molding. The novel photopolymerizable mixtures are moreover easily dosed in crumb form, ~:i~h -~l26~ 3 - i8 O Z 0050/35437 greasLy assists the feeding of extruders and makes it superfluous to add agents ~hich prevent sticking.
Layers of the novel mixture~ can be converted by ~i~h~ exposure, in a conventionaL manner, into crosslinked, inso~uble shaped articLesO for example decorative panels, or coatings on fiLms, foiLs or rolls. In part;cuLar~ the photosensitive multilayer eLements bearing a photopolymeriz-ab~e Layer based on the novel mixtures are suitable for the production of printing plates and relief plates, this beîng effected in a conventional manner by image~ise exposure of the photopolymèrizable ~ayer to actinic light and subsequent removaL, in particuLar washing out, of the unexposed and non-crosslinked areas o~ the layer by means of a developer solv~nt. Exposure ~ay be effected with the conventionaL sources of actinic Light, for exampLe commer-ciaL ultraviolet fluorescent tubes, medium, high or low pressure mercury vapqr lamps, superactinic fluor~scen-t tubes, pulsed xPnon lamps, metal iodide-doped lamps~ carbon arc Lamps etc. The radiation sources are required to emit light of ~avelength from 230 to 450 nm, preferably from 300 to 420 nm, the wavelength being matched to the charac-teristic absorption of the photoinitiator present in the photopolymerizabLe Layer. SuitabLe developer soLvents for washing out the unexposed, non-crossLinked areas of the layer after imagewise exposure include aromatic hydro-carbons and aliphatic halohydrocarbon solvents, for exampLe 1,1,1~trichLoroethane, symmetrical tetrachloro-ethane, tetrachloroethylene, toLuene, methyL isobutyl ketone or mixtures of such solvents ~ith lower alcohols, '7i3 O ~9 _ O.Z. 0050/354~7 thc latter serving to controL the washout time.
After ~ash;ng out ~ith the developer solvent, the relief plates ob~ained are dried in a conventional ~anner, if necessary at up to 120C~ In some cases it ;s adv~n-~aseous subsequentl~ to re-expose the entire surface of the resuLtin~ reLief pLate to act;nic Li~ht in order to improve its strength.
~he novel photosensi~ive multilayer eLements ~ay be used particu~arly adv~ntageous~y ~or the producSion of resilient and flexible prin~ing plates ~hich are suitable ~or ~pplications ~here a resilient printing surface is required. ~n such cases the photopo~rmeric re~ielF-~or0ing layer should have a Shore A hardness ~DIN
53,505~, after exposure~ of from 3.0 to 90, preferab~y fro~
40 to 70. A great advantage of the photopolymerizable layers consiSting of the novel mixtures is their exceptional clarity which permits the produc-~ion of relief prin~in~ plates with very great relief heights coupled ~ith s~rai0ht Side walls, these fe~tures bein~ necessary for printin~ rou~h and ~ wavy surfaces, such as corrugated cardboard, boxboard and napkin paper. ReLief hei3hts of ~ore than 3 rm can be pro-duced without any problems~ as v;th conventionaLly molded rubber platesO ~i ~hout polymerization occurring in the deepest portiors adjacent to the exposed areas. Moreover, it is advan-ta~eous that the elastomeric bLoek copoLy~ers of the noveL
~ixtures per~.t veî y çlsod matchin~ of the polymer struc-ture to the desired ~echanicaL proper~ies of ~he photo-crossLinked layer, The printin~ plates produced from th~
l3 20 ~ 3 Z 0050/35437 noveL photopolymeri~able mixtures and photosensitive mul.tilayer elements exhibit excellent printing characteris-tics, hi~h resistance to print;ng ;nk solvents and canbe re-use~ a large number of times, especially berause they show extreme~y little tendency to -, craze ~ storage.
The Examp~es ~h;ch follo~ ;llustrate the invention.
Parts and percentages are by we;ght, un~ess stated other-~ise. Parts by volume bear the same relation to parts byweight as the liter to the k;logram. The stated intrins;c viscosi-ties ~ml~g) w~re determined by a method based on DIN 51562 and DIN 53726, at 25C, us;ng an 0~5% strength by we;ght solution of the poLy~er in toluene. The molecular ~eights Mv ~h;ch are quo~ed are ~eight-average molecular ~e;ghts determined from the intrinsic Y;scosity. The Shore A hard~
ness was de~ermined by ~he ~ethod of DIN 53505 and the ~lass transition temperature by the method of DIN 53520.
The impact resilience was measured by the method of DIN
53512 and the elongation at break by the method of DIN
535~4.
