Autoadhesion of Glassy Polymers

Summary: Thick bulk films of linear amorphous polymers with different chain architecture and molecular weight were brought into contact with themselves in a lap‐shear joint geometry at bonding temperatures ( T ) below the glass transition temperatures of their bulk ( T   g bulk ), at a small contact pressure, in order to form autoadhesive joints. As‐bonded joints were shear‐fractured in tension at ambient temperature, and their lap‐shear strength was measured as a function of T , bonding time and molecular weight. The kinetics of the process of the development of the lap‐shear strength at T  <  T   g bulkwas investigated, and the molecular mechanisms governing this process were discussed. The quasi‐equilibrium surface glass transition temperatures of the investigated polymers were estimated and compared with the corresponding values of T   g bulk .