FEICA Conference and EXPO 2022
Hamburg, Germany, 14 - 16 September 2022

Presentation Abstract

Debond-on-demand adhesives: removing obstacles to reuse and recyclability

In alignment with the EU goals for sustainability, a circular economy and climate neutrality by 2050, the European Commission is proposing Right to Repair legislation that could take effect as early as the end of this year. As part of these initiatives and to facilitate simpler product repair and recyclability, new developments are underway in structural adhesives formulation.

Adhesives are used in numerous applications – from medical devices to consumer electronics to packaging, automotive and aerospace. Widely employed due to their light, efficient and effective bonding capability, adhesives are more economical than many mechanical alternatives, but disassembling adhesive-joined parts can be challenging. Consequently, many products end up in landfills. Emerging developments in debond-on-demand adhesives, which use a variety of trigger mechanisms to facilitate depolymerization, are showing great promise in allowing disassembly for product repair and component parts recycling or reuse. This presentation will cover the various mechanisms for adhesive debonding, formulation challenges and solutions, as well as the most viable debonding adhesive solutions for certain applications.