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Polymers
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Polymer-Based Adhesives: Preparation, Characterization and Applications
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Polymer-Based Adhesives: Preparation, Characterization and Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 3951

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiongwei Qu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
Interests: functional polymers; polymer-based composites; pressure-sensitive adhesives; thermal conductivity; synthesis and characterization
Dr. Chaochao Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
Interests: hexagonal boron nitride; cross-linker; preparation; characterization annlysis; physicochemical performances; thermal management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer-based adhesives have been widely used to hold two substrates, similar or different, in contact either temporarily, semi-permanently, or permanently. The adhesive strength of the bond mainly depends on the characteristics of the polymer-matrix used. In the modern-day era, poly-based adhesives are employed almost everywhere around us in a variety of domestic, commercial, and industrial applications.

The most commonly used polymer-based adhesives are liquid chemical sealants, which usually form a bond with the substrate through a chemical reaction involving either solvent evaporation or cross-linking triggered by external stimuli such as temperature or radiation. However, such adhesives mostly show poor physicochemical properties and stability (thermal stability, thermal conductivity, adhesive force, and so on), resulting in inferior performance in practical applications. Therefore, it is essential to further summarize and discuss polymer-based adhesives with high performance.

This Special Issue focuses on polymer and polymer-based composite adhesives that have excellent physicochemical performance, as well as advanced applications for short- and long-term utilization. The list of keywords below provides a general description of the topics covered, which can be helpful in preparing your submission. However, manuscripts related to this field are also welcome, even if they do not include these specific keywords.

Prof. Dr. Xiongwei Qu
Guest Editor
Dr. Chaochao Cao
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymer-based adhesives
  • polymerization
  • polymer composites
  • physicochemical properties
  • thermal conductivity
  • adhesive force
  • synthesis and characterization

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2067 KiB  
Article
Controllable Preparation of Oriented Boron Nitride Nanosheets/Polyacrylate Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Composites with Enhanced Thermal Conductivity
by Yuan Liu, Chaochao Cao, De Zheng, Guohua Li and Xiongwei Qu
Polymers 2025, 17(12), 1604; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17121604 - 9 Jun 2025
Viewed by 506
Abstract
Traditional approaches to constructing thermally conductive networks typically necessitate costly equipment and intricate processes, rendering them unsuitable for mass production and commercialization. Here, we propose a facile strategy to construct highly oriented boron nitride/polyacrylate pressure-sensitive adhesive frameworks by a calendering process. A UV [...] Read more.
Traditional approaches to constructing thermally conductive networks typically necessitate costly equipment and intricate processes, rendering them unsuitable for mass production and commercialization. Here, we propose a facile strategy to construct highly oriented boron nitride/polyacrylate pressure-sensitive adhesive frameworks by a calendering process. A UV light-based bulk polymerization method is adopted to prepare the pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs), which makes the preparation process solvent-free and volatile organic compound (VOC)-free, and environmentally friendly compared to emulsion and solvent-based pressure-sensitive adhesives. This simple, economical and scalable method provides new ideas and ways for the preparation of advanced thermal conductive networks. The highly oriented and flexible m-BNNSs/polyacrylate pressure-sensitive adhesive composites (m-BNNSs/PSAs-Ori) exhibited a significantly high thermal conductivity (TC) of 0.9552 W/(m·K) at 25 wt% filler content. Significantly, m-BNNSs/PSAs-Ori composites showed a better thermal response than the single-layer thermally conductive pressure-sensitive adhesive. Moreover, the composites also possess excellent electrical insulation and mechanical properties. This exploration not only provides a reasonable design scheme for thermal interface materials, but also promotes the practical application of polyacrylate pressure-sensitive adhesive composites in thermal management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer-Based Adhesives: Preparation, Characterization and Applications)
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20 pages, 10692 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Adhesion in Textile Cord–Rubber Composites: An Experimental and Predictive Modeling Approach
by Merve Pehlivan, Bora Atalik, Sezgin Gokcesular, Sunullah Ozbek and Belma Ozbek
Polymers 2025, 17(9), 1239; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17091239 - 1 May 2025
Viewed by 563
Abstract
The adhesion between rubber compounds and textile cords plays a critical role in determining the overall performance and durability of rubber-based composites, particularly in tire applications. Despite extensive research on adhesion mechanisms, optimizing adhesion through systematic modeling remains challenging due to the complex [...] Read more.
The adhesion between rubber compounds and textile cords plays a critical role in determining the overall performance and durability of rubber-based composites, particularly in tire applications. Despite extensive research on adhesion mechanisms, optimizing adhesion through systematic modeling remains challenging due to the complex interactions between rubber formulations, textile treatment, and processing conditions. This study presents an integrated experimental and predictive modeling approach to investigate and optimize the adhesion performance of nylon 6.6 textile cords in rubber compounds. Initially, the effects of different accelerator types—including diphenyl guanidine (DPG), 2,2′-Dithiobis(benzothiazole) (MBTS), N-tert-butyl-2-benzothiazole sulfenamide (TBBS), and N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazole sulfenamide (CBS)—on adhesion properties were systematically evaluated. Key parameters such as cure characteristics, Mooney viscosity, and mechanical properties of the rubber compounds were analyzed using a moving die rheometer (MDR), Mooney viscometer, and tensometer. To enhance adhesion performance, a statistical optimization approach based on the Box–Behnken design was employed, focusing on the influence of accelerator, curing agent, and resin contents. The results indicate that an optimized rubber formulation comprising 1.6 phr curing agent, 0.3 phr resin (HMMM), and 0.5 phr accelerator (MBTS) yields the highest adhesion strength. This study provides the first systematic modeling of adhesion between nylon 6.6 textile cords and rubber compounds using response surface methodology (RSM), offering valuable insights into the material design for improved interfacial bonding in tire manufacturing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer-Based Adhesives: Preparation, Characterization and Applications)
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Graphical abstract

