As the world faces the challenges of climate change, sustainability in the chemical industry grows more and more important each day. Silicone pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are used to manufacture pressure sensitive tapes which feature good chemical resistance, high temperature hold and good low temperature performance and adhesion to low surface energy substrates. Currently, silicone PSAs are mainly supplied in aromatic solvents. To meet the global trend on sustainability, the tapes market is asking for solvent-free PSAs and/ or environmental-friendly solvent PSAs. Furthermore, there are also demands for new applications in automotive, aeronautics and electronics markets for silicone PSA tapes with low volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The challenge here is to develop new environmental-friendly PSAs without affecting performances usually obtained when using traditional solvent-based PSAs, such as adhesion, tack, and temperature-hold. Novel developments in this area will be presented.
