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Abstract
To improve the peel strength between a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) and its substrate, grafting of acrylic acid (AA) onto the surface of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film was carried out. After AA was coated onto the surface of PET films using a spin coater, the coated PET films were irradiated by UV. To investigate the surface chemistry and topography of the PET-g-AA films, the grafted surface of the PET films was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). From these investigations, the effects of grafting of AA at the surface of PET by UV irradiation were discussed. In addition, to determine the effect of grafting on the adhesion between PSA polymer and PET-g-AA films, peel strength was measured after the PSA/PET-g-AA system was cured at various temperatures. As the esterification between PSA polymer and PET-g-AA films occurred in the interfacial region, the peel strength of the PSA/PET-g-AA system generally increased with increasing curing temperature.
