Adhesion Improvement of Solvent-Free Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives by Semi-IPN Using Polyurethanes and Acrylic Polymers

Abstract

To improve the peel strength and holding time of polypropylene glycol (PPG)-based pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs), a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) was prepared using acrylic polymers. In addition, to prevent air pollution due to volatile organic compound emissions and avoid the degradation of physical properties due to a residual solvent, the PPG-based semi-IPN PSAs were fabricated by an eco-friendly solvent-free method using an acrylic monomer instead of an organic solvent. PPG-based semi-IPN PSAs with different hard segment contents (2.9–17.2%) were synthesized; their holding time was found to depend on the hard segment contents. The peel strength was improved because of the formation of the semi-IPN structure. Moreover, the high degree of hard domain formation in the semi-IPN PSA, derived from the increase in the hard segment content using a chain extender, resulted in a holding time improvement. We believe that the as-prepared PSAs can be used in various applications that require high creep resistance.