Preparation of acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives by UV/UV step curing as a way of lifting the limitations of conventional dual curing techniques

Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) and UV-curable acrylic systems are widely utilized in different industries, with particular attention currently directed at their use in the production of re-useable modules for smart devices. Herein, we developed a two-step UV/UV curing technique to overcome the limitations of dual curing methods conventionally used for PSA preparation and characterized the thus obtained acrylic adhesives by a range of techniques to determine the uncured marginal portion of the pre-polymer, viscoelastic properties, and adhesive properties (peel and tack). Insufficient primary curing resulted in marked physical property deterioration, while the expression of secondary curing was weak when excessive irradiation energy was supplied. Thus, it was concluded that the physical properties of acrylic PSAs could be controlled by adjustment of primary curing energy.