Eastman Offers New Solution For Isoprene Shortage

Kingsport, TN — The current global isoprene shortage is compelling tape and label manufacturers to seek alternative ingredients for their hot-melt pressure sensitive adhesive (HMPSA) formulations for packaging tapes and labels. Most acutely affected are end-users of SIS (styrene-isoprene-styrene) block copolymers, an essential part of most hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive formulations. To help mitigate this shortage, Eastman Chemical Company offers a new formulation strategy, which can reduce the use of isoprene by more than 50 percent in HMPSA's.

The new solution was presented in a technical paper at the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council's TECH XXIX Technical Seminar held May 4-5 in Las Vegas. Entitled "A New Generation of Hotmelt Tape Formulations, Using Blends of SIBS and SBS Block Copolymers and New Hydrocarbon Tackifying Resins," the paper includes performance data and sample formulation tables and is now available at www.Eastman.com/PSTC.

The Pressure Sensitive Tape Council (PSTC) is the North American trade association for tape manufacturers and affiliate suppliers, dedicated to helping the industry produce quality pressure sensitive adhesive tape products in the global marketplace. PSTC provides education and training, works with ASTM and global trade organizations to harmonize test methods and monitors legislative and regulatory activities.

Eastman's technical study reports that depending on the specific performance demands of a given HMPSA application, it is now possible to provide substantial substitution of isoprene monomers in an adhesives formulation using a blend of the KRATON Polymers SIBS (styrene-isoprene-butadiene-styrene) block copolymer and SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) block copolymer.

The study concludes that proper blending of SIBS and SBS, combined with Eastman's Piccotac 7590-N hydrocarbon resin, allows adhesives formulators a cost-effective, viable alternative. Produced with the more readily available butadiene monomers, in some cases the new formulation can enhance the overall performance of HMPSA's.

"The research we've documented allows packaging tape and label manufacturers to meet the specific challenges presented by the current shortage without sacrificing HMPSA performance," said the paper's author, Chrétien Donker, a product application manager for Eastman. "Building on our past innovations and knowledge, Eastman will continue assisting tape and label manufacturers in overcoming isoprene scarcity."

SOURCE: Eastman Chemical Company