Midblock tackifier

Among the different pressure sensitive adhesives, acrylates are unique because they are one of the few materials that can be synthesized to be inherently tacky. Indeed, polyvinylethers, some amorphous polyolefins, and some ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers are the only other polymers that share this unique property. Because of the access to a wide range of commercial monomers, their relatively low cost, and their ease of polymerization, acrylates have become the dominant single component pressure sensitive adhesive materials used in the industry. Other PSAs, such as those based on natural rubber or synthetic block copolymers with rubbery midblock require compounding of the elastomer with low molecular weight additives such as tackifiers, oils, and/or plasticizers. The absence of these low molecular weight additives can have some desirable advantages, such as ... 

Thermoplastic block copolymers were used for pressure-sensitive and hot-melt rubber adhesives as from the middle sixties. These adhesives found application in packaging, disposable diapers, labels and tapes, among other industrial markets. The formulation of these adhesives generally includes an elastomer (generally containing styrene endblocks and either isoprene, butadiene or ethylene-butylene midblocks) and a tackifier (mainly a rosin derivative or hydrocarbon resin). 

Block copolymers with incompatible blocks which are able to microphase separate are good candidates for PSA properties. Indeed, blends of ABA triblocks and AB diblocks, where the rubbery midblock of the ABA is the majority phase and the glassy endblocks self organize in hard spherical domains and form physical crosslinks, are widely used as base polymers for PSA. The actual adhesives are always compounded with a low molecular weight tackifier resin able to swell the rubbery phase and dilute the entanglement network. Linear styrene-rubber-styrene copolymers, with rubber being isoprene, butadiene, ethylene/propylene or ethylene/butylene, are the most widely used block copolymers in this category. 

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