Polymer adhesion enhancement

Fillers were initially introduced to reduce costs they have significantly lower cost than low cost commodity polymers. However, fillers are now added to polymers to enhance performance in many applications. Many of these benefits have emerged because of the greater adhesion between the polymer-filler interface. This arises from the use of coupling agents, which provide a bond, both physical and chemical, between the filler and the polymer matrix. 

Over the past fifteen years a number of different approaches have been taken in an attempt to increase the durability of the metal/polymer interfacial region in the presence of water. These attempts have met with varied degrees of success. However, to date adhesion scientists are still searching for a means of achieving sufficient wet environment durability, so that the enormous potential of metal/polymer adhesion systems can soon be utilized effectively. The authors have selected to discuss a few of the more promising durability-enhancing methods. 

Recently, many research efforts have been directed at developing pretreatments for metal surfaces which produce oxide layers with pores, fibrous projections, or microscopic roughness which can enhance metal/polymer adhesion by mechanical means. In order for the pretreatments to lead to an increase in durability, the oxide layers formed must be stable under environmental conditions. The bulk 3l-33 S2-128> of the research in this area has been completed in an attempt to increase the durability of... 

Since water exposure has been shown 86) to have no substantial short-term effect on adhesive bonds in which a large degree of mechanical interlocking is present, these pretreatments have the potential to enhance the durability of aluminum/polymer adhesion systems. 

Gutowski, W. V. 2003. Interface/interphase engineering of polymers for adhesion enhancement Review of micromechanical aspects of polymer interface reinforcement through surface grafted molecular brushes. Journal of Adhesion 79 445-82. 

Fowkes FM, Sun CY, Joslin ST (1980) Enhancing polymer adhesion to iron... 

The capacity of pathogenic bacteria to adhere to mucosal membranes has been exploited in the modification of new mucoadhesive polymers. The ability of bacteria to adhere to a specific target is rooted from particular cell-surface components or appendages, known as fimbriae, which promote adhesion to other cells or inanimate surfaces. Fimbriae are extracellular, long thread-like protein polymers of bacteria that play a major role in many diseases. It has been reported that Escherichia coli adheres specifically to the lymphoid follicle epithelium of the ileal Peyer s patch in rabbits. Similarly, different staphylococci possess the ability to adhere specifically to the surface of mucus gel layers and not mucus-free surfaces. Thus, polymers have been modified by the attachment of these fimbriae to enhance mucoadhesion. An attachment protein derived from E. coli, K99-fimbriae, has been covalently attached to polyacrylic acid networks in an attempt to provide a novel polymer with enhanced adhesive properties (Figure 52.7). ... 

M.J. Shenton, M.C. Lovell-Hoare, G.C. Stevens, Adhesion enhancement of polymer surfaces by atmospheric plasma treatment. J. Phys. D 34, 2754-2760 (2001)... 

Chem. Descrip. Trisnonylphenyl phosphite, 1.0% triisopropanolamine Uses Antioxidant, stabilizer for polyolefins, acrylics, adhesives, elastomers, nylon, PC, PU, PS, PVC, coatings, ABS, PET, food-contact polymers Features Enhanced hydrolysis resist. 

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