Renewable pressure-sensitive adhesive
(PSA) is an emerging field
in adhesive industries as it is an excellent green alternative to
depleting petroleum-sourced adhesives. Herein, we report the development
of novel bio-sourced UV-curable PSAs with ∼50% biomass content
originating from alkali lignin, cardanol, and linseed oil. Bio-based
prepolymers cardanoldiol acrylate (CDA) and acrylated epoxidized linseed
oil (AELO) were synthesized and used to prepare polyurethane acrylate
(PUA)-based PSA systems. Alkali-lignin-based acrylates (LAs) in the
liquid phase were incorporated into the PUA/AELO PSA system at 10–30
wt % loading to tune the functional properties. The Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis showed weakened cross-linking
in the PSA systems on LA addition, which is desirable for removable
PSA applications. The single glass-transition temperature (T
g) noticed in all of the PSA formulations revealed
good miscibility among the oligomers/prepolymers. The viscoelastic
window also confirmed that the incorporation of 10–20% LA could
improve the viscoelastic properties effectively to be used as removable
PSAs. The addition of 20% LA into the PUA-based PSA system showed
reasonable tackiness, lap shear adhesion (166 kPa), and 180°
peel strength (∼2.1 N/25 mm) for possible nonstructural or
semistructural applications. Lignin improved the thermal stability
by hindering the degradation rate even at higher temperatures. Therefore,
lignin-based PSAs with a high bio-based content paved the way of replacing
petro-sourced PSA by proper tuning of the lignin content and modifications.