Reducing the peel strength of non-silicone organic release coatings by nanoparticle-induced roughness

Comb-like polyvinyl octadecyl carbamate (PVODC) with long alkyl side chains is a promising non-silicone release agent in the electronics industry. Although PVODC avoids the possible silicone transfer phenomenon of silicone-based release coatings caused by incomplete curing, their peel strength (81 ± 7 N/m) is still too high for many applications. Herein, hydrophobic titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ HNP particle) grafted with octadecyl isocyanate (ODI) were prepared and compounded into PVODC coatings, aiming to assess their ability to reduce the peel strength of coatings. At an optimal weight ratio of HNP:PVODC = 2:20, the peel strength between the coating and adhesive tape was found to reduce largely to 65 ± 5 N/m. It was suggested that the peel strength of composite coatings was determined by a competition between the reduction in the adhesion area due to the formation of small cavities and the increased adhesion area/mechanical interlocking effect brought simultaneously by HNP particles. Therefore, incorporating HNP particles into release coatings represents a facile route to tailoring the peel strength of release coatings.