Introductory Remarks

Abstract

The relationship between the chemical structure of polymeric adhesives and their physical structure, physical properties, and performance characteristics have interested scientists for many years. The very complex nature of these relationships have, however, resulted in a lack of broad generalizations about structure-property relationships; instead, a myriad of technical papers have been published about the work done on specific systems of adhesives and adherends. These papers now form a large part of the adhesives literature; yet many of the questions basic to the design of satisfactory adhesives remain unsolved. The relationships developed for a given series of adhesives seldom apply to another series directly. Thus further experimentation is always needed to optimize formulations and compositions of adhesive products. The objective of the papers in this session is to examine several relationships of molecular structure to properties of several systems of polymeric adhesives which are important in today’s technology.