Sawtooth-shaped stringiness with front frame formation for polyacrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives with two different molecular structures

The formation of sawtooth-shaped stringiness during 90° peeling was investigated using crosslinked poly(n-butyl acrylate–acrylic acid) and poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate–acrylic acid) random copolymers with an acrylic acid content of 5 wt.% and different crosslinking degrees as pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs). The gel fraction was measured by toluene extraction of PSA, and it increased with crosslinker content for both systems. The observed stringiness was sawtooth-shaped, but there were three different types; both the typical sawtooth shape and the frame formed at the front tip with interfacial failure, and the sawtooth shape formed with cohesive failure. The change in the stringiness shape was affected strongly by the gel fraction of PSA. The peel rate under constant peel load was measured and revealed that the peel rate was lowest upon formation of the front frame type. A good relation was found between peel rate and peel strength, with a greater peel strength upon formation of the front frame type. The concentrated stress at the peeling tip is released by progress of peeling and deformation of the adhesive layer (stringiness) for no frame type. On the other hand, the sufficient interfacial adhesion delays the progress of peeling, and the applied larger stress causes cavitation in the PSA layer for front frame type. The formed cavity grows and the front frame type formed as a result. That is, internal deformation occurred preferentially over peeling. In order to improve the peel strength, the front frame type is the most useful stringiness shape.     

Influence of the interfacial adhesion on the stringiness of crosslinked polyacrylic pressure‐sensitive adhesives

The stringiness of crosslinked polyacrylic pressure‐sensitive adhesives (PSA) was observed during 90° peeling under a constant peel rate with various adherends in order to clarify the influence of interfacial adhesion on the stringiness behavior. The crosslinked random copolymer of butyl acrylate with 5 wt % acrylic acid was used as a representative PSA. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), fused quartz plates and some surface‐modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) films were used as adherends. The films were pasted on a glass plate using a cyanoacrylate adhesive. The 180° peel strength was higher in the order of PVC >> PMMA ≈ PC > other adherends. All observed stringiness was sawtooth‐shaped, but the stringiness width and length were longer in the same order. The number of sub‐branches formed at the tips of the strings was much more for the PVC, PMMA and PC adherends. Frames formed at the front end of the strings in the case of PVC adherend. Sufficient interfacial adhesion generates large internal deformation of the PSA layer. Internal deformation occurred preferentially over peeling as a result of front frame formation. The string length and the peel load required for the constant peel rate have good correlation with the peel strength. The estimation of generated inner stress in the fibrils of the strings was possible by analysis using the string length for various adherends and the stress–strain curve of pure PSA. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40869.     

Stringiness morphology for crosslinked polyacrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives measured by peel testing with constant rate

To clarify the formation mechanism of front frame-type morphology, the stringiness of crosslinked random copolymers of poly(n-butyl acrylate-acrylic acid) during a 180° peel test with a constant tensile rate was examined for various crosslinker contents and rates using a quartz adherend. Cohesive failure occurred for lower crosslinker content and rate, whereas interfacial failure with sawtooth-type stringiness without a frame was observed for higher crosslinker content and rate. Front frame-type stringiness was formed at the boundary of cohesive and interfacial failures. To clarify the formation mechanism, observation was conducted from the start of peel test until the equilibrium state. The sawtooth-type stringiness with branches first formed at the tip. The adjoining branches were connected and the 2D frame was formed only on the adherend surface. The formed 2D frame developed toward the 3D walls and the front frame-type was then completed. This is caused by the surface tension that acts to restrain the increase in the surface area. However, the surface area of the front frame-type morphology was larger than the no frame-type. The larger absorption of peeling stress by the formation of this morphology is expected to contribute to peel strength improvement.     

