Bottlebrush Thermoplastic Elastomers as Hot-Melt Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives.

Hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesives (HMPSAs) are used in applications from office supplies to biomedical adhesives. The major component in HMPSA formulations is thermoplastic elastomers, such as styrene-based block copolymers, that provide both mechanical integrity and moldability. Since neat polymer networks are unable to establish an adhesive bond, large quantities of plasticizers and tackifiers are added.

Sticky Architecture: Encoding Pressure Sensitive Adhesion in Polymer Networks.

Pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are ubiquitous materials within a spectrum that span from office supplies to biomedical devices. Currently, the ability of PSAs to meet the needs of these diverse applications relies on trial-and-error mixing of assorted chemicals and polymers, which inherently entails property imprecision and variance over time due to component migration and leaching. Herein, we develop a precise additive-free PSA design platform that predictably leverages polymer network architecture to empower comprehensive control over adhesive performance.