A photopolymerizable mixture ~as prepared from:
88 parts of the block copolymer described below, 7~3 parts of hexanediol diacrylate,
Depending on the materials employed, it may be advan-tageous and necessary, in the case of multilayer elements to be used as photopolymerizable recording materials, to anchor the photopolymerizable layer firmly to the base by means of a layer of adhesive having a thickness of from about 0.5 to 40 /um. Suitable adhesives are comrnercial one-component or two-component systems, the nature of which depends on the base material and on the materials in the photopolymerizable layer applied thereto. Commercial two-component adhesives based on polyurethane and polychloroprene are frequently suitable and can be applied in an appropriate thickness to the layers to be bonded, by coating or casting. Very suitable adhesives consist of a mixture of isocyanate-cured phenoxy resins and polycarbonate as described in German Laid-Open Application DOS 3,100,175 or of an isocyanate-cured cellulose ether adhesive as described in German Laid-Open Application DOS 3,107,741; these compositions may additionally contain an anti-halation agent.
~0071~
16 o,z. 0050/35437 It is often advantageous if the photocurable multilayer elements possess a firmly adhering, thin, non-tacky upper layer on the surface of the photopolymerizable layer which faces away from the base. Such an upper layer advantageously consists of a polymer which forms non-tacky, transparent, tear-resistant films and is soluble in the developer solvent for the photopolymerizable layer, for example a nylon, nylon copolymer, polyurethane, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene oxide of mole-cular weight greater than 100,000 or cyclized rubber having a high degree of cyclization. The thickness of this upper layer firmly bonded to the photopolymerizable layer is advantageously from about 0.5 to 20 /um. When producing relief printing plates, this upper layer for example enables the negative to be placed flat on the unexposed plate, without sticking thereto or bubbles being formed due to the presence of trapped air. The upper layer is usually removed together with the non-crosslinked, unexposed areas of the photopolymerizable layer in the washout operation when the relief is developed.
It is also often advantageous if the photosensi-tive multilayer elements to be used as photopolymerizable recording materials are provided with a strippable cover sheet, which may be either applied directly to the photo-polymerizable layer or conjointly with the upper layer mentioned above. Such a cover sheet which may consist, for example, of a nylon or a polyester and which advantageously is from about 20 to 1~0 /um thick is in general peeled off before imagewise exposure of the ~0~7~3 photosensitive multilayer materials; however, if the cover sheet is sufficiently transparent, exposure may be effected through it, and the sheet is then peeled off before develop-ing.
Photosensitive multilayer elements particularly suitable for the production of elastomeric relief printing plates possess, in addition to the .layers ment.ioned above, a resilient and flexible underlayer as described in German Laid-Open Application DOS 2,444,118~
The photosensitive multilayer elements may be pro-duced in a conventional manner, by processing the homo-~eneous photopolymerizable mixture into a layer of the desired thickness and bonding it to the dimensionally stable base. The photopolymerizable layers ~ay be prod~ced ~y, L5 for example, casting solutions of the mixtures on the base, as mentioned a~ove, or compression molding, calendering or extruding the photopolymerizable mixtures. To produce the photosensitive recording material, prefabricated photopolymerizable layers may be laminated or pressed onto the base, which may or may not have been coated with an adhesive, or the photopolymerizable mixture, as such, may be applied in a suitable manner, for example by casting a solution of the mixture onto the base, thus forming the photopolymerizable layer. Because of the low melt viscosity of the elastomeric block polymers used according to the invention, the photopolymerizable mixtures can very advantageously be processed by extrusion, calendering or compression molding. The novel photopolymerizable mixtures are moreover easily dosed in crumb form, ~:i~h -~l26~ 3 - i8 O Z 0050/35437 greasLy assists the feeding of extruders and makes it superfluous to add agents ~hich prevent sticking.
Layers of the novel mixture~ can be converted by ~i~h~ exposure, in a conventionaL manner, into crosslinked, inso~uble shaped articLesO for example decorative panels, or coatings on fiLms, foiLs or rolls. In part;cuLar~ the photosensitive multilayer eLements bearing a photopolymeriz-ab~e Layer based on the novel mixtures are suitable for the production of printing plates and relief plates, this beîng effected in a conventional manner by image~ise exposure of the photopolymèrizable ~ayer to actinic light and subsequent removaL, in particuLar washing out, of the unexposed and non-crosslinked areas o~ the layer by means of a developer solv~nt. Exposure ~ay be effected with the conventionaL sources of actinic Light, for exampLe commer-ciaL ultraviolet fluorescent tubes, medium, high or low pressure mercury vapqr lamps, superactinic fluor~scen-t tubes, pulsed xPnon lamps, metal iodide-doped lamps~ carbon arc Lamps etc. The radiation sources are required to emit light of ~avelength from 230 to 450 nm, preferably from 300 to 420 nm, the wavelength being matched to the charac-teristic absorption of the photoinitiator present in the photopolymerizabLe Layer. SuitabLe developer soLvents for washing out the unexposed, non-crossLinked areas of the layer after imagewise exposure include aromatic hydro-carbons and aliphatic halohydrocarbon solvents, for exampLe 1,1,1~trichLoroethane, symmetrical tetrachloro-ethane, tetrachloroethylene, toLuene, methyL isobutyl ketone or mixtures of such solvents ~ith lower alcohols, '7i3 O ~9 _ O.Z. 0050/354~7 thc latter serving to controL the washout time.
