Numerical explorations of solvent borne adhesives : A lattice-based approach to morphology formation

The internal structure of adhesive tapes determines the effective mechanicalproperties. This holds true especially for blended systems, here consisting ofacrylate and rubber phases. In this note, we propose a lattice-based modelto study numerically the formation of internal morphologies within a fourcomponent mixture (of discrete particles) where the solvent components evaporate. Mimicking numerically the interaction between rubber, acrylate, andtwo different types of solvents, relevant for the technology of adhesive tapes,we aim to obtain realistic distributions of rubber ball-shaped morphologies—they play a key role in the overall functionality of those special adhesives.Our model incorporates the evaporation of both solvents and allows for tuningthe strength of two essentially different solvent–solute interactions and of thetemperature of the system