Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Joints

Abstract

Self-adhesive materials are called, in the adhesive industry, pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs). PSAs are designed in the shapes of latex, solvent borne resin, rubber solution, or hot melt and are being used for foils and films, tapes, labels, and notepads which can make permanent, removable, or semi-removable adhesive joints for applications of general purpose product assembly by simple contact under light pressure. This special class of adhesives does not undergo any physical transformation or chemical reaction during the bonding process. The end-use properties of PSAs result from the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of the adhesive material, and the elastomeric polymer basis of PSAs imparts them such a viscoelastic behavior caused by a carefully chosen polymer architecture and monomer composition with the proper addition of small molecules called tackifying resins. They are safe to use and easy to handle and thus are increasingly replacing more conventional types of adhesives. In this chapter, we review adhesion mechanism of PSAs, types of PSAs, adhesion properties and tests, mechanical behavior of joints, and especially different aspects of PSA applications.

Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Tape: A Versatile Material Platform for Optical Sensors

“…They bond well to polar surfaces such as metal, glass, polyesters and polycarbonates. The disadvantages of acrylics as compared to rubber-based adhesives include poor adhesion to low-energy surfaces, such as polypropylene and polyethylene, and lower overall adhesion [ 1 , 2 , 31 , 32 , 33 ].…”

“…Silicone adhesives are less common and more expensive than rubber- and acrylic-based adhesives. They are formulated from silicone polymers and are usually destined for providing adhesion to silicon and other hard-to-adhere-to materials [ 1 , 2 , 31 , 32 , 33 ].…”

“…The usual thickness of both the backing and adhesive layers ranges from 20 µm to 200 µm. The main adhesive types used in PSA tapes are rubber/resin, acrylic and silicone, with or without additives [1,2,[31][32][33]. Rubber-based adhesives are formulated from mixtures of natural or synthetic rubber and resin.…”

“…In particular, plastic (polymeric) backings offer excellent optical, mechanical and thermal parameters for optical sensing applications, and are by far the most popular for implementing optical sensors based on PSA tapes. The main adhesive types used in PSA tapes are rubber/resin, acrylic and silicone, with or without additives [1,2,[31][32][33]. Rubber-based adhesives are formulated from mixtures of natural or synthetic rubber and resin.…”

Enhancement of Pressure‐Sensitive Adhesive by CO2 Laser Treatment

“…[3] The chemical composition of acrylic PSAs and their surface can be modified with oxygen or nitrogen plasma and oligomers or aluminum nitride particles. [16][17][18][19][20] These approaches provide a way to enhance the adhesion with additional materials and processing steps but require specialized and well-equipped technical facilities. Here, a simple way to modify adhesion without additives is reported, which is compatible with rapid prototyping.The proposed approach is based on a serendipitous discovery: treating VHB tape with a common CO 2 laser "cutter" can improve the adhesion.…”