A novel hydroxyl‐rich polyvinyl alcohol hot‐melt adhesive with excellent ultra‐low temperature adhesion and reusability

Abstract Ethylene‐vinyl acetate (EVA) hot‐melt adhesives featured good thermal stability, strong weather resistance and fast bonding speed, are of great concern to the industry and engineering fields. However, the weak bond strength and poor reusability severely hinder their application under harsh conditions. Herein, the hydrolyzed EVA (EVOH) copolymers with rich hydroxyl groups are fabricated by an EVA hydrolysis reaction, and their mechanical properties, environmental adaptability, and reusability were systematically evaluated. As a result, the shear strengths measured by bonding the stainless steel plates can reach up to 16.4 MPa at room temperature (25°C) and 13.1 MPa at ultra‐low temperature (−196°C), indicating the good bonding performance of EVOH. Besides, owing to the excellent dynamic reversibility and thermal stability, it can obtain 92% of shear strength retention rate after 10 reuses, which is the highest value reported so far. In addition, the hydroxyl‐rich EVOH delivers good solvent and corrosion resistance that can be widely used for bonding various materials. Therefore, this research provide new lightspots for developing environmentally friendly hot‐melt adhesives with excellent bonding properties, corrosion resistance, and reusability.