Application of Thermally Expandable Microspheres in Adhesives: Review

Adhesives are used to bond various substrates such as metals, polymers, ceramics, rubber, wood and wood-based products. The use of adhesive as bonding agent rather than mechanical fasteners like nails results in the potential for reduced cost and weight of assemblies. However, adhesives are unprotected to a wide range of conditions, such as thermo-mechanical cycling in the environment, creep and fatigue imposed by structural joint configurations, and residual stress due to mismatch of thermal expansion between adhesives and objects. Thus, there will be a need for development of new chemistries and processes for easy repair and reprocessing of bonded structures are becoming of current great interest for the industries. In some cases, to improve the protection of various items/objects during handling and transportation, currently used protective products such as padded wraps, envelopes, packages and containers need to be modified. One technology which can solve the problem is the adhesives modified with thermally expandable particles (TEPs) which can be dismounted by heating the joint in a few seconds. The expandable composition is providing the necessary protective insulation and cushioning required in packages and containers. This paper reviews the application of unexpanded microspheres in the adhesive segment.