The reversible modification of acrylate adhesive system by introducing anthracene groups

The development of adhesives with excellent reversibility is necessary for the removal, recycling and reusing of precision components under specific conditions in electronics manufacturing. The integration of photosensitive cycloaddition reactions into common adhesive systems is a viable alternative for reversible modification. In this contribution, a novel reversible acrylate adhesive was successfully prepared by doping thiol-functionalized anthracene derivatives in situ, and its characteristic structure, photophysical properties and mechanical performance were systematically evaluated. As expected, the reversible dimers structure of anthracene provides remarkable bonding and debonding properties for adhesives. Sample #3 achieved an excellent shear strength of 1.67 ± 0.07 MPa and 91% debonding rate, with 283.03% and 89.58% improvement over the control sample #0 without anthracene modification, respectively. Furthermore, the shear strength and debonding rate for secondary bonding were up to 2.37 ± 0.07 MPa and 82%. We believe that our paradigm can provide a feasible approach for reversible adhesive design.