Optically compensated acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition, polarizing plate and liquid crystal display device containing the same

1. An acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition which comprises a (meth)acrylic copolymer comprising 70 to 95 parts by weight of an alkyl(meth)acrylic acid ester monomer, in which alkyl has 2 to 14 carbon atoms, and 5 to 30 parts by weight of a copolymerizable (meth)acrylic acid ester monomer containing an aromatic group;

wherein the composition forms a crosslinking structure through the reaction of the (meth)acrylic copolymer and a multi-functional crosslinking agent,

wherein the composition after forming the crosslinking structure has a gel fraction, represented by Equation 1, of 10 to 55% and a swelling ratio, represented by Equation 2, of 30 to 110, and

wherein the composition after forming the crosslinking structure comprises a sol that is capable of being eluted with a solvent from the composition after forming the crosslinking structure and that has a weight average molecular weight of 600,000 or more:

Gel fraction(%)= B/A× 100  (1)

Swelling ratio= C/B   (2)

wherein, A represents weight of the composition after forming the crosslinking structure, B represents dry weight of insoluble content after depositing the composition after forming the crosslinking structure in a solvent at ambient temperature for 48 hours, and C represents weight of insoluble content swollen with a solvent after depositing the composition after forming the crosslinking structure in the solvent at ambient temperature for 48 hours.

2. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 1 , wherein the weight ratio of alkyl(meth)acrylic acid ester monomer, in which alkyl has 2 to 14 carbon atoms, and copolymerizable (meth)acrylic acid ester monomer containing an aromatic group is 3:1 to 6:1.

3. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition after forming the crosslinking structure has the gel fraction, represented by Equation 1, of 15 to 35% and the swelling ratio, represented by Equation 2, of 50 to 100.

4. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 1 , wherein the alkyl(meth)acrylic acid ester monomer is one or more selected from the group consisting of ethyl (meth)acrylate, n-propyl (meth)acrylate, isopropyl (meth)acrylate, n-butyl (meth)acrylate, t-butyl (meth)acrylate, sec-butyl (meth)acrylate, pentyl (meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth)acrylate, n-octyl (meth)acrylate, isooctyl (meth)acrylate, isononyl (meth)acrylate, lauryl (meth)acrylate, and tetradecyl (meth)acrylate.

5. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 1 , wherein the copolymerizable (meth)acrylic acid ester monomer containing an aromatic group is a compound of Formula 1:

wherein,

R 1 represents hydrogen or a methyl group,

R 2 represents an alkylene group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms,

n represents an integer of 0 to 3,

m represents an integer of 0 to 1,

X represents an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom, and

Ar represents an aromatic group unsubstituted or substituted with halogen, particularly bromo or chloro, or alkyl of 1 to 12 carbon atoms.

6. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 5 , wherein said compound of Formula 1 is one or more selected from the group consisting of phenoxy ethyl (meth)acrylate, benzyl (meth)acrylate, 2-phenylthio-1-ethyl (meth)acrylate, 6-(4,6-dibromo-2-isopropylphenoxy)-1-hexyl (meth)acrylate, 6-(4,6-dibromo-2-sec-butylphenoxy)-1-hexyl (meth)acrylate, 2,6-dibromo-4-nonylphenyl (meth)acrylate, 2,6-dibromo-4-dodecyl phenyl (meth)acrylate, 2-(1-naphtyloxy)-1-ethyl (meth)acrylate, 2-(2-naphtyloxy)-1-ethyl (meth)acrylate, 6-(1-naphtyloxy)-1-hexyl (meth)acrylate, 6-(2-naphtyloxy)-1-hexyl (meth)acrylate, 8-(1-naphtyloxy)-1-octyl (meth)acrylate, and 8-(2-naphtyloxy)-1-octyl (meth)acrylate.

7. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 1 , wherein the (meth)acrylic copolymers further comprise 0-20 parts by weight of a functional monomer of Formula 2 relative to weight of total monomers:

wherein,

R 4 represents hydrogen or alkyl,

R 3 represents cyano, phenyl unsubstituted or substituted with alkyl, acetyloxy, or COR 5 , where R 5 represents amino or glycidyloxy unsubstituted or substituted with alkyl.

8. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 7 , wherein said compound of Formula 2 is one or more selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile, (meth)acryl amide, N-methyl(meth)acryl amide, N-butoxy methyl(meth)acryl amide, styren, methylstyren, glycidyl(meth)acrylate and vinyl acetate.

9. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 1 , wherein the (meth)acrylic copolymers further comprises 0.1 to 10 parts by weight of vinyl based and/or acyl based cross-linkable monomer comprising a cross-linkable functional group relative to weight of total monomers.

10. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 9 , wherein the cross-linkable monomer is one or more selected from the group consisting of 2-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, 4-hydroxybutyl (meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxyethylene glycol (meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxypropylene glycol (meth)acrylate, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid dimer, itaconic acid, maleic acid, and maleic anhydride.

11. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises 0.01 to 10 parts by weight of multi-functional cross-linking agent relative to 100 parts by weight of the (meth)acrylic copolymer.

12. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 11 , wherein the multi-functional cross-linking agent is one or more selected from the group consisting of isocyanate compounds, epoxy compounds, aziridine compounds, and metal chelating compounds.

13. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises one or more silane coupling agents selected from the group consisting of γ-glycycloxypropyl trimethoxysilane, γ-glycycloxypropyl methyldiethoxysilane, γ-glycycloxypropyl tri-ethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane, vinyl trimethoxysilane, vinyl tri-ethoxysilane, γ-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane, γ-methacryloxypropyl tri-ethoxysilane, γ-aminopropyl triethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatepropyl triethoxysilane, and γ-acetoacetatepropyl trimethoxysilane in an amount of 0.005 to 5 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of acrylic copolymer.

14. The acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises one or more tackifier resins selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon resin, a hydrogenated hydrocarbon resin, a rosin resin, a hydrogenated rosin resin, a rosin ester resin, a hydrogenated rosin ester resin, a terpene resin, a hydrogenated terpene resin, a terpene phenol resin, a hydrogenated terpene phenol resin, a polymerized rosin resin, and a polymerized rosin ester resin in an amount of 1 to 100 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of acrylic copolymer.

15. A polarizing plate characterized by comprising the acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive composition according to claim 1 as a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer on one side or both sides of a polarizing film.

16. The polarizing plate of claim 15 , further comprising one or more layers selected from the group consisting of a protective layer, a reflective layer, a phase retardation plate, a compensation film for wide view angle and a brightness enhancing film.

17. A liquid crystal display device comprising a liquid crystal panel binding the pressure-sensitive adhesive polarizing plate according to claim 15 to one side or both sides of a liquid crystal cell.