| abstract |
Polymer blends capable of forming hydrogels upon immersion in water are bonded by heat and pressure alone to water-resistant polymer compositions compatible with vinyl lactam polymers to form laminates. Bonding can also be achieved by casting on the surface of the polymer composition a solution of the blend in a solvent inert to the polymer composition and evaporating the solvent. The blends are optically clear blends of vinyl lactam polymers or copolymers with water insoluble copolymers of a hydrophobic water-insoluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer, an ethylenically unsaturated monomer containing an acid group, and optionally a hydrophilic ethylenically unsaturated monomer free from acidic groups. |