A novel glue remover for pressure sensitive tapes on aged paper
Pressure-sensitive adhesives consisting of polymer (t-butyl acrylate, PtBA) was widely used to repair aging paper. Over time, whiteness, mechanical properties and durability of paper degrade with the aging of adhesive. In this study, novel paper-friendly glue-remover (GR), consisting of organic solvents, was designed for removal of PtBA from aging paper. Dichloromethane and hexane were screened to prepare GR according the swelling degree of aged adhesive. For detail, the component of GR was adjusted to optimize removal effect and minimize the damage of GR on aged paper. Treated with GR consisting of 40% (v/v) dichloromethane/ normal hexane, the removal rate of PtBA was high to 56%. Results of mechanical and chromatism test indicates the GR will not damage the mechanical strength or handwriting on the paper. Moreover, the pH of paper increased from 3.55 to 5.75 after removal of glue, which suggested that GR help remove acid from aging paper.