The uses of pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are wide
ranging,
with applications including labels, tapes, and graphics. To achieve
good adhesion, a PSA must exhibit a balance of viscous and elastic
properties. Previous research has found that a thin, elastic surface
layer on top of a softer, dissipative layer resulted in greater tack
adhesion compared with the single layers. Superior properties were
achieved through a bilayer obtained via successive depositions, which
consume energy and time. To achieve a multilayered structure via a
single deposition process, we have stratified mixtures of waterborne
colloidal polymer particles with two different sizes: large poly(acrylate)
adhesive particles (ca. 660 nm in diameter) and small poly(butyl acrylate)
(pBA) particles (ca. 100 nm). We used two types of pBA within the
particles: either viscoelastic pBA without an added cross-linker or
elastic pBA with a fully cross-linked network. Stratified surface
layers of deuterium-labeled pBA particles with thicknesses of at least
1 μm were found via elastic recoil detection and qualitatively
verified via the analysis of surface topography. The extent of stratification
increased with the evaporation rate; films that were dried slowest
exhibited no stratification. This result is consistent with a model
of diffusiophoresis. When the elastic, cross-linked pBA particles
were stratified at the surface, the tack adhesion properties made
a transition from brittle failure to tacky. For pBA without an added
cross-linker, all adhesives showed fibrillation during debonding,
but the extent of fibrillation increased when the films were stratified.
These results demonstrate that the PSA structure can be controlled
through the processing conditions to achieve enhanced properties.
This research will aid the future development of layered or graded
single-deposition PSAs with designed adhesive properties.