Thermally-responsive dismantlable adhesion system for steel plates using methacrylate copolymers containing a tert-butoxycarbonyl group

A drastic change in the bulk properties of adhesive materials as well as a reduction of interfacial interaction is an important key for the development of dismantlable adhesion systems, i.e., reliable bonding systems with a function of on-demand debonding. The deprotection of tert-butoxycarbonyloxy (BOC) groups included in adhesive polymers can be applied to the construction of a dismantlable adhesion system for steel plates combined with acrylic and epoxy adhesives. In this study, we evaluated the adhesive properties of the copolymers of 2-(tert-butoxycarbonyloxy)ethyl methacrylate (BHEMA), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), and 3-trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate (SMA) for the dismantlable bonding of steel plate cold commercial (SPCC). Spontaneous dismantling of the SPCC adhesive structures was achieved after heat treatment under the conditions at 210 °C for 15 min when the BHEMA/GMA/SMA copolymers with an appropriate copolymer composition were used as the acrylic adhesives or the primers for epoxy adhesion. We discuss the interfacial interactions between the adherend and the adhesives for reliable adhesion and the effects of the deprotection of the BOC groups for dismantling to exhibit both an adhesion strength required for metal bonding and a rapid decrease in the strength by thermal stimulus. •A new thermally-responsive dismantlable adhesion system of steel plates (SPCC) using BOC containing polymers is proposed.•The methacrylate copolymers including 2-(tert-butoxycarbonyloxy)ethyl, glycidyl, and 3-trimethoxysilylpropyl esters were prepared by radical copolymerization in order to investigate their thermal properties.•BOC containing copolymers were used as the acrylic adhesive or the primer of the epoxy adhesive for SPCC bonding.•Spontaneous dismantling of the SPCC adhesive structures was achieved after heating at 210 °C for 15 min.