A multi-phase silicone acrylic hybrid visco-elastic composition prepared by polymerizing an ethylenically unsaturated monomer and a silicon-containing pressure sensitive adhesive composition comprising acrylate or methacrylate functionality in a first solvent in the presence of an initiator, removing the first solvent, and adding a second solvent to form the multi-phase silicone acrylic hybrid visco-elastic composition. Alternatively, a multi-phase silicone acrylic hybrid visco-elastic composition prepared by polymerizing an ethylenically unsaturated monomer and a silicon-containing pressure sensitive adhesive composition comprising acrylate or methacrylate functionality in a first solvent in the presence of an initiator, adding a processing solvent having a higher boiling point than the first solvent, applying heat to selectively remove a majority of the first solvent, removing the processing solvent, and adding a second solvent to form the multi-phase silicone acrylic hybrid visco-elastic composition. The phase arrangement of the multi-phase silicone acrylic hybrid visco-elastic compositions is selectively controlled by selection of the second solvent.

There is provided a new pressure-sensitive adhesive resin composition that can have adhesiveness to the extent of being peelable in a room temperature condition, has fluidity by hot-melting, and can finally be crosslinked to firmly bond adherends to each other. There is proposed a pressure-sensitive adhesive resin composition comprising 100 parts by mass of an acrylic copolymer (A), 0.5 to 20 parts by mass of a crosslinking agent (B), and 0.1 to 5 parts by mass of a photopolymerization initiator (C), wherein the acrylic copolymer (A) is a graft copolymer having a weight average molecular weight of 5.0×10.sup.4 to 5.0×10.sup.5, contains as a trunk component of the graft copolymer a repeating unit derived from a (meth)acrylate, contains as a branch component of the graft copolymer a repeating unit derived from a macromonomer having a number average molecular weight of 5.0×10.sup.2 or more and less than 6.0×10.sup.3, and contains the repeating unit derived from the macromonomer in the acrylic copolymer (A) in a proportion in a range of 0.1 to 3 mol %.

A label assembly including one or more dissolvable thermal direct adhesive labels and methods of assembly and use. According to one embodiment, each label includes a base layer, a thermal direct layer, an adhesive layer, and a barrier layer. The base layer, which has an upper surface and a lower surface, is water-dissolvable and may be made of a water-dissolvable paper. The thermal direct layer is positioned directly over the upper surface of the base layer and functions in the conventional manner to produce markings therein in response to heat. The adhesive layer is water-dissolvable and is positioned below the lower surface of the base layer. The barrier layer, which is positioned directly below the lower surface of the base layer and directly over the adhesive layer, serves to prevent migration of the adhesive layer through the base layer and into contact with the thermal direct layer.

A (meth)acrylic copolymer (A) having a mass average molecular weight of 50,000 to 1,000,000, in which the (meth)acrylic copolymer (A) is obtained by polymerizing a monomer mixture including a macromonomer (a) that has a number average molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 6000 and a vinyl monomer (b), and preferably includes 7 to 40% by mass of a repeat unit derived from the macromonomer (a), has sufficient coating workability, adhesive holding power and adhesive property as an adhesive composition.

A pressure sensitive adhesive particle includes a styrene resin; and a (meth)acrylate resin, wherein the (meth)acrylate resin contains two kinds of (meth)acrylates as a polymerization component in which the weight proportion of the (meth)acrylate to the total polymerization components is 90% by weight or more, and has two glass transition points in which a difference between the lowest glass transition temperature and the highest glass transition temperature is 30 C. or higher.

A label assembly including one or more dissolvable thermal direct adhesive labels and methods of assembly and use. According to one embodiment, each label includes a base layer, a thermal direct layer, an adhesive layer, and a barrier layer. The base layer, which has an upper surface and a lower surface, is water-dissolvable and may be made of a water-dissolvable paper. The thermal direct layer is positioned directly over the upper surface of the base layer and functions in the conventional manner to produce markings therein in response to heat. The adhesive layer is water-dissolvable and is positioned below the lower surface of the base layer. The barrier layer, which is positioned directly below the lower surface of the base layer and directly over the adhesive layer, serves to prevent migration of the adhesive layer through the base layer and into contact with the thermal direct layer.

An adhesive containing silicone, in the form of an adhesive compound which contains at least a first adhesive component and a second adhesive component containing silicone is provided. The second, silicon-laced adhesive component consists of a non-crosslinked polysiloxane. The kinematic viscosity of the non-crosslinked polysiloxane is at least 100,000 mm.sup.2/s and at most 10,000,000 mm.sup.2/s or that the molar mass of the non-crosslinked polysiloxane is less than 10,000 g/mol, and the second, silicone-containing adhesive component is microencapsulated. Alternatively it can be provided that the molar mass of the polysiloxane is at least 80,000 g/mol and at most 500,000 g/mol, or that the kinematic viscosity of the non-crosslinked polysiloxane is less than 100,000 mm.sup.2/s, and the second, silicone-containing adhesive component is microencapsulated.

There is provided an epoxy resin composition comprising a (meth)acrylic copolymer (A), an epoxy resin (B), and a curing agent (C), wherein the (meth)acrylic copolymer (A) has a constituent unit derived from a macromonomer (a) and a constituent unit derived from a vinyl monomer (b), and wherein a glass transition temperature (TgB) of a polymer obtained by polymerizing only the vinyl monomer (b) is 25 C. or less.

There is provided an epoxy resin composition comprising a (meth)acrylic copolymer (A), an epoxy resin (B), and a curing agent (C), wherein the (meth)acrylic copolymer (A) has a constituent unit derived from a macromonomer (a) and a constituent unit derived from a vinyl monomer (b), and wherein a glass transition temperature (TgB) of a polymer obtained by polymerizing only the vinyl monomer (b) is 25 C. or less.

A (meth)acrylic copolymer (A) having a mass average molecular weight of 50,000 to 1,000,000, in which the (meth)acrylic copolymer (A) is obtained by polymerizing a monomer mixture including a macromonomer (a) that has a number average molecular weight of 500 or more and less than 6000 and a vinyl monomer (b), and preferably includes 7 to 40% by mass of a repeat unit derived from the macromonomer (a), has sufficient coating workability, adhesive holding power and adhesive property as an adhesive composition.