Pressure-sensitive adhesive systems

The Physical Testing of Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Systems John Johnston... 

Finally, it should be recognized that, when a stress is applied to a pressure-sensitive adhesive, it is either a tensile stress, a shear stress, or a combination of both. In the specific end use of a given pressure-sensitive adhesive system, a clear understanding should exist as to what type of stresses can be encountered, to ensure that the test methods applied bear a relationship to use. The various standard test methods can now be considered. 

In conclusion, anyone testing pressure-sensitive adhesive systems should not only be fully acquainted with the fundamental characteristics of pressure-sensitive adhesives and the pitfalls in testing to ensure that the data gathered in whatever test method being used are meaningful, but the tester should also develop the skill to manipulate these test methods to meet specific needs. 

Figure 1. Pressure sensitive adhesive system constructions.

There have been very few studies reported on the viscoelastic properties of rubber-resin pressure sensitive adhesive systems. In 1973, M. Sherriff and co-workers (1) reported on the effect of adding poly (j3-pinene) resin to natural rubber. Based on a G master curve, they showed that the resin shifted the entry to the transition zone to a lower frequency and reduced the modulus in the rubbery plateau. G. Kraus and K.W. Rollman (2) reported in 1977 on their study of resins blended with styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymers. They showed that the addition of a resin increased the glass transition temperature of the rubbery mid-block and decreased the plateau modulus. Accordingly, a satisfactory tackifying resin should produce these changes. 

Table 4. Components Used in Photocure Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Systems...

Newer adhesives of the acrylic, anaerobic or radiation-curable types must, if they are structural, have a relatively high degree of toughness and durability if they are to compete with or challenge epoxy adhesive systems. Likewise, newer radiation-curable, pressure-sensitive adhesive systems must exhibit the properties of permanence largely associated with cross-linked adhesive masses deposited from an acrylic solution polymer base. Epoxy resin structural adhesives largely define the existing area on the one hand the cross-linked acrylics deposited on plastic or metallic films the other. 

During his 61+ years in the pressure-sensitive tape industry, Johnston has worked with every type of pressure-sensitive adhesive system, every industry, consumer and medical group of tapes, every conventional manufacturing process and every related test method, he says. He has designed numerous types of adhesive tapes by taking them from an initial concept through product development, manufacturing scale-up and... 

Other Plastics Uses. The plasticizer range alcohols have a number of other uses in plastics hexanol and 2-ethylhexanol are used as part of the catalyst system in the polymerization of acrylates, ethylene, and propylene (55) the peroxydicarbonate of 2-ethylhexanol is utilized as a polymerization initiator for vinyl chloride various trialkyl phosphites find usage as heat and light stabHizers for plastics organotin derivatives are used as heat stabHizers for PVC octanol improves the compatibHity of calcium carbonate filler in various plastics 2-ethylhexanol is used to make expanded polystyrene beads (56) and acrylate esters serve as pressure sensitive adhesives. 

Heteroatom functionalized terpene resins are also utilized in hot melt adhesive and ink appHcations. Diels-Alder reaction of terpenic dienes or trienes with acrylates, methacrylates, or other a, P-unsaturated esters of polyhydric alcohols has been shown to yield resins with superior pressure sensitive adhesive properties relative to petroleum and unmodified polyterpene resins (107). Limonene—phenol resins, produced by the BF etherate-catalyzed condensation of 1.4—2.0 moles of limonene with 1.0 mole of phenol have been shown to impart improved tack, elongation, and tensile strength to ethylene—vinyl acetate and ethylene—methyl acrylate-based hot melt adhesive systems (108). Terpene polyol ethers have been shown to be particularly effective tackifiers in pressure sensitive adhesive appHcations (109). 

Pressure sensitive adhesives typically employ a polymer, a tackifier, and an oil or solvent. Environmental concerns are moving the PSA industry toward aqueous systems. Polymers employed in PSA systems are butyl mbber, natural mbber (NR), random styrene—butadiene mbber (SBR), and block copolymers. Terpene and aUphatic resins are widely used in butyl mbber and NR-based systems, whereas PSAs based on SBR may require aromatic or aromatic modified aUphatic resins. 

Release coatings are important components of pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) products such as tapes and labels [1]. Release materials are coated onto the backside of PSA tape backings (often called low adhesion backsizes or LABs in this form) to provide the desired tape roll unwind force. They are also coated onto various substrates to form release liners for PSA products such as labels and transfer tapes. Typically the thickness of the release coating is less than 1 p,m, and often times less than 0.1 jLm. Release coatings can be thought of as the PSA delivery system, providing a controlled unwind or release force and protecting the adhesive from contamination and unintentional contact until it is applied. 

The biggest challenge to produce an ultra-thin (about 1 nm) overcoat is to make the coating free of pin-holes while maintaining the durability and tribological properties. In an HDD system, pin-holes can cause much more contaminants from all sources, such as outgas compounds from polymeric foam components, pressure sensitive adhesives, ionic residues from improperly cleaned components and ambient pollutants, which can be detrimental to the tribology and durability of the HDD. Therefore, efforts have been made mainly on the improvement of carbon film [4-7]. 

One of the most popular uses of radiant curing is the advancement (viscosity increase) or crosslinking of pressure-sensitive adhesives. These applications have been satisfied mostly with acrylate-based adhesive systems. With epoxy-based adhesives, the main applications are electrical and electronic components, the bonding of large aerospace structures such as composites, and the bonding of transparent substrates such as glass and plastic. 

Resin as the Disperse Phase. Several kinds of resins (10) have been used to reinforce rubbers—e.g., phenolic or coumarone resins for natural rubber, styrene-butadiene resin for styrene-butadiene rubber, etc. One other important system, pressure-sensitive adhesive, also belongs to this class. These adhesives generally contain a low molecular weight resin functioning as a tackifier. In 1957, Wetzel (68) and Hock (19) found that these adhesives were actually two-phase systems (Figure 1). Under... 

If surfactant is added to a suspension polymerization system, a number of phenomena may occur. If the surfactant is added in small amounts (below the critical micelle concentration or CMC), the reduction in interfacial tension between the organic and aqueous phases will result in smaller monomer droplets, but it has hardly any other effect. If surfactant is added above the CMC, and an oil-soluble initiator is used, the process is commonly termed a microsuspension polymerization. Due to the reduced interfacial tension, the droplet diameter (and hence bead diameter) is reduced to approximately 10-40 pm. Little polymerization takes place in the aqueous phase or in particles generated from surfactant micelles because of the hydrophobic nature of the initiator. However, some smaller particles initiated from surfactant micelles may be found. The kinetics are still essentially those of a bulk free radical polymerization. Microsuspension polymerization is used to produce pressure-sensitive adhesives for repositionable notes. 

In terms of the system design of TDS, there are three types of system constructions reservoir type, matrix type, and drug-in-adhesive type. In reservoir type and matrix type, pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) is only expected to keep the system on the skin. Hence, the necessary conditions for adhesives are almost the same as those of bandages, namely, well skin adhesiveness and low skin toxicity whereas in drug-in-adhesive type, the drug is incorporated into the adhesive so that the interaction between drugs and the PSA is more critical, as discussed later. 

Kokubo, T. Sugibayashi, K. Morimoto, Y. Interaction between drugs and pressure-sensitive adhesives in transdermal therapeutic systems. Pharm. Res. 1994,11, 104—107. 

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