Effect of adhesive thickness on the stringiness of crosslinked polyacrylic pressure‐sensitive adhesives

The effect of adhesive thickness on stringiness behavior during 90° peel testing was investigated for crosslinked poly(n‐butyl acrylate‐acrylic acid) (A) and poly(2‐ethylhexyl acrylate‐acrylic acid) (B) with a constant crosslinker content. The adhesive thickness was varied over the range from 15 to 60 μm. All adhesive thicknesses exhibited sawtooth‐type peeling with a front frame for B, but only the 30‐μm thickness generated a front frame‐type for A. The peel rate decreased from 15 to 45 μm and plateaued above 45 μm under a constant load test. These results indicate that the adhesion strength increases with adhesive thickness, but reaches a constant value at high thicknesses. The stringiness was also analysed for B and the sawtooth interval observed to increase with increasing thickness. This means the sawtooth number decreased. As a result, the concentrated stress per sawtooth induces easier peeling and so this factor tend to increase the peel rate. Conversely, the stringiness width increased with increasing thickness. The stress load over the stringiness region decreased with an increase in thickness, meaning that a decrease in the concentrated stress decreases the peel rate. The actual peel rate is influenced by the contributions of these two factors. The strain rates during constant peel rate tests decreased slightly with increasing thickness, due to a reduction in the apparent modulus. The molecular mobilities near the adherend and the backing surfaces were evidently restrained by these surfaces, and the relative rates of motion of such restrained molecules decrease with increased thickness. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42210.     

Influence of diblock addition on tack in a polyacrylic triblock copolymer/tackifier system measured using a probe tack test

The influence of diblock copolymer addition on the tack properties of a polyacrylic triblock copolymer/tackifier system was investigated. For this purpose, poly(methyl methacrylate)‐block‐poly(n‐butyl acrylate)‐block‐poly(methyl methacrylate) triblock copolymer (MAM) and a 1/1 blend with a diblock copolymer consisting of the same components (MA) were used as base polymers, and a tackifier was added in amounts ranging from 10 to 30 wt %. The temperature dependence of tack was measured by a probe tack test. The tack of MAM/MA at room temperature was significantly higher than that of MAM, and the improvement of MAM/MA upon the addition of the tackifier was higher than that of MAM. The peeling process at the probe/adhesive interface during the probe tack test was observed using a high‐speed microscope. It was found that for MAM/MA, cavitation was caused in the entire adhesive layer, and peeling initiation was delayed by the absorption of strain energy due to deformation of the adhesive layer. In contrast, for MAM, peeling progressed linearly from the edge to the center of the probe. The greater flexibility of the soft block chain in the diblock copolymer resulted in improved interfacial adhesion. ¹H pulse nuclear magnetic resonance analysis showed that the addition of the tackifier improved the cohesive strength of the adhesive. Adhesion strength is affected by two factors: the development of interfacial adhesion and cohesive strength. In the MAM/MA/tackifier system, the presence of MA and the tackifier improved the interfacial adhesion and cohesive strength, respectively. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Effect of Peel Load on Stringiness Phenomena and Peel Speed of Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Tape

The factors governing interfacial separation in lightly cross-linked polymer adhesives at low pulling rates as demonstrated by their stringiness phenomenon are investigated.

Cohesive failure and adhesive/substrate interfacial separation of uncross-linked polymer adhesives have been adequately explained. However, in lightly cross-linked polymer adhesives, where cohesive failure cannot occur because there is no viscous flow, there are two regions of interfacial separation at low rate and this phemonenon cannot be readily explained by present viscoelastic theories.

Investigation of the stringiness phenomenon of peeling pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes at constant loads shows that two peeling speeds exist for any peeling load up to the vicinity of 200 g/25 mm. Also it is clear that stringiness structure differs greatly at each peeling speed. The stringiness phenomenon of each of these two regions is analyzed using Miyagi's observation apparatus. These two measurements are then reversed and a comparison shows that the two peeling speeds correspond to each steady peeling region.

This field of investigation, when added to the present viscoelastic property studies, should lead to a new peeling adhesive theory which, in turn, may lead to the development of new high peel force pressure-sensitive adhesives.     

