page_title: Chemistry of pressure-sensitive adhesives
section_title: Environmental conditions
hierarchical_section_title: Chemistry of pressure-sensitive adhesives / Lifetime / Environmental conditions
caption_attribution_description: English: Adhesion Tapes Forces due to Mechanical Wear
context_page_description: The chemistry of pressure-sensitive adhesives describes the chemical science associated with pressure-sensitive adhesives. PSA tapes and labels have become an important part of everyday life. These rely on adhesive material affixed to a backing such as paper or plastic film. Because of the inherent tackiness of the adhesive material and low surface energy, these tapes can be placed onto a variety of substrates when light pressure is applied, including paper, wood, metals, and ceramics. The design of tapes requires a balance of the need for long service life and adaptation to a variety of environmental and human effects, including temperature, UV exposure, mechanical wear, contamination of the substrate surface, and adhesive degradation.
context_section_description: Many factors within the environment can affect the surface wear of adhesive tape. Even the prospect of rapidly changing environmental conditions can be enough to cause a failure in the substrate. For instance, rapid cooling can cause the substrate to shrink dramatically while the adhesive remains stationary. This pulling force can be enough to cause tears in the substrate decreasing the substrate's adhesion. Thus, substrate failure is predicated on the response of the substrate to various environmental conditions as well as the rate at which those conditions change. An adhesive tape applied in a moderate setting will experience a smaller range of temperatures than one applied in a hot desert. Substrate failure is largely predicated on Temperature changes as these are the most likely to occur and the most likely to affect the substrate in any large way.
  However, the substrate can still be affected by humidity and UV exposure if the substrate is applied in an environment that it was not designed for. For instance, one could get substrate failure by using a tape that was made to be used in a desert in a place such as Florida. The difference in temperature might not be very large, but there is a huge difference in humidity. Any environmental effect on the substrate is dependent on the identity and purpose of the substrate.
caption: Schematic of the forces present due to mechanical wear of the adhesive tape
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