After ~ash;ng out ~ith the developer solvent, the relief plates ob~ained are dried in a conventional ~anner, if necessary at up to 120C~ In some cases it ;s adv~n-~aseous subsequentl~ to re-expose the entire surface of the resuLtin~ reLief pLate to act;nic Li~ht in order to improve its strength.
~he novel photosensi~ive multilayer eLements ~ay be used particu~arly adv~ntageous~y ~or the producSion of resilient and flexible prin~ing plates ~hich are suitable ~or ~pplications ~here a resilient printing surface is required. ~n such cases the photopo~rmeric re~ielF-~or0ing layer should have a Shore A hardness ~DIN
53,505~, after exposure~ of from 3.0 to 90, preferab~y fro~
40 to 70. A great advantage of the photopolymerizable layers consiSting of the novel mixtures is their exceptional clarity which permits the produc-~ion of relief prin~in~ plates with very great relief heights coupled ~ith s~rai0ht Side walls, these fe~tures bein~ necessary for printin~ rou~h and ~ wavy surfaces, such as corrugated cardboard, boxboard and napkin paper. ReLief hei3hts of ~ore than 3 rm can be pro-duced without any problems~ as v;th conventionaLly molded rubber platesO ~i ~hout polymerization occurring in the deepest portiors adjacent to the exposed areas. Moreover, it is advan-ta~eous that the elastomeric bLoek copoLy~ers of the noveL
~ixtures per~.t veî y çlsod matchin~ of the polymer struc-ture to the desired ~echanicaL proper~ies of ~he photo-crossLinked layer, The printin~ plates produced from th~
l3 20 ~ 3 Z 0050/35437 noveL photopolymeri~able mixtures and photosensitive mul.tilayer elements exhibit excellent printing characteris-tics, hi~h resistance to print;ng ;nk solvents and canbe re-use~ a large number of times, especially berause they show extreme~y little tendency to -, craze ~ storage.
The Examp~es ~h;ch follo~ ;llustrate the invention.
Parts and percentages are by we;ght, un~ess stated other-~ise. Parts by volume bear the same relation to parts byweight as the liter to the k;logram. The stated intrins;c viscosi-ties ~ml~g) w~re determined by a method based on DIN 51562 and DIN 53726, at 25C, us;ng an 0~5% strength by we;ght solution of the poLy~er in toluene. The molecular ~eights Mv ~h;ch are quo~ed are ~eight-average molecular ~e;ghts determined from the intrinsic Y;scosity. The Shore A hard~
ness was de~ermined by ~he ~ethod of DIN 53505 and the ~lass transition temperature by the method of DIN 53520.
The impact resilience was measured by the method of DIN
53512 and the elongation at break by the method of DIN
535~4.
A photopolymerizable mixture ~as prepared from:
88 parts of the block copolymer described below, 7~3 parts of hexanediol diacrylate,
3.7 parts of hexanediol dimethacrylate, 1.2 parts of benziL dimethyl ketal, 0.008 part of a black dye (C.I. 26150, Solvent Black 3) and 0.3 part of 2,6-di tert.wbutyl-p-cresol.
i3 The block copolymer was a three-block copolymer in ~hich the t~o termina~ polymer blocks ~ere random co-polymer blocks obta;ned from 10 parts of styrene and 5 parts of butadiene and having an intrinsic viscosity of 20.2 ml/g and a glass transition temperature of ~12C, ~hilst the ~iddle block ~as a polyisoprene block ~glass transition temperature -49C), ~h;ch accounted for 5~% of the b~ock copolymer~ The total molecular ~eight of the b~ock copolymer ~as 100,000 and the product had an intrin-sici viscosity of 101 ml/g, a Shore A hardness of Z9 and an i~pact resilience of 28X. A Z~Z strength solution of the b~ock copolymer in toluene showed a transmission of 95% in 1 cm thicknessO measured against toluene at 360 nm.
The cor,stituents of the photopolymerizable mixture ~ere dissolved in 100 parts of toluene at 90~C. The solu-tion ~as applied bymeans of a doctor blade to a polyethylene terephthalate film ~h;ch had been coated with a commercial nylon copolymer, the amount applied being such that after drying the layer for 1 hour at 80C an 0.7 mm thick film remained. Samples of the ~ultilayer material thus obtained were exposed for 30 minutes in a commercial flae-plate exposure unit (40 watt, ultraviolet fluorescent lamps).
The crosslinked photopolymer layer of the exoosed samples had a Shore A hardness of 49, an impac~ resilience of 46%, a tensile strength of 6~8 N/mm2 and an elongation at break of 273%. At 100X elongation~ the tens;le modulus ~as found to be 2.0 N/mm2.
To produce a flexographic printing plate, a 75 ~m thick polyester film coated with an a~hesive -- 22 ~ O.Z. 0050/35437 was applied by roller to the free surface of the unexposed photopolymerizable layer produced above. The adhesive con-sisted of an isocyanate cured phenoxy resin and a poly-carbonate, such a mixture being described in German Laid-Open Application DOS 3,100,l75. The polyester cover sheet, which had been coated with a nylon copolymer, was then removed, leaving the nylon copolymer layer on the surface of the photopolymerizable layer.
