en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Polymerforschung, IAP) has developed a novel bonding technology based on microcapsules, which promises to simplify traditional gluing processes and enable almost on-demand strong adhesion.

In industrial practice, gluing is often an additional process step requiring precise dosing, application, and curing of adhesives. Direct handling of reactive adhesive components imposes high demands on occupational safety, process control, and personnel training. Moreover, the adhesion performance of conventional tapes varies depending on the material system, temperature, substrate, and load. To address these challenges, IAP researchers use isocyanate-free acrylate or epoxy resin-based adhesives and encapsulate them in microcapsules. These microcapsules separately contain the individual components of a two-component adhesive. When intact, the system remains inert; upon applying pressure to rupture the capsules, the two components mix and undergo a crosslinking reaction, forming a strong bond at the contact surface. This crosslinking can occur at room temperature without additional heating or curing steps. As part of the Fraunhofer Cluster for Programmable Materials (Fraunhofer-Cluster Programmable Materials CPM), this technology is being developed within the institute.

The core of the technology lies in the precise fabrication of the capsules. Since two-component adhesives are reactive and may interact with chemicals used in capsule shell production, the researchers state that by extremely precisely tuning the capsule chemistry, they ensure the adhesive components remain active, are reliably encapsulated, and can be safely stored and processed until selectively opened under pressure. The researchers are applying these microcapsules to planar carrier materials, such as textiles, fiber fabrics, or other flat substrates, creating a material that can be processed like an interlayer. The adhesive can be positioned within the component and only activates during the joining step.

Potential application areas include component bonding processes requiring planar, controllable adhesion without open adhesive application, such as battery stacking in the automotive industry, as well as mechanical engineering, electronics manufacturing, or microstructured components with fine channels, where conventional coating processes are complex, inaccessible, or economically unviable. By combining its microencapsulation expertise with application-oriented testing, IAP has developed this adhesive fabric. Subsequent bond strength will be investigated jointly with the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkzeugmaschinen und Umformtechnik, IWU), laying the foundation for targeted evaluation of suitable application areas with partners.

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