Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) Development

In this Phase I, SciGenesis is adapting adhesive materials and techniques from our current adhesive projects to the development of a pressure sensitive adhesive that will meet rigorous NAVAIR requirements for military appliqué coatings. Our group has successfully incorporated stimuli-responsive characteristics to adhesive films, and when adapted to the proposed SBIR project will allow for the advanced performance high tack, peel, and shear strengths required for military applications, and facilitate easy removal when desired. The technical effort includes the synthesis, characterization, formulation, and testing of new PSA polymers. Materials are characterized using ASTM adhesive testing methods under aggressive environmental conditions designed to assess the thermal stability, chemical resistance, and shear strength of the samples. Successful polymer compositions must meet NAVAIR flight qualifications, and all testing equipment is available through the PIs research labs, the University of Southern Mississippi coatings labs and analytical services, or through collaborating commercial labs. SciGenesis will demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating an easy-release mechanism into preferred adhesive formulations, and characterize the rate of adhesive loss, release mechanism, and mode of adhesive failure. Adhesive formulations produced during this program will find immediate application as aircraft appliqué adhesive components and address other needs within the commercial aviation market.