Compositions and methods for maintaining or restoring adhesive properties of a selectively-resealable adhesive
View Patent ↗In one embodiment, a method for restoring adhesive strength of an adhesive that has lost at least some of its adhesive strength includes applying a restoration agent to the adhesive. In one embodiment, a selectively-releasable adhesive includes a copolymer formed from a multifunctional alcohol and a multifunctional carboxylic acid, wherein the copolymer has been cured the equivalent of less than approximately 9 hours at approximately 120° C. and 100 milliTorr.
1. A method for restoring adhesive strength of a layer of polymer adhesive on a substrate that has lost at least some of its adhesive strength, the method comprising:
plasticizing the polymer adhesive by applying a plasticizer to the adhesive while on the substrate, the plasticizer acting as a restoration agent for the polymer adhesive;
wherein the polymer adhesive comprises a copolymer formed from a multifunctional alcohol and a multifunctional carboxylic acid.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying a plasticizer to the adhesive comprises applying one or more of an alcohol, a ketone, an ether, an amide, a sulfoxide, or an ester to the adhesive.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying a plasticizer comprises spraying the plasticizer onto the polymer adhesive.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying a plasticizer comprises dropping drops of the plasticizer onto the polymer adhesive.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a substrate of a length of tape.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a substrate of an adhesive bandage.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a substrate of an adhesive bandage strip that further comprises an integral dressing element.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multifunctional alcohol is selected from the group consisting of glycerol, monomeric carbohydrates, and small polyols.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multifunctional alcohol is glycerol.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multifunctional carboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of diacids and triacids.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multifunctional carboxylic acid is sebacic acid.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer is poly(glycerol-sebacate).