Adhesion properties of polyacrylic block copolymer pressure-sensitive adhesives and analysis by pulse NMR and AFM force curve

The adhesion strength of a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) is influenced by two factors, the interfacial adhesion and the cohesive strength. A suitable method for the estimation of these two factors was investigated. Blends of triblock and diblock copolymers consisting of poly(methyl methacrylate) (hard) and poly(n-butyl acrylate) (soft) blocks (A) and blends of triblock copolymer and poly(n-butyl acrylate) oligomer (B), both with different blend ratios, were prepared as model PSAs. The peel strength decreased with an increase in the hard block content for B, whereas it was independent for A. The tack increased with a decrease in the hard block content for A, whereas it was independent for B. The influence of the hard block content on the peel strength and tack was thus different. The ¹H pulse nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and force curve analysis showed that the molecular mobility was higher for B than for A. The Young's modulus and adhesive energy calculated by the Johnson–Kendall–Roberts two-point method using the atomic force microscopy (AFM) force curve qualitatively reflected the cohesive strength and the interfacial adhesion, respectively. The Young's modulus and adhesive energy are found to be useful parameters to investigate the adhesion mechanism. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47791.     

A new method based on application of cyclic strain to evaluate the durability of pressure sensitive adhesives

The development of PSAs suitable for specific applications requires an optimization of the two most essential properties: sufficient bond strength and clean removability. The latter is conveniently obtained by controlling the mode of debonding to an interfacial failure, yet the issue of bond strength is challenging since the optimum bond strength must be available in the same failure mode. More complication arises from the fact that the methods, such as peel and creep tests, used to evaluate the bond strength are often qualitative and the results obtained may not accurately reveal the effects of various PSA design parameters. In the present study, a new method, named cyclic strain application (CSA) test, is devised to evaluate the durability of PSAs. A key feature of this test is that by applying a controlled cyclic strain on a PSA/substrate interface we can quantitatively monitor the temporal stress variation as well as the time for interfacial failure (t _f). As a result, the effects of various PSA design parameters, such as molar mass, blending with low molar mass fractions, adhesion promoters, and the level of crosslinking on PSA durability can be clearly seen. Other factors being equal, higher molar mass samples showed greater t _f, while, blending with low molar mass fractions led to a reduced t _f. The use of a strong adhesion promoter, as anticipated, increased t _f. However, it should be noted that excessive bond strength may lead to a cohesive failure, which is detrimental in the design of good PSAs. From a comparison of t _f with peel strength, it was clearly shown that t _f, the key parameter obtained from the CSA test, had a strong correlation with peel strength. In addition, some other information, such as the detailed influences of the level of crosslinking and molar mass on PSA durability was also obtained from the CSA test. Lastly, some important PSA design concepts and other examples utilizing the CSA test are presented.     

Synthesis of polyurethane acrylates by hydrogenated castor oil and dimer‐based polyester diol and study on pressure‐sensitive adhesive

Synthesis of polyurethane acrylate (PUA) and preparation of the UV‐cured pressure‐sensitive adhesives (PSA) are reported. Molecular weight (M_w) (by gel permeation chromatography) and viscosity (η*) of PUA were measured. Characterization of PUA and PSA before and after UV‐curing was made by FTIR. Increase of the hydroxyls from hydrogenated castor oil/hydroxyls from dimer‐based polyester diol (OH_HCO/OH_Diol) ratio decreased the M_w and η* value of PUA. Dynamic viscoelastic properties (by dynamic rheological spectrometer) and performance of the UV‐cured PSA were also studied. Increase of the OH_HCO/OH_Diol ratio increased the storage modulus (G′), the loss modulus (G″), and complex viscosity (Eta*) of the UV‐cured PSA, which, in turn, enhanced holding power and shear adhesion failure temperature (SAFT) and yet decreased peeling strength. Substitution of OB for DBTDL depressed the M_w and η* value of PUA, while the G″ and Eta* values of the UV‐cured PSA were elevated, which, in turn, increased the holding power and SAFT and yet depressed the peeling strength. Elevation of the tackifying resin content depressed the G′, G″, and Eta* values of the cured PSA and yet increased glass transition temperatures (T_g) of PSA, measured by differential scanning calorimetry. Peeling strength of PSA elevated as increasing the tackifying resin, while the holding power and SAFT fell. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1814–1821, 2005     

Optimization of Soybean Oil Based Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives Using a Full Factorial Design

