Adhesion of latex films; influence of surfactants

Abstract

The aim of the work presented in this article was to investigate the role of surfactants on adhesion properties of latex films. Several polymer/surfactant/support systems were used. Polymers were poly(2-ethyl hexyl methacrylate) or a methyl methacrylate/ethyl acrylate copolymer partially grafted onto a hydrophilic polyester. Surfactants were sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), hexadecyl pyridinium chloride (HPCI), or ethoxylated nonyl phenol containing 10 or 30 segments of ethylene oxide (NP10 or NP30). Supports were glass plates or poly(ethylene terephthalate) films. Adhesion was measured by a peel test at 180°. Loci of failure were determined by multitechnique analysis of the surfaces revealed after peeling. At medium and high peel rates, the peel energy versus surfactant concentration curves show either a maximum or a minimum, depending on the surfactant. When the peel rate is decreased, these maxima and minima flatten out and, at zero peel rate (extrapolated values), the peel energy becomes independent of the surfactant concentration. Surfaces analyses revealed that the surfactant is always present at the locus of failure. Rupture takes place in a thick (above 10 nm) (SDS), in a thin (a few nanometers) (NP30), or at the top of a surfactant layer (HPCI). The locus of failure is independent of the peel rate and of the surfactant concentration. The conclusion is that the surfactant strongly influences adhesion properties of latex films but several points remain unexplained.