Siliconized papers.

There is a huge variety of release liners on the market and the user has great difficulties to select the right one. Can the data sheet values of the different supplier be compared? 13 release liners from 4 suppliers were analyzed and tested. We assessed the homogeneity of the anti-adhesive coating, determined their chemical structure, measured the peel force, the silicone transfer to an adhesive, and compared everything to the data sheets.

A wide range of release liners with different characteristics is commercially available and they are used for many applications. The comparison of the properties of the products from various suppliers is rather difficult. This report gives the results of a comparison of release liners obtained from different manufacturers and of different grades. All the analysis and tests were carried out with identical parameters and under identical conditions for all samples in order to compare their properties and relate them to the data sheet values. The chemical composition of the surfaces and their homogeneity found to be very good over a wide range. Peel tests were used to characterize the anti-adhesive properties of the samples. The measurements turned out to be precise and very reproducible. The peel strength data can be related well for release liner with small adhesive forces. For materials with higher adhesive strength the deviations get larger. The transfer of silicone from the release liner to the adhesive tape was found to be detectable but rather small for all samples. Although an influence on the interfacial properties cannot be excluded for all possible applications.