Plant oils are attractive renewable feedstocks for biobased pressure‐sensitive adhesives (PSAs). In this study, we investigated how the PSA adhesion properties were influenced by the compositions comprised of epoxidized soybean oil (ESO), 3,4‐epoxycyclohexylmethyl 3,4‐epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate (ECHM), dihydroxyl soybean oil (DSO), rosin ester, and cationic photo initiator. When the amounts of ESO and photo‐initiator were constant, the variables of ECHM, DSO, and rosin amounts and their interactions were significant in influencing PSA peel adhesion strength, with p values smaller than 0.05 under a 95% significance level. Rosin amounts with the largest coefficient of 0.94 compared to the other variables are the most determinant factors. The peel adhesion strength was higher when using relatively a lower level of ECHM and a higher level of ESO and rosin. A model with the coefficient of determination (R²) of 95.06% was obtained to describe the relationship between the amount of resin constituents (ECHM, DSO, and rosin) and PSA peel adhesion strength in the experimental variable ranges. The optimal PSA formulation without cohesive failure was (ECHM = 0.04, DSO = 0.7, rosin = 0.7), resulting in a peel adhesion strength of 4.45 N/in. Structure–property relationships of the PSAs were established via thermal and rheological studies.     

Siloxane‐modified polyacrylate low‐residual pressure‐sensitive adhesive with high peeling strength

A low‐residual siloxane‐modified polyacrylate pressure‐sensitive adhesive (PSA) with a high peeling strength was prepared by seeded semicontinuous emulsion polymerization. 3‐Glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane was introduced into the acrylic (AC) PSA through a thermal posttreatment method to crosslink with AC. To improve the adhesion properties, a polymeric emulsifier, 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propanesulfonic acid, was introduced into the system with the conventional emulsifier. Several key polymerization conditions, such as the initiator concentration, mass ratio of soft monomer to hard monomer, the content of polymeric emulsifier, and siloxane dosages were examined in detail. Then, the optimal conditions and a proper preparation process were established. The results show that we achieved not only a low repeeling residue with high tack and peeling strength but also excellent properties of high‐temperature aging resistance and water resistance. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 42975.     

Crosslinked acrylic pressure‐sensitive adhesives. I. Effect of the crosslinking reaction on the peel strength

For pressure‐sensitive adhesives (PSAs) composed of poly(co‐ethyl acrylate‐2‐ethylhexyl acrylate‐2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) as a base resin and polyisocyanate as a crosslinker, the relationship between the crosslinking reaction and peel strength was investigated. A 90° peel test of cured PSA films under various storage conditions was carried out. At the same time, the isocyanate (NCO) consumption in these PSA films was monitored by attenuated total reflectance/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The peel strength of the PSA compounded with the crosslinker decreased as the NCO groups were consumed. The elevation of the aging temperature promoted the crosslinking reaction and increased the decrement in the peel strength. The peel strength of noncrosslinked and crosslinked PSA films increased with the contact time. A high storage temperature made the increment in the peel strength increase. The addition of the crosslinker to the PSA films reduced the increment in the peel strength. Furthermore, PSA films with residual NCO groups possessed stronger peel strengths than fully cured films. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 1493–1499, 2003     

Study on the Synthesis and Interfacial Interaction Performance of Novel Dodecylamine‐Based Bonding Agents Used for Composite Solid Propellants

An effective pathway was explored to design and select proper bonding agents that could effectively improve the interfacial interactions between bonding agents and solid particles, with three novel synthesized alkyl bonding agents, dodecylamine‐N,N‐di‐2‐hydroxypropyl‐acetate (DIHPA), dodecylamine‐N,N‐di‐2‐hydroxypropyl‐hydroxy‐acetate (DIHPHA) and dodecylamine‐N,N‐di‐2‐hydroxypropyl‐cyano‐acetate (DIHPCA), as examples. Molecular dynamics simulation was applied to compare unit bond energies of these bonding agents with the [110] crystal face of ammonium perchlorate (AP) and the [120] crystal face of hexogen (RDX). The infrared test was used to characterize the interfacial interactions of these bonding agents with AP or RDX. XPS test was applied to calculate the adhesion percentage of the bonding agents on the surface of precoated AP or RDX particles. All of the above results indicated that these three bonding agents have strong interfacial interactions with AP or RDX in the order of DIHPCA>DIHPHA>DIHPA. The prepared three bonding agents were used in HTPB/AP/RDX/Al propellants, and their effects on tensile strength (σ), elongation under maximum tensile strength (ε_m), elongation at breaking point of the propellant (ε_b) and adhesion index (Φ) of the propellant were studied. The results show that the bonding agents improve the mechanical properties of the propellant in the order of DIHPCA>DIHPHA>DIHPA. The methods found from theoretical design, materials synthesis, and mechanistics studies up to practical application show effective guiding significance for choosing the proper bonding agent and improving the interfacial interactions between the solid particles and binder matrix.     