A photographic negative was placed on the latter and held in intimate contact-therewith by means of a plastic film serving as vacuum frame cover,andth~
multilayer element was then exposed for 12 minutes in a commercial flat-plate exposure unit (40 watt ultraviolet fluorescent tubes). This caused imagewise bleaching of the dye contained in the photopolymerizable layer 9 which enabled the exposure to be assessed. The exposed layer was washed out i.n a commercial spray washer for 4.5 minutes at room temperature,using a solvent mixture of 9 parts by volume of tetrachloroethylene and 1 part by volume of n-butanol and was then dried for 1 hour at 80C in a through-circulation cabinet dryer; it was then after-treated for 30 seconds with an 0.4% strength aqueous bromine solution. After 10 minutes' post-exposure of the entire surface, the printing plate obtained was clamped on a press cylinder which itself ha~ a 1 mm thick covering of natural rubber, having a Shore A hardness of 30. The surface of the relief printing plate was non-tacky and showed excellent affinity for conventional flexographic printing inks. The printed copies obtained fai~hfully reproduced the original, the edges being sharply defined. The abrasion resistance, 0~3l3 - 23 - O.Z. 0050/35437 s~elling and resilience of the printing plate corresponded to that of conventional rubber blocks. The plate sho~ed no damage after a run of 200,000 impressions.
A multilayer element ~as produc;~d according ~o Example 1 and its photopoLymerizable layer was exposed under a test negative ~hich contained various tonal values, namely 10X~ 50X and 90X (48 lines/cm screen). A
commercial f~at-p~ate exposure unit with 40 ~at~ ultra-vio~et fluorescene tubes was used; the exposure time was 10 minutes. The samples were then ~ashed out for 5 minutes at room temperature in a 9:1 (by volume) tetrachloroethyl-ene~n-butanol mixture. 4 different samples were produced and ~ere subjected to different after-treatments:
Samples 1 and 2: no add;tional trea~ment Samples 3 and 4: 5 m;nutes additionaL after-treatment with 0.4X streng~h aqueous bromine solution and 10 minutes post-exposure ~-~ the entire sur~ace.
Samples 2 and 4 ~ere adhered to a sheet-metal cylinder of 5.8 cm external diameter and stored at room temperature, exposed to the atmosphere~ Samples 1 and 3 were stored flat. All 4 samples were checked daily for surface crazing of the relief layer. All of samples 1 to
i3 The block copolymer was a three-block copolymer in ~hich the t~o termina~ polymer blocks ~ere random co-polymer blocks obta;ned from 10 parts of styrene and 5 parts of butadiene and having an intrinsic viscosity of 20.2 ml/g and a glass transition temperature of ~12C, ~hilst the ~iddle block ~as a polyisoprene block ~glass transition temperature -49C), ~h;ch accounted for 5~% of the b~ock copolymer~ The total molecular ~eight of the b~ock copolymer ~as 100,000 and the product had an intrin-sici viscosity of 101 ml/g, a Shore A hardness of Z9 and an i~pact resilience of 28X. A Z~Z strength solution of the b~ock copolymer in toluene showed a transmission of 95% in 1 cm thicknessO measured against toluene at 360 nm.
The cor,stituents of the photopolymerizable mixture ~ere dissolved in 100 parts of toluene at 90~C. The solu-tion ~as applied bymeans of a doctor blade to a polyethylene terephthalate film ~h;ch had been coated with a commercial nylon copolymer, the amount applied being such that after drying the layer for 1 hour at 80C an 0.7 mm thick film remained. Samples of the ~ultilayer material thus obtained were exposed for 30 minutes in a commercial flae-plate exposure unit (40 watt, ultraviolet fluorescent lamps).
The crosslinked photopolymer layer of the exoosed samples had a Shore A hardness of 49, an impac~ resilience of 46%, a tensile strength of 6~8 N/mm2 and an elongation at break of 273%. At 100X elongation~ the tens;le modulus ~as found to be 2.0 N/mm2.
To produce a flexographic printing plate, a 75 ~m thick polyester film coated with an a~hesive -- 22 ~ O.Z. 0050/35437 was applied by roller to the free surface of the unexposed photopolymerizable layer produced above. The adhesive con-sisted of an isocyanate cured phenoxy resin and a poly-carbonate, such a mixture being described in German Laid-Open Application DOS 3,100,l75. The polyester cover sheet, which had been coated with a nylon copolymer, was then removed, leaving the nylon copolymer layer on the surface of the photopolymerizable layer.
