Keltoum Ouzineb

Switching off the tackiness of a nanocomposite adhesive in 30 s via infrared sintering.

Soft adhesives require an optimum balance of viscous and elastic properties. Adhesion is poor when the material is either too solidlike or too liquidlike. The ability to switch tack adhesion off at a desired time has many applications, such as in recycling, disassembly of electronics, and painless removal of wound dressings. Here, we describe a new strategy to switch off the tack adhesion in a model nanocomposite adhesive in which temperature is the trigger. The nanocomposite comprises hard methacrylic nanoparticles blended with a colloidal dispersion of soft copolymer particles. At relatively low volume fractions, the nanoparticles (50 nm diameter) accumulate near the film surface, where they pack around the larger soft particles (270 nm). The viscoelasticity of the nanocomposite is adjusted via the nanoparticle concentration. When the nanocomposite is heated above the glass transition temperature of the nanoparticles (T(g) = 130 °C), they sinter together to create a rigid network that raises the elastic modulus at room temperature. The tackiness is switched off. Intense infrared radiation is used to heat the nanocomposites, leading to a fast temperature rise. Tack adhesion is switched off within 30 s in optimized compositions. These one-way switchable adhesives have the potential to be patterned through localized heating.

A comparison of tackified, miniemulsion core-shell acrylic latex films with corresponding particle-blend films: structure-property relationships.

Tackifying resins (TRs) are often added to pressure-sensitive adhesive films to increase their peel strength and adhesion energy. In waterborne adhesives, the TR is dispersed in water using surfactants and then blended with colloidal polymers in water (i.e., latex). In such waterborne systems, there are problems with the colloidal stability and difficulty in applying coatings of the particle blends; the films are often hydrophilic and subject to water uptake. Here, an alternative method of making waterborne, tackified adhesives is demonstrated. The TR is incorporated within the core of colloidal polymer particles via miniemulsion polymerization. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) combined with force spectroscopy analysis reveals there is heterogeneity in the distribution of the TR in films made from particle blends and also in films made from miniemulsion polymers. Two populations, corresponding to TR-rich and acrylic-rich components, were identified through analysis of the AFM force-displacement curves. The nanoscale maximum adhesion force and adhesion energy were found to be higher in a miniemulsion film containing 12 wt % tackifying resin in comparison to an equivalent blended film. The macroscale tack and viscoelasticity are interpreted by consideration of the nanoscale structure and properties. The incorporation of tackifying resin through a miniemulsion polymerization process not only offers clear benefits in the processing of the adhesive, but it also leads to enhanced adhesion properties.

Large-Area Patterning of the Tackiness of a Nanocomposite Adhesive by Sintering of Nanoparticles under IR Radiation

We present a simple technique to switch off the tack adhesion in selected areas of a colloidal nanocomposite adhesive. It is made from a blend of soft colloidal polymer particles and hard copolymer nanoparticles. In regions that are exposed to IR radiation, the nanoparticles sinter together to form a percolating skeleton, which hardens and stiffens the adhesive. The tack adhesion is lost locally. Masks can be made from silicone-coated disks, such as coins. Under the masks, adhesive island regions are defined with the surrounding regions being a nontacky coating. When optimizing the nanocomposites adhesive properties, the addition of the hard nanoparticles raises the elastic modulus of the adhesive significantly, but adhesion is not lost because the yield point remains relatively low. During probe-tack testing, the soft polymer phases yield and enable fibrillation. After heating under IR radiation, the storage modulus increases by a factor of 5, and the yield point increases nearly by a factor of 6, such that yielding and fibrillation do not occur in the probe-tack testing. Hence, the adhesion is lost. Loading and unloading experiments indicate that a rigid skeleton is created when the nanoparticles sinter together, and it fractures under moderate strains. This patterning method is relatively simple and fast to execute. It is widely applicable to other blends of thermoplastic hard nanoparticles and larger soft particles.