Effect of interfacial microstructure evolution on the peeling strength and fracture of silicon nitride/oxygen-free copper foil joints brazed with Ag-Cu-TiH2 filler

Gas-pressure sintered silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) ceramic was brazed to oxygen-free copper (OFC) foil using 20.22 ± 0.93 mg/cm² of Ag-Cu-TiH₂ filler at 875 ^◦C for 0.5 h. The effect of TiH₂ content on the 3D morphology, including the cross-section microstructure and etched surface morphology of Si₃N₄ ceramic/OFC foil joints, was analyzed. An evolution model of the interfacial microstructure for joints was proposed based on 3D morphological analysis. The reaction between the brazing alloy and Si₃N₄ ceramic formed the interfacial reaction layer and the inside reaction zones during brazing. The growth mechanism of the interfacial reaction layer was discussed in detail. The peeling test was used to evaluate the bonding strength of the Si₃N₄ ceramic/OFC foil joints, and the optimum peeling strength of 25.1 N/mm was achieved at 5 wt% TiH₂ content. The interfacial microstructure of the joints changed with TiH₂ content, leading to different main fracture mechanisms and corresponding peeling strengths.     

Effect of molecular weight between crosslinks on the fracture behavior of rubber‐toughened epoxy adhesives

The effect of molecular weight between crosslinks, M_c, on the fracture behavior of rubber‐toughened epoxy adhesives was investigated and compared with the behavior of the bulk resins. In the liquid rubber‐toughened bulk system, fracture energy increased with increasing M_c. However, in the liquid rubber‐toughened adhesive system, with increasing M_c, the locus of joint fracture had a transition from cohesive failure, break in the bond layer, to interfacial failure, rupture of the bond layer from the surface of the substrate. Specimens fractured by cohesive failure exhibited larger fracture energies than those by interfacial failure. The occurrence of transition from cohesive to interfacial failure seemed to be caused by the increase in the ductility of matrix, the mismatch of elastic constant, and the agglomeration of rubber particles at the metal/epoxy interface. When core‐shell rubber, which did not agglomerate at the interface, was used as a toughening agent, fracture energy increased with M_c. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 38–48, 2001     

A molecular simulation analysis of influence of lignosulphonate addition on properties of modified 2-ethyl hexyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate/acrylic acid based pressure sensitive adhesive

A novel PSA formulation that incorporates a bio-sourced lignosulphonate has been proposed. A molecular dynamics simulation study is attempted to explore the effect of lignosulphonate addition on the adhesion, thermal and mechanical properties of a conventionally used acrylic PSA composed of 2-EHA, MMA and AA. A good agreement of conventional PSA density and glass transition temperature, T_g, with literature estimates confirmed the accuracy of the molecular simulations. It is observed that there is an increase in PSA-substrate interaction energy with an increase in lignosulphonate content despite an increase in T_g due to its addition. This is proposed to be primarily due to an increase in polar groups contributed by lignosulphonate. The availability of more polar groups in bulk and increased density of these groups due to significant migration to interface results in an increase in interfacial energy, and hence, improved PSA adhesion. The shear modulus is observed to increase with increase in lignosulphonate content indicating its effectiveness to resist PSA shear deformation. Simulations suggest that in order to form an industrially useful adhesive, that may work well under RT conditions possessing an optimum cohesive strength and surface adhesion, a PSA formulation with ~15 wt.% lignosulphonate may be used.     

Relationship Between Viscoelastic and Peeling Properties of Model Adhesives. Part 2. The Interfacial Fracture Domains

The viscoelastic and peeling properties of polybutadiene/tackifying resin compatible blends have been studied in detail. Viscoelastic properties have been described through the variations of the complex shear modulus, G*(w), as a function of frequency, W, and peeling properties through the variations of peeling force (F) as a function of peeling rate (V).