16 pages, 3030 KiB  
Article
Modified Acrylate Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives for Low-Surface-Energy Substrate and Adhesion Mechanism Models
by Lucheng Shi, Haoran Shi, Jun Qian and Yifeng Shi
Polymers 2025, 17(9), 1130; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17091130 - 22 Apr 2025
Viewed by 734
Abstract
Most acrylate adhesives do not bond well to low-surface-energy substrates (e.g., polyethylene and polypropylene) due to the weak interaction force between the polar adhesive molecules and the substrate. To enhance the adhesion performance on low-surface-energy substrates and investigate the effects of substrate surface [...] Read more.
Most acrylate adhesives do not bond well to low-surface-energy substrates (e.g., polyethylene and polypropylene) due to the weak interaction force between the polar adhesive molecules and the substrate. To enhance the adhesion performance on low-surface-energy substrates and investigate the effects of substrate surface energy, roughness, pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) surface energy, viscosity, and modulus on adhesion performance, this study modifies the acrylate adhesive by incorporating a hydrogenated-terminated hydroxylated polybutadiene (HHTPB) structure with a double bond at one end. The results demonstrate an enhancement in the adhesion performance of the modified PSAs on High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE). The 24 h peel strength and loop tack increase to 4.88 N/25 mm and 8.14 N/25 mm at 20 °C, respectively, with the failure modes remaining adhesive failure. However, as the temperature increases, the peel strength decreases. The high-temperature resistance of the adhesive improves. Based on the experimental data, a mathematical model is proposed that incorporates both the wetting area and loss factor to predict peel strength. The influence of these two factors on the peel strength of the PSA is dependent on the application temperature of the adhesive. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer-Based Adhesives: Preparation, Characterization and Applications)
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14 pages, 3161 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Green Strength in a Polycarbonate Polyol-Based Reactive Polyurethane Hot-Melt Adhesive
by Alejandra Moyano-Vallejo, María Pilar Carbonell-Blasco, Carlota Hernández-Fernández, Francisca Arán-Aís, María Dolores Romero-Sánchez and Elena Orgilés-Calpena
Polymers 2024, 16(23), 3356; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16233356 - 29 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1399
Abstract
This study aimed to enhance the initial adhesion performance of reactive polyurethane hot-melt adhesives by using a bio-based polycarbonate polyol instead of traditional polyester or polyether polyols and by incorporating thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) in varied proportions. Adhesives synthesized from bio-based polycarbonate polyols and [...] Read more.
This study aimed to enhance the initial adhesion performance of reactive polyurethane hot-melt adhesives by using a bio-based polycarbonate polyol instead of traditional polyester or polyether polyols and by incorporating thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) in varied proportions. Adhesives synthesized from bio-based polycarbonate polyols and polypropylene glycol with MDI as the isocyanate were characterized chemically, thermally, and mechanically (FTIR, DSC, plate–plate rheology, DMA, and T-peel strength test). Adding 10–15 wt.% TPU significantly improved green strength and initial adhesion at room temperature and after accelerated cooling. The bio-based polycarbonate polyol promotes superior flexibility at low temperatures compared to fossil-derived alternatives, aligning with sustainability objectives. The results showed that 10 wt.% TPU maximized green strength without compromising flexibility, whereas 15 wt.% TPU, though enhancing adhesion, reduced flexibility due to increased crystallinity. T-peel tests on footwear materials indicated that all the adhesives exceeded the EN 15307:2015 requirements, with the highest peel strength achieved after curing. These findings highlight the benefit of bio-based polycarbonate polyols and TPUs in achieving strong, flexible, and eco-friendly adhesives suitable for demanding applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer-Based Adhesives: Preparation, Characterization and Applications)
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