Dry adhesive comprising a shape memory polymer for attachment to a flexible adherend
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
InventorsSeok Kim, Placid M. Ferreira, ChangHee Son
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Abstract
A dry adhesive for attachment to a flexible adherend comprises a shape memory polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) above 25° C. and a compliant backing layer attached to the shape memory polymer. The shape memory polymer is configured to form a conformal and/or hermetic contact with a flexible adherend at temperatures at or above the Tg and to retain the conformal and/or hermetic contact during flexing of the flexible adherend at temperatures below the Tg.
Claims11
A dry adhesive for attachment to a flexible adherend, the dry adhesive comprising:
- a shape memory polymer layer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) above 25° C.;
- an adhesive;
- and
- a compliant backing layer bonded to the shape memory polymer layer by the adhesive,
- wherein the shape memory polymer layer is configured to form a conformal and/or hermetic contact with a flexible adherend at temperatures at or above the Tg and to retain the conformal and/or hermetic contact during flexing of the flexible adherend at temperatures below the Tg, and
- wherein the compliant backing layer has a flexural modulus of less than 4 GPa and a thickness less than 250 microns.
A dry adhesive for attachment to a flexible adherend, the dry adhesive comprising:
- a shape memory polymer layer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) above 25° C.;
- an adhesive;
- and
- a compliant backing layer bonded to the shape memory polymer layer by the adhesive,
- wherein the shape memory polymer layer is configured to form a conformal and/or hermetic contact with a flexible adherend at temperatures at or above the Tg and to retain the conformal and/or hermetic contact during flexing of the flexible adherend at temperatures below the Tg, and
- wherein the compliant backing layer comprises a fabric.
A dry adhesive for attachment to a flexible adherend, the dry adhesive comprising:
- a shape memory polymer layer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) above 25° C.;
- an adhesive;
- and
- a compliant backing layer bonded to the shape memory polymer layer by the adhesive,
- wherein the shape memory polymer layer is configured to form a conformal and/or hermetic contact with a flexible adherend at temperatures at or above the Tg and to retain the conformal and/or hermetic contact during flexing of the flexible adherend at temperatures below the Tg, and
- wherein the shape memory polymer layer is prepared from a formulation comprising a shape memory polymer precursor and a crosslinking agent, and
- wherein a molar ratio of the shape memory polymer precursor to the crosslinking agent is from 1.0:1.0 to 1.0:1.2.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.