Tuneable adhesion through novel binder technologies

A reversible crosslinking mechanism enabling bonding and debonding of adhesives and coatings based on Diels-Alder chemistry is described. The Diels-Alder compounds form a covalently crosslinked network at low temperatures that break at elevated temperatures. As a result, the adhesive exhibits good solvent resistance, adhesion, and mechanical properties at temperatures of use, and additionally it can debond at elevated temperatures for optimal positioning, adjustments or total debonding. Upon cooling the covalent crosslinks are formed again and the properties of the original bond are re-obtained. The choice of crosslinker and binder material allows tailoring of the properties of the adhesive joint for different applications and processing conditions. At TNO, we have developed various Diets-Alder based binders for coatings and adhesives. This paper focuses on the design of a carrier adhesive for the semi-conductor industry. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.