Biodegradable Pressure Sensitive Hot Melt Adhesive

Hotmelt adhesives, whether they are used in construction applications or for pressure sensitive adhesives, are not biodegradable. The purpose of this study is to investigate sustainable, alternative materials that are biodegradable under non-specific environmental conditions in less than six months. This PSA must be able to bind for approximately six hours and be durable enough to withstand movement, as well as have the quality of being repositionable (repeatable peeling and unpeeling) while being removable without leaving adhesive residue behind. Our pressure sensitive adhesive formulations show promising results for biodegradation, melt viscosity, and peel strength. Through combining various bio-based polymers, replicating manufacturing conditions to apply the adhesive, and conducting peel strength and biodegradability testing, we hope that the pressure sensitive adhesive developed in this project will have applications in the manufacturing of packaging materials and hygiene products.