A photographic negative was placed on the latter and held in intimate contact-therewith by means of a plastic film serving as vacuum frame cover,andth~
multilayer element was then exposed for 12 minutes in a commercial flat-plate exposure unit (40 watt ultraviolet fluorescent tubes). This caused imagewise bleaching of the dye contained in the photopolymerizable layer 9 which enabled the exposure to be assessed. The exposed layer was washed out i.n a commercial spray washer for 4.5 minutes at room temperature,using a solvent mixture of 9 parts by volume of tetrachloroethylene and 1 part by volume of n-butanol and was then dried for 1 hour at 80C in a through-circulation cabinet dryer; it was then after-treated for 30 seconds with an 0.4% strength aqueous bromine solution. After 10 minutes' post-exposure of the entire surface, the printing plate obtained was clamped on a press cylinder which itself ha~ a 1 mm thick covering of natural rubber, having a Shore A hardness of 30. The surface of the relief printing plate was non-tacky and showed excellent affinity for conventional flexographic printing inks. The printed copies obtained fai~hfully reproduced the original, the edges being sharply defined. The abrasion resistance, 0~3l3 - 23 - O.Z. 0050/35437 s~elling and resilience of the printing plate corresponded to that of conventional rubber blocks. The plate sho~ed no damage after a run of 200,000 impressions.
A multilayer element ~as produc;~d according ~o Example 1 and its photopoLymerizable layer was exposed under a test negative ~hich contained various tonal values, namely 10X~ 50X and 90X (48 lines/cm screen). A
commercial f~at-p~ate exposure unit with 40 ~at~ ultra-vio~et fluorescene tubes was used; the exposure time was 10 minutes. The samples were then ~ashed out for 5 minutes at room temperature in a 9:1 (by volume) tetrachloroethyl-ene~n-butanol mixture. 4 different samples were produced and ~ere subjected to different after-treatments:
Samples 1 and 2: no add;tional trea~ment Samples 3 and 4: 5 m;nutes additionaL after-treatment with 0.4X streng~h aqueous bromine solution and 10 minutes post-exposure ~-~ the entire sur~ace.
Samples 2 and 4 ~ere adhered to a sheet-metal cylinder of 5.8 cm external diameter and stored at room temperature, exposed to the atmosphere~ Samples 1 and 3 were stored flat. All 4 samples were checked daily for surface crazing of the relief layer. All of samples 1 to
4 remained free from crazing ~when examined at 10 x magnification) for more than 30 days~
COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENT A
A photopolymerizable mixt~re was produced accord-ing to Example 1, but containing, in place of the elasto-meric block copolymer employed in Example 1, a commercial ~2e~C~713 _ z~ _ O Z 0050/35437 polystyrene/polyisoprene/polystyrene three block copolymer.
Th~ bLock copolyme~ contained ~4X of isoprene and had a total molecular ~eight of 130,QOO. An 0.7 mm thick pho~o-po~ymerizab~e layer ~as produced in the same way as described in Example 1, and test samples were produce~
therewith, and st~red, as in Exampie 2. Samples -2 and 4 7 ~hich were stored in a stressed condition on sheet-metal cyLinders, showed crazing, discernible ~ith the naked eye, in the surface of the relief image:!~ections after ~s little as 4 days; this crazing made the layer unusab~e for a print-ing plate. Samp(e 3 ~stored flat, with after-treatment) showed crazing after 24 to 28 days; sample 1 ~stored flat ~ithout further after-treatment) showed craz;ng after S
to 8 days.
COMPARATIVE XPERIMENT s A photopolymerizable mixture was prepared from the same components as in Example 1, except that, in place o~
the elastomeric block copolymer, a three-block copolymer as described in German Laid-Open Application DOS 2,942,183 ~as employed, which consisted of 8 parts o-f a polystyrene block, 76 parts of a polyisoprene block and 1~ parts of a random copolymer block of st~rene and butadiene in the ratio of 2:1. The tota~ molecular weight of this three-block copolymer was 130~000.
To produce the photopolymerizable layer~ the proce-dure in ~xample 1 was follo~ed. The layer ~as tested for crazing as described in Example 2; distinct crazlng was discernible after 1 to 2 weeks' storage.
J~r ~0~3 Z S - .Z . 0050/35437 A photopolymerizable nlixture ~as prepared fro~
parts of the block copolymer described belo~, 8 par~s of hexanediol diacrylate~
4 parts of hexanediol dimethacrylate, 1~2 par~s of benzil dimethyl ketal, 0.008 part of a blaclc dye (C.I. 26,150, Solvent Black 3) and 0.4 part of 2,6-di-tert.-butyl-p-cresoL.
The two outer polymer blocks of the three-block copolymer employed ~ere random copolymer blocks of styrene and butadiene in the rat;o of 2~ hi~st the inner polymer block was a polyisoprene block and accounted for 70X of the total block copolymer. The to~al ~olecular weight of ~he block copolymer ~as 165,000 and the intrinsic viscosity ~as 147.4 ml/g. In the non-crosslinked s~ate, the block copolymer had a Shore A hardness of 36 and an impact resiiience of 26X.
A photopolymerizable layer prepared from the photo-po(ymerizab~e mixture had a Shore A hardness of 50, and an impact resilience of 34X, after exposure and photocross-linking.
