The formulation, polymerization, and performance of a new class of low-surface-energy adhesives for plastics are described. The polymerization involves the simultaneous room-temperature polymerization of polyoxirane monomers in an acrylic monomer phase. The polymerization of the acrylic phase and adhesion promotion to plastics are catalyzed after the decomplexation and oxidation of trialkylborane-amine complexes. The polymerization of the epoxy phase is catalyzed with a Lewis acid such as BF3, ZnCl2, or SnCl4 complexed with ether or amine. This article explores the resulting adhesives as a function of the epoxy monomer functionality, concentration, solubility in the acrylic monomer, Lewis acid catalyst concentration, phase crosslinking, and postprocessing thermal history. The adhesive morphology exhibits a finely dispersed epoxy phase strongly interacting with the major acrylic phase resulting from a nucleation-and-growth phase-separation mechanism. Excellent adhesion to plastics, including polyethylene, polypropylene, poly(tetrafluoroethylene), poty(ethylene terephthalate), and nylon, is achieved with a much higher thermal performance than that achievable with acrylic polymers alone. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.