Simultaneous Free-Radical and Addition Miniemulsion Polymerization: Effect of the Chain Transfer Agent on the Microstructure of Polyurethane-Acrylic Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives

The effects of the CTA concentration on polymerization kinetics, polymer microstructure, particle morphology, and adhesive performance of waterborne hybrid PSAs prepared by simultaneous free-radical and addition miniemulsion polymerizations are studied. The development of the microstructure is shown to differ from waterborne acrylic PSAs obtained by free-radical polymerization because of the contribution of the addition reaction, which in turn causes marked differences in the adhesive performance of the final films. A computer simulation is developed to obtain detailed information about the microstructure of PU/acrylic hybrids and to correlate the microstructure with the final adhesive properties.