WATERBORNE AND METHYL ETHYL KETONE DISPERSED EPOXIES FOR USE IN CIRCUIT BOARD APPLICATIONS

Neda Vukmirovic and Dr. Thomas C. Ward
National Science Foundation and Technology Center:
High Performance Polymeric Adhesive and Composites, and
Department of Chemistry
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, Virginia

ABSTRACT

A waterborne epoxy system was compared to a methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) dispersed epoxy system with respect to adhesion properties to glass cloth and copper. Five experiments have been performed: mass uptake, contact angle, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and T-peel testing. It was observed that the waterborne epoxy system compared well with the MEK epoxy system. However, T-peel testing revealed that stronger adhesive bonds between the glass cloth and copper existed when the MEK epoxy system was used as an adhesive.