Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

J Thomas Simpson

James J Kobe

Frank J Armatis, Jr

Lanny L Harklau

Thomas J Bonk

A method of measuring intensity of radiant energy fluoresced by a fluorescer in a radiation-cured coating. The method comprising the steps of: a) providing a coating comprising: i) a radiation-curable monomer or oligomer; and ii) a fluorescer having an excitation energy at a wavelength .lambda..sub.2, the fluorescer fluorescing radiant energy of a wavelength .lambda..sub.3 ; b) curing the coating by exposure to radiant energy, thereby changing the intensity of radiant energy that would be fluoresced by the fluorescer if exposed to wavelength .lambda..sub.2 ; c) illuminating the radiation-cured coating with excitation energy of a wavelength .lambda..sub.2, wherein at least 50% of the excitation energy is absorbed by the upper 75 .mu.m of the radiation-cured coating; and d) measuring the intensity of the radiant energy fluoresced by the fluorescer at wavelength .lambda..sub.3. The above method can be used to measure the amount of residual radiation-curable monomer or oligomer present in a radiation-cured coating. This method of measuring residual monomer is especially useful where the intensity of the radiant energy fluoresced by the fluorescer at wavelength .lambda..sub.3 changes with the concentration of unreacted radiation-curable monomer or oligomer in the radiation-cured coating.

Method for measuring residual radiation-curable monomers or oligomers

An article is provided which comprises a polyolefin first substrate adhered to a second substrate with an epoxy adhesive. The polyolefin first substrate has graft-polymerized thereto at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of sulfonic and carboxylic acids and alkyl esters thereof containing fewer than eight carbon atoms in the ester group, amides, and mono- and di-substituted amides, alcohols, amines, and 5-, 6-, and 7-membered heterocyclic rings having at least one oxygen and/or nitrogen atoms in the ring, with the proviso that said monomer contain an ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable moiety. The graft-polymerized monomers are in a layer less than 5 micrometers in thickness and contact the epoxy adhesive.

Primed polyolefin surfaces for epoxy adhesives

An article is provided which comprises a polyolefin first substrate adhered to a second substrate with an epoxy adhesive. The polyolefin first substrate has graft-polymerized thereto at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of sulfonic and carboxylic acids and alkyl esters thereof containing fewer than eight carbon atoms in the ester group, amides and mono- and di-substituted amides, alcohols, amines, and 5-, 6-, and 7-membered heterocyclic rings having at least one oxygen and/or nitrogen atom in the ring, with the proviso that said monomer contain an ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable moiety. The graft-polymerized monomers are in a layer less than 5 micrometers in thickness and contact the epoxy adhesive.

Acrylic-type normally tacky and pressure-sensitive adhesives are firmly bonded to polyolefin substrates that have been primed by coating with a monomer composition and subjecting the coated substrate to actinic radiation to effect graft-polymerization.

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Lake Elmo, MN, United States of America

J Thomas Simpson