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 900 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. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.