To produce printing plates, a photopolymerizable layer ~as prepared from the mixture by extrusion, and was bonded to a polyester base film. The co~rer sheet was a polyester film which had been coated wit~a.soluble nylon copolymer serving as the upper layer;after peelirg off the ccver sheet, the n~lon copo~ymer layer remained on the photopolymerizable layer. Printing plates ~ere prepared and tested as described in Example 2. No 7~ 3 - ~6 ~ .Z. 0050/35437 crazing was discernible af~er khe printing plates had^been stored for 30 days.
COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENT C
Pho~opolymerizable layers were prepared - ~h;s time by extrusion - from the photopolymerizable mixtures used in Comparat;ve Experiments A and B; these ~ere employed for the production of relief printin~ plaees in the same manner as described in Example 3D and were tested for crazing. In ~ll cases, distinct craæing ~as discernible a~ter on~y a fe~ days~
.d
COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENT A
A photopolymerizable mixt~re was produced accord-ing to Example 1, but containing, in place of the elasto-meric block copolymer employed in Example 1, a commercial ~2e~C~713 _ z~ _ O Z 0050/35437 polystyrene/polyisoprene/polystyrene three block copolymer.
Th~ bLock copolyme~ contained ~4X of isoprene and had a total molecular ~eight of 130,QOO. An 0.7 mm thick pho~o-po~ymerizab~e layer ~as produced in the same way as described in Example 1, and test samples were produce~
therewith, and st~red, as in Exampie 2. Samples -2 and 4 7 ~hich were stored in a stressed condition on sheet-metal cyLinders, showed crazing, discernible ~ith the naked eye, in the surface of the relief image:!~ections after ~s little as 4 days; this crazing made the layer unusab~e for a print-ing plate. Samp(e 3 ~stored flat, with after-treatment) showed crazing after 24 to 28 days; sample 1 ~stored flat ~ithout further after-treatment) showed craz;ng after S
to 8 days.
COMPARATIVE XPERIMENT s A photopolymerizable mixture was prepared from the same components as in Example 1, except that, in place o~
the elastomeric block copolymer, a three-block copolymer as described in German Laid-Open Application DOS 2,942,183 ~as employed, which consisted of 8 parts o-f a polystyrene block, 76 parts of a polyisoprene block and 1~ parts of a random copolymer block of st~rene and butadiene in the ratio of 2:1. The tota~ molecular weight of this three-block copolymer was 130~000.
To produce the photopolymerizable layer~ the proce-dure in ~xample 1 was follo~ed. The layer ~as tested for crazing as described in Example 2; distinct crazlng was discernible after 1 to 2 weeks' storage.
J~r ~0~3 Z S - .Z . 0050/35437 A photopolymerizable nlixture ~as prepared fro~
parts of the block copolymer described belo~, 8 par~s of hexanediol diacrylate~
4 parts of hexanediol dimethacrylate, 1~2 par~s of benzil dimethyl ketal, 0.008 part of a blaclc dye (C.I. 26,150, Solvent Black 3) and 0.4 part of 2,6-di-tert.-butyl-p-cresoL.
The two outer polymer blocks of the three-block copolymer employed ~ere random copolymer blocks of styrene and butadiene in the rat;o of 2~ hi~st the inner polymer block was a polyisoprene block and accounted for 70X of the total block copolymer. The to~al ~olecular weight of ~he block copolymer ~as 165,000 and the intrinsic viscosity ~as 147.4 ml/g. In the non-crosslinked s~ate, the block copolymer had a Shore A hardness of 36 and an impact resiiience of 26X.
A photopolymerizable layer prepared from the photo-po(ymerizab~e mixture had a Shore A hardness of 50, and an impact resilience of 34X, after exposure and photocross-linking.
To produce printing plates, a photopolymerizable layer ~as prepared from the mixture by extrusion, and was bonded to a polyester base film. The co~rer sheet was a polyester film which had been coated wit~a.soluble nylon copolymer serving as the upper layer;after peelirg off the ccver sheet, the n~lon copo~ymer layer remained on the photopolymerizable layer. Printing plates ~ere prepared and tested as described in Example 2. No 7~ 3 - ~6 ~ .Z. 0050/35437 crazing was discernible af~er khe printing plates had^been stored for 30 days.
COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENT C
Pho~opolymerizable layers were prepared - ~h;s time by extrusion - from the photopolymerizable mixtures used in Comparat;ve Experiments A and B; these ~ere employed for the production of relief printin~ plaees in the same manner as described in Example 3D and were tested for crazing. In ~ll cases, distinct craæing ~as discernible a~ter on~y a fe~ days~
.d
Claims (12)
1. A photopolymerizable mixture which contains (a) from 40 to 99% by weight, based on (a) and (b), of at least one block copolymer which is soluble in a developer solvent and consists only of elastomeric polymer blocks, at least two elastomeric polymer blocks having a glass transition tem-perature of from -20°C to +15°C and at least one elastomeric polymer block located between two such blocks and having a glass transition temperature of below -20°C, (b) from 1 to 60% by weight, based on (a) and (b), of at least one photopoly-merizable ethylenically unsaturated low molecular weight compound compatible with the elastomeric block copolymer (a), (c) from 0.1 to 10% by weight, based on the total photo-polymerizable mixture, of at least one photopolymerization initiator, and (d) from 0 to 40% by weight, based on the total photopoly-merizable mixture, of one or more suitable additives.
