In recent years, the growing need for composite materials has led to a strong demand for smart adhesives. Meanwhile, polymer brushes have become a versatile tool for tailoring the chemical and physical properties of surfaces. Under the right conditions, anchored polymer chains can be designed to interact with bulk materials to provide high adhesive strength. In earlier work, we were able to show that poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) brushes could be mixed with bulk PMMA to give cohesive fracture. In this study, a similar approach was used to bond ethylene-propylene-diene M-class (EPDM) rubber to coated metal surfaces.<br/><br/>Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) represents a versatile platform to obtain polymer brushes with specific functionalities designed through post-polymerization modifications, altering both reactivity and molecular affinity. In the current work, PGMA brushes were covalently grafted from stainless steel (SS) and modified with either allylamine, diallylamine, or polysulfides. Sulfide linkages were introduced using an epoxide/polysulfide click reaction which proved to be one of the fastest reactions available for post-modification of polymer brushes. Infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, ellipsometry, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the polymer films.<br/><br/>All modified SS samples were overmolded with EPDM rubber, cured, and evaluated through peel experiments. The nanometer-thin PGMA brushes, modified with allylamine or polysulfides, consistently obtained an adhesion as strong as that provided by a micrometer-thick commercial bonding agent. Cross-linking of polymer brushes accomplished by intermolecular reactions involving the primary amines or the divalent polysulfide anions proved to have a significant impact on the type of fracture (cohesive/adhesive) as well as the performance of the adhesives.

Cross-linked nanometer-thin polymer films for metal-rubber adhesion

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.