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Faster recovery: New approach improves pressure-sensitive adhesives
Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) offer easy handling by adhering without the need for additional heat or solvents. Nevertheless, their mechanical stability remains a challenge, especially their slow recovery after stretching. A research team has now investigated polyurethane diacrylate (PUDA) as an alternative crosslinker to solve this problem.The results show that PUDA-based PSAs enable significantly faster recovery. While conventional PSAs crosslinked with 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate (HDDA) take about 61 seconds to fully recover, the recovery time of the PUDA variant is only 2.5 seconds. This represents a significant advance for applications that require high resilience, such as flexible electronic components.
Reading Tip: Adhesives and Sealants
The book “Formulating Adhesives and Sealants” provides a two-step approach to adhesive and sealant formulation. Each section begins with an overview of the application and chemical basis for the specific type, followed by formulation guidance and an analysis of existing recipes. This analysis includes step-by-step calculations of important characteristic values, making it accessible for beginners.
Increased adhesion and longevity
In addition to faster recovery, PUDA also improves the adhesion of the PSAs. The researchers report a 180° peel adhesion of 22 N per 25 mm, while a comparable commercial product only achieves 12.3 N per 25 mm. In addition, tests with 100 load cycles at 20% elongation show long-term stability, making these adhesives particularly suitable for demanding industrial applications. The study lays the foundation for higher-performance pressure-sensitive adhesives and could have a lasting impact on future developments in adhesive and coating technology.Source: Lee, G. et al. (2025): Polyurethane diacrylate incorporated pressure-sensitive adhesives with enhanced strain recovery. Polymer Chemistry, Issue 7.
