The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Smart adhesives with spatiotemporal control are essential for micro-transfer printing and soft robotics. Donor-acceptor Stenhouse adduct (DASA) is a promising candidate for tunable adhesion, due to their visible light-induced changes in molecular volume and surface polarity. This study proposes a visible light-responsive adhesive system in which DASA is covalently incorporated into a polyethyleneimine (PEI) network. Upon visible-light irradiation, DASA undergoes photoisomerization from the open to closed form, modulating bulk (elastic modulus) and interfacial (surface tension) properties, significant varying tackiness. DASA content tuning reduced the tackiness force by up to 59% in probe tack tests, and localized irradiation through photomasks enabled region-selective tackiness control. The demonstrated light-driven coupling between mechanical and interfacial properties provides a rational strategy for designing adhesives with programmable tackiness under visible light.