2. A photopolymerizable mixture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastomeric block copolymer (a) has a mole-cular weight of from 60,000 to 300,000.
3. A photopolymerizable mixture as claimed in claim 2, wherein the polymer blocks of the block copolymer (a) having a glass transition temperature of from -20°C to +15°C have a molecular weight of from 5,000 to 100,000 and the polymer block having a glass transition temperature of below -20°C has a molecular weight of from 20,000 to 200,000.
4. A photopolymerizable mixture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer block having a glass transition tempera-ture of below -20°C accounts for from 10 to 90% by weight of the elastomeric block copolymer (a).
5. A photopolymerizable mixture as claimed in claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein the polymer blocks having a glass transition temperature of from -20°C to +15°C are terminal blocks.
6. A photopolymerizable mixture as claimed in claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein the polymer blocks having a glass transi-tion temperature of from -20°C to +15°C are terminal blocks and wherein the block copolymer (a) is a three-block copo-lymer whose two terminal polymer blocks are linked by a central polymer block having a glass transition temperature of below -20°C.
7. A photopolymerizable mixture as claimed in claim 4, wherein the polymer blocks having a glass transition tempe-rature of from -20°C to +15°C are terminal blocks.
8. A photopolymerizable mixture as claimed in claim 4, wherein the polymer blocks having a glass transition tempe-rature of from -20°C to +15°C are terminal blocks and wherein the block copolymer (a) is a three-block copolymer whose two terminal polymer blocks are linked by a central polymer block having a glass transition temperature of below -20°C.
9. A photopolymerizable mixture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer blocks having a glass transition tempe-rature of below -20°C are polybutadiene or polyisoprene blocks.
10. A photopolymerizable mixture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer blocks having a glass transition tem-perature of from 20°C to +15°C are random copolymer blocks of styrene, butadiene and/or isoprene.
11. A photocurable multilayer element useful as a photo-sensitive recording material, especially for the production of relief plates and printing plates, which comprises a dimen-sionally stable base and, applied thereto, a firmly adhering photopolymerizable layer of a photopolymerizable mixture as claimed in claim 1.
12. A photopolymerizable mixture as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more suitable additive are selected from the group consisting of thermal polymerization inhibi-tors, antioxidants, dyes, pigments, plasticizers, waxes, filters, crosslinking assistants, silicas, lubricants, anti-stick agents and tackifying resins.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEP3137416.6 | 1981-09-19 | ||
| DE19813137416 DE3137416A1 (en) | 1981-09-19 | 1981-09-19 | PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE MIXTURES AND ELEMENTS THEREOF |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1200713A true CA1200713A (en) | 1986-02-18 |
Family
ID=6142185
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000411306A Expired CA1200713A (en) | 1981-09-19 | 1982-09-13 | Photopolymerizable mixtures and photocurable elements produced therefrom |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4430417A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0075236B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS5862639A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1200713A (en) |
| DE (2) | DE3137416A1 (en) |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0113313B1 (en) * | 1982-11-04 | 1987-07-15 | Ciba-Geigy Ag | Compositions photocurable in the presence of sensitizers, and their use |
| US4556464A (en) * | 1983-04-04 | 1985-12-03 | Shell Oil Company | Endblock crosslinked block copolymer adhesive composition |
| DE3415044C2 (en) * | 1984-04-21 | 1986-12-04 | Du Pont de Nemours (Deutschland) GmbH, 4000 Düsseldorf | Process for the ozone protection of photopolymer flexographic printing plates using alcohol-soluble polyamides |
| US4686172A (en) * | 1985-07-18 | 1987-08-11 | Uniroyal Plastics Co., Inc. | Photosensitive elastomeric composition for flexographic printing plates having improved softness |
| DE3534293A1 (en) * | 1985-09-26 | 1987-04-02 | Messerschmitt Boelkow Blohm | DEVICE FOR REDUCING FRICTION RESISTANCE |
| DE3600774C1 (en) * | 1986-01-14 | 1987-05-07 | Du Pont Deutschland | Process for gluing photopolymerizable printing plates or printing forms for flexographic printing |
| CA1296121C (en) * | 1986-02-27 | 1992-02-18 | Lori J. Klingler | Uv or heat curable reinforced elastomer compositions |
| JPH0772795B2 (en) * | 1986-03-31 | 1995-08-02 | 日本ゼオン株式会社 | Photosensitive elastomer composition |
