Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives: An Introductory Course

Self-adhesive materials are called, in the adhesives trade, “pressure-sensitive adhesives” (PSAs). PSAs are designed to stick on almost any surface by simple contact under light pressure. This special class of adhesives does not undergo any physical transformation or chemical reaction during the bon...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:MRS bulletin 2003-06, Vol.28 (6), p.434-439
Main Author: Creton, Costantino
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
acrylics
block copolymers
peel
polymers
pressure-sensitive adhesives
tackifying resins
Technical Feature
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Summary:Self-adhesive materials are called, in the adhesives trade, “pressure-sensitive adhesives” (PSAs). PSAs are designed to stick on almost any surface by simple contact under light pressure. This special class of adhesives does not undergo any physical transformation or chemical reaction during the bonding process. Because of this, the rheological properties of the adhesive must be finely tuned for the application, combining a carefully chosen polymer architecture and monomer composition with the proper addition of small molecules called tackifying resins. PSAs are soft, deformable solids and, depending on the formulation, easily form bridging fibrils between two surfaces upon debonding. They are safe to use and easy to handle and thus are increasingly replacing more conventional types of adhesives. In this article, we review both the primary material characteristics of PSAs and the main physical principles that make them work effectively.
ISSN:0883-7694
1938-1425
DOI:10.1557/mrs2003.124