The Importance of Glass Transition Temperature in formulating adhesives and sealants
Polymeric materials have several fundamental physical properties that are important in adhesion. These properties are controlled by the chemical structure of the base polymer from which the adhesive or sealant is made and from the various formulating agents used to modify the base polymer. This article will review one of the more important properties, the glass transition temperature, Tg, which is actually a composite of several physical attributes. We will examine the relationship that Tg has on cohesive strength, pressure sensitive adhesion, and certain application properties.