Improved Heat and Solvent Resistance of a Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Thermally Processable by Isocyanate Dimer Dissociation

Methods that do not involve use of an organic solvent are being considered for manufacturing environmental-friendly pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes. Among these methods, the hot-melt method exhibits high productivity but is somewhat limited in terms of performance. Hot-melt-fabricated pressure-sensitive adhesives require heating fluidization and cooling solidification, and it is extremely difficult to improve their heat resistance. We examine thermally processable pressure-sensitive adhesives with a completely new structure, fabricated based on the thermal dissociation of the isocyanate dimer. This enables thermal processing of materials softened by thermal dissociation. Fabrication of crosslinkable pressure-sensitive adhesive becomes possible through a reaction of isocyanate caused by dissociation of its dimer. It is found that improving thermal and solvent resistances, which are disadvantages associated with conventional hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesives, is potentially possible with the pressure-sensitive adhesive reported here. (C) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.