Rheology and adhesive properties of filled PIB-based pressure-sensitive adhesives. I. Rheology and shear resistance

Two nanosized fillers (fumed silica Rosil-175 up to 20 wt% and halloysite nanotubes up to 40 wt%) were used to suppress cold flow of polyisobutylene (PIB)-based adhesives. Rheological measurements revealed the presence of the yield stress in the PIB-halloysite system which is indicative of the three-dimensional network formation in the bulk of the matrix. However, further rheology tests identified low strength of the network. In case of Rosil, no yield stress was detected, only gradual increase in the viscosity. Shear bank testing showed 4–5 times increase in the PIB-halloysite system time to failure when 40 wt% of halloysite was incorporated into the PIB matrix. Increase in the time to failure for PIB-Rosil systems was over two orders of magnitude – at the Rosil content up to 20 wt%. Such superior properties of the Rosil adhesion joints are considered to be the result of Rosil high specific area and low strength of the halloysite nanotubes network.