Contact adhesives are not tacky by themselves, but develop a strong and instant bond when two surfaces coated with the same adhesive are brought into contact with each other. They are almost universally based on polychloroprene rubber. Since the base rubber is available in either 100% solid or latex form, contact adhesives can be formulated either as solventborne or waterborne systems.

The tackifiers used in contact adhesives must be compatible with polychloroprene rubber which limits the selection to aromatic hydrocarbon and rosin resins. Tacolyn™ 1100 and 5003 resin dispersions are most commonly chosen when formulating waterborne contact adhesives.

To learn more about compatibility between elastomers and tackifiers visit Eastman’s Tackifier Center to understand which classes of tackifiers should be considered.