| US5288571A (en) * | 1986-10-02 | 1994-02-22 | Asahi Kasei Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Photoresin printing plate for use in printing a corrugated board |
| DE3706561A1 (en) * | 1987-02-28 | 1988-09-08 | Basf Ag | LIGHT-SENSITIVE RECORDING MATERIAL WITH INCREASED FLEXIBILITY |
| DE3740432A1 (en) * | 1987-11-28 | 1989-06-08 | Hoechst Ag | LIGHT-SENSITIVE PRESSURE PLATE FOR FLEXO-PRESSURE |
| US5227213A (en) * | 1987-11-30 | 1993-07-13 | Sunstar Giken Kabushiki Kaisha | Hot melt adhesive crosslinkable by ultraviolet irradiation, optical disc using the same and process for preparing thereof |
| US5128388A (en) * | 1987-11-30 | 1992-07-07 | Sunstar Giken Kabushiki Kaisha | Hot melt adhesive crosslinkable by ultraviolet irradiation, optical disc using the same and process for preparing thereof |
| DE3742275A1 (en) * | 1987-12-12 | 1989-06-22 | Hoechst Ag | METHOD FOR TREATING DEVELOPED RELIEF PRESSURE FORMS FOR FLEXODRUCK |
| DE3744243C2 (en) * | 1987-12-24 | 1995-12-07 | Du Pont Deutschland | Improved photopolymerizable recording materials |
| US5104921A (en) * | 1988-02-17 | 1992-04-14 | Shell Oil Company | Radiation cured polymer composition |
| DE4001465A1 (en) * | 1990-01-19 | 1991-07-25 | Hoechst Ag | RADIATION-SENSITIVE MIXTURE BASED ON OLIGOMER MALEINIC AND FUMARIC ACID ESTERS AND RECORDING MATERIAL OBTAINED FROM THEM FOR THE PRODUCTION OF RELIEF PRINTING PLATES |
| DE4007248A1 (en) * | 1990-03-08 | 1991-09-12 | Du Pont Deutschland | Flexographic printing plates prodn. - by imagewise exposure of photopolymerisable layer from the front followed by overall exposure from the rear |
| EP0454359A1 (en) * | 1990-04-23 | 1991-10-30 | Koch Industries, Inc. | Method of controlling phase separation in polymerisation reactions and products utilising same |
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| US20070078194A1 (en) * | 2005-10-04 | 2007-04-05 | St Clair David J | Flexographic printing plate and flexographic printing plate precursor composition for preparing same |
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| US20090062457A1 (en) * | 2007-09-04 | 2009-03-05 | Kraton Polymers U.S. Llc | Styrenic block copolymers and compositions containing the same |
| US7704676B2 (en) * | 2007-09-04 | 2010-04-27 | Kraton Polymers U.S. Llc | Block copolymers having distinct isoprene and butadiene midblocks, method for making same, and uses for such block copolymers |
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| US8241835B2 (en) * | 2008-01-30 | 2012-08-14 | E I Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Device and method for preparing relief printing form |
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| DE102009044771A1 (en) | 2009-12-04 | 2011-06-09 | Bühler, Hans-Joachim, Dr. | Producing polymer modified bitumen, useful for producing modified asphalt, roofing sheets or other bitumen containing construction products, comprises heating bitumen, mixing elastomer in bitumen, and optionally adding crosslinking agent |
| WO2013032860A1 (en) | 2011-08-26 | 2013-03-07 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Method for preparing a relief printing form |
| US20130139714A1 (en) | 2011-12-02 | 2013-06-06 | E.I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Method for making flexographic printing forms by welding edges of photosensitive elements with microwave energy |
| US9097974B2 (en) | 2012-08-23 | 2015-08-04 | E I Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Method for preparing a relief printing form |
Family Cites Families (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS5221095A (en) * | 1975-07-21 | 1977-02-17 | Asahi Chem Ind Co Ltd | Preparation of high-impact styrene polymer with outstanding appearance |
| JPS53127004A (en) * | 1977-04-11 | 1978-11-06 | Asahi Chemical Ind | Photosensitive elastomer composition |
| DE2942183A1 (en) * | 1979-10-18 | 1981-05-07 | Basf Ag, 6700 Ludwigshafen | PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE MIXTURES AND ELEMENTS THEREOF |
| JPS5922219B2 (en) * | 1980-07-07 | 1984-05-25 | 東京応化工業株式会社 | Photosensitive resin composition for flexo printing plates |
-
1981
- 1981-09-19 DE DE19813137416 patent/DE3137416A1/en not_active Withdrawn
-
1982
- 1982-09-13 DE DE8282108422T patent/DE3261849D1/en not_active Expired
- 1982-09-13 CA CA000411306A patent/CA1200713A/en not_active Expired
- 1982-09-13 EP EP82108422A patent/EP0075236B1/en not_active Expired
- 1982-09-17 US US06/419,492 patent/US4430417A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1982-09-20 JP JP57162450A patent/JPS5862639A/en active Granted
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPH0336213B2 (en) | 1991-05-30 |
| DE3261849D1 (en) | 1985-02-21 |
| EP0075236A3 (en) | 1983-05-25 |
| DE3137416A1 (en) | 1983-03-31 |
| JPS5862639A (en) | 1983-04-14 |
| EP0075236B1 (en) | 1985-01-09 |
| EP0075236A2 (en) | 1983-03-30 |
| US4430417A (en) | 1984-02-07 |
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