Mechanical properties of a reversible adhesive used to separate adhesive joints

In this work, the mechanical characterization of adhesive joints made with a thermoplastic adhesive, modified and not modified, has been presented together with the separation tests that are possible by the use of metal nanoparticles embedded within the adhesive. A polyolefin adhesive has been modified with two weight concentrations (5% and 10%) of iron oxide nanoparticles. These particles increase their temperature under electromagnetic field; in this way, they are able to melt the adhesive and, therefore, separate the adhesive joints. The mechanical properties of single lap joints (SLJs) prepared with the neat and modified adhesives have been performed by using different overlap lengths and thicknesses. SLJs prepared with the nanomodified adhesive present higher loads compared with the neat one. Separation tests have been carried out on SLJ specimens to measure the times needed to disassemble the adhesive joints. Scanning electron microscope analysis has been carried out to study the distribution of the particles. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.