Mike Czaplicki
CTO, L&L Products
Mike Czaplicki, Chief Technology Officer, joined L&L Products in 1993. Mike oversees global chemical and material technologies across our four regional R&D facilities. He is an inventor on over 220 patents granted at L&L Products and is the creator of L&L’s CBS™ product line. His leadership has been integral in the development of our proprietary PHASTER™ technology. Mike has a B.S. degree in Materials Science from Michigan State University, a Master of Science in Engineering in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Ambient-curable, Crash Toughened Structural Adhesives with Properties Closer to Heat-activated Adhesives
Crash toughened structural adhesives have been widely used in various industries, particularly the automotive industry. These adhesives have been used to increase the stiffness of the car body for driving comfort and allow the use of lightweight materials for fuel efficiency. When used in combination with mechanical fastening including welding and riveting, these structural adhesives improve crash worthiness of a vehicle due to even distribution of the load and the toughened bonding. Typically, these adhesives require heat to activate the curing chemistry. High heat generally facilitates high crosslinking density and improved adhesion to lubricant contaminated surface, both of which contribute to bond durability upon exposure to harsh conditions. Additionally, phase-separation toughening mechanism of carboxyl-terminated butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber and urethane-based tougheners also relies heavily on curing at high temperatures.
This performance dependence on cure temperature explains the property gap between ambient-curable adhesives and heat-activated adhesives. Ambient-curable adhesives in the market often suffer from inferior toughness, poor adhesion to contaminated surfaces, and chemical resistance. In this paper/presentation, L&L Products’ ambient-curable adhesives will be showcased as examples with properties closer to heat-activated counterparts.
Co-author: Yuan Lu
Breakout V – New Approaches in Structural Bonding – 11 September 2025 – 16:30 – 17:00 – Chamber Hall