Improving adhesion of acrylic waterborne PSAs to low surface energy materials: Introduction of stearyl acrylate

The effect of incorporating stearyl acrylate (SA) in the polymer backbone of a pressure sensitive adhesive on its adhesion properties on low energy surfaces was investigated. The presence of SA did not affect the polymer microstructure (sol molecular weight, gel, and network density) but affected the compatibility with the low energy substrate and the elasticity of the adhesive. The combination of these effects resulted in an optimum SA content.