The first paper of this series presented the cohesive fracture domain and the present paper explores the interfacial fracture domain: (i) rubbery interfacial (interfacial 1); (ii) stick-slip; (iii) glassy interfacial (interfacial 2). After a general survey of the properties in the three domains we present a quantitative relationship between the peeling and linear viscoelastic properties as a function of the adhesive formulation, discussing the use of time-temperature equivalence for adhesive properties. The third part of the paper presents the trumpet model of de Gennes describing the crack shape and propagation: starting from a mechanical analysis of the peeling test, it is shown how one may calculate the variations of the peeling force as a function of peeling rate in the various interfacial fracture domains: this model defines a single interfacial fracture criterion which coexists with the cohesive fracture criterion defined earlier, whatever the fracture location.

We present as a conclusion a critical discussion of the relevance and physical meaning of such a criterion and present a new outlook for the modeling and improvement of adhesive formulations.     

Failure behavior of resorcinol–formaldehyde latex coated aramid short‐fiber‐reinforced rubber sealing under transverse tension

Composites composed of rubber, sepiolite fiber, and resorcinol–formaldehyde latex‐coated aramid short fibers were prepared. Mechanical and morphological characterizations were carried out. To investigate the effect of interfacial debonding on the failure behavior of short‐fiber‐reinforced rubber composites, a micromechanical representative volume element model for the composites was developed. The cohesive zone model was used to analyze the interfacial failure. We found that computational results were in good agreement with the experimental results when the interfacial fracture energy was 1 J/m² and the interfacial strength was 10 MPa. A parametrical study on the interface and interphase of the composite was conducted. The results indicate that a good interfacial strength and a choice of interphase modulus between 40 and 50 MPa enhanced the ductile behavior and strength of the composite. The ductile properties of the composite also increased with increasing interfacial fracture energy. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41672.     

Effect of adhesive thickness on the wettability and deformability of polyacrylic pressure‐sensitive adhesives during probe tack test

Effect of adhesive thickness on the wetting and deformation behaviors during probe tack test of pressure‐sensitive adhesive (PSA) was investigated. For this purpose, cross‐linked poly(n‐butyl acrylate‐acrylic acid) [P(BA‐AA)] and poly(2‐ethylhexyl acrylate‐acrylic acid) [P(2EHA‐AA)] random copolymers with an acrylic acid content of 5 wt % and thicknesses in the range of ～15–60 μm were used. Tack was measured using the probe tack test and the fracture energy was calculated from the areas under force–displacement curve recorded during debonding process. From contact time dependence of fracture energy, the rising rate of fracture energy with contact time increased with increasing of adhesive thickness and was P(2EHA‐AA) > P(BA‐AA). The fracture energy was P(BA‐AA) > P(2EHA‐AA) at shorter contact time, whereas it reversed at longer contact time. This was caused by two different interfacial adhesions: the physical wetting of PSA molecules to the adherend surface with contact time and the chemical interaction between the acrylic acid units and the adherend surface. From the force–displacement curve measured under the condition of sufficient interfacial adhesion, both maximum force and displacement—namely, the deformability of PSA during debonding process—increased with adhesive thickness. The degree of increase of deformability was P(2EHA‐AA) > P(BA‐AA). The fracture energy was found to depend on the development of interfacial adhesion during contacting process and the deformability of PSA during debonding process. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43639.     

Peeling of PSAs on Viscoelastic Substrates: A Failure Criterion

This work deals with the study of the viscoelastic and adherence properties of pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) formulations dedicated to medical applications. We have developed a specific viscoelastic substrate to measure the adherence properties of PSAs that mimics adhesion on human skin. In the present article, we describe several experiments dedicated to a better understanding of adhesion on viscoelastic substrates without discussing specifically the case of human skin. In this way, we have studied different model adhesive formulations based on real medical formulations, and we have related the rheological behavior to the adherence properties obtained on different substrates to study the various specific effects due to the viscoelasticity of soft substrates. We propose from this study a failure criterion that allows one to derive a reasonable estimate of the peeling transition rate from cohesive to interfacial or stick–slip failure.