Designing acrylic latexes for pressure-sensitive adhesives: a review

Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are essential components of a large number of commercial products. The immense range of substrates that are required to be bonded, coupled with the challenging adhesive properties that are required in many applications, requires the development of PSAs with controllable structure. In this review, the development of acrylic latexes for use in PSA applications is discussed, with a particular emphasis on how to adjust the synthetic process to control adhesive properties. Following a general introduction to PSAs, a brief overview of the fundamental rheological properties that control adhesive behavior is given. Subsequently, routes to improve PSA performance through controlling the polymerization process are described. Finally, more complex systems that involve structured latexes and multiphase hybrids are detailed. The review concludes with a summary of future challenges for the field. © 2023 Society of Industrial Chemistry.