Search

Adhesive sealing tapes play an important role in ensuring the air tightness of the building, affecting the indoor microclimate and efficient energy use. However, there is still a lack of objective indicators that would demonstrate the ability of the sealing tape to ensure the long-term air tightness of the sealing joints of various building structures. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to investigate the indicators demonstrating the suitability of adhesive sealing tapes for sealing building structures of different surfaces and deformation, to provide detailed analyses of the results, and to propose practical recommendations. The investigated self-adhesive tapes differed in backing (nonwoven material, plastic reinforced film, paper, metal foil) and adhesives (acrylic and butyl). The materials of the sealed structural joints were plywood, OSB, plasterboard, cement sawdust board, plastered board, and plastic. The thickness, deformability, peel and shear adhesion of the self-adhesive tapes were used to determine its suitability for sealing of different structural joints. It was determined that tapes with higher deformability are more versatile, as they are suitable for sealing joints subjected to small and large deformations. The higher peel adhesion is typical for tapes of an air-permeable non-woven material backing and a thin adhesive layer. Tapes with a thicker adhesive layer are most suitable for sealing complex-shaped joints. Tapes with acrylic adhesive have a higher peeling force from smooth and moderately smooth surfaces, whereas butyl adhesive creates better contact with uneven surfaces in highly deformable joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluoropolymer films were treated by atmospheric pressure nitrogen plasma in a roll-to-roll configuration. This treatment aimed to modify the surface properties of the fluoropolymer and assess its adhesion with commercial silicone, rubber, and acrylic adhesive tapes. Fluoropolymer films and adhesives were characterized using contact angle measurements, Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and T-peel tests. The plasma treatment resulted in increased wettability of the films, defluorination of the fluoropolymer surface, the introduction of oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups on the surface, and a reduction in surface roughness. Peel strength increased at different levels, depending on the treatment speed and adhesive employed. Silicone adhesives did not present a significant increase on plasma-treated fluoropolymer films; however, they presented the higher peel strength against the untreated substrate. Acrylic adhesives are sensitive to fluoropolymer surface chemistry and can be used to evaluate different plasma treatments, while the highest adhesion was obtained with rubber adhesives. The results presented herein provide information about the appropriate selection of the type of adhesive for a specific application, as well as the evaluation of surface modifications by T-peel test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]