A waterborne pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) that shows high adhesive performance and easy debondability on demand without leaving residues on the substrate (adhesive failure) has been developed. A key component of the PSA is a semicrystalline phase that is beneficial for the adhesive properties and that becomes fluid when heated above the melting temperature. Migration of this liquid-like polymer to the substrate-adhesive interface and hardening upon cooling results in a hard non-tacky interface that facilitates debonding. The effect of the particle morphology on the debonding ability is discussed.
Keywords: blend; core-shell; crystallinity; debondability; phase migration; pressure-sensitive adhesives.