Autographs from Peeling Pressure Sensitive Adhesives: Direct Recording of Fracture-induced Photon Emission

It is well known that visible light is emitted during the peeling of adhesives from various substrates. The major source of light has been identified as small gaseous discharges that result from the intense charge separation accompanying detachment of dissimilar materials. In this paper, we describe an experimental technique which produces clear images of the photons created by peeling pressure sensitive adhesives directly from the surface of a film emulsion or from the surface of a glass fiber optic face plate in contact with the film. The resulting autographs of the emitted light show in considerable detail the spatial structure of the photon emission which in turn reveals the mechanical and electrical behavior of these materials during the peeling process.