Anti-Creep Adhesive Tapes via Trapped-Entanglement-Regulated Topological Networks.

Area of Science:

• Polymer Science
• Materials Science
• Adhesion Science

Background:

• High adhesion strength is crucial for structural bonding, biomedical devices, and flexible electronics.
• Creep-time-dependent deformation under sustained stress limits long-term performance and causes irreversible failure.
• Transient non-covalent interactions enhance energy dissipation but compromise creep resistance due to dynamic reversibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop anti-creep adhesive tapes.
• To address the trade-off between dynamic energy dissipation and permanent mechanical integrity in adhesives.
• To provide a mechanistic framework for understanding creep in adhesive materials.

Main Methods:

• Precise topological regulation of polymer networks.
• Systematic comparison of linear, covalent-crosslink, and trapped-entanglement-dominated architectures.
• Characterization of creep rate and interfacial adhesion.

Main Results:

• Entanglement-stabilized polymer networks demonstrated a three-orders-of-magnitude reduction in creep rate.
• Strong interfacial adhesion was maintained in the developed anti-creep tapes.
• A combination of long-chain entanglements and spare crosslinks enabled efficient elastic energy storage without sacrificing tackiness.

Conclusions:

• The developed anti-creep adhesive tapes resolve the inherent trade-off between dynamic dissipation and permanent mechanical integrity.
• The study provides a scalable strategy for developing durable, high-performance polymer adhesives.
• The findings offer a mechanistic framework for understanding and mitigating creep in adhesive materials.