Synthesis of a boron-containing adhesion promoter for improving the adhesion of addition-cure silicone rubber to PPA

In this study, a boron-containing adhesion promoter PhBSiO with a high refractive index and MeBSiO with a low refractive index were synthesized by a non-hydrolytic sol-gel reaction. The chemical structures of the synthesized adhesion promoters were firstly characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Then, the effects of adhesion promoters on the bonding properties of the cured silicone rubber were analyzed and the compatibility of the adhesion promoters to the silicon rubber was further studied through light transmittance detection. The boron-containing silicone adhesion promoters significantly enhanced the bonding strength of the cured silicone rubber to poly-phthalamide (PPA). When the addition amounts of PhBSiO and MeBSiO was 3.0 phr, the shear strength between silicone rubber and PPA respectively reached 0.761 MPa and 0.809 MPa, which were 145% and 161% higher than that of silicone rubber without adhesion promoter. In addition, the adhesion mechanism of the boron-containing adhesion promoter was investigated. The microscopic morphology of the fractured surface of the cured silicone rubber further demonstrated that boron atoms in the adhesion promoters significantly improved the adhesion strength between silicone rubber and PPA.