Differences Between Sealants and Adhesives

Sealants are materials used for sealing edges, surfaces, and other areas to make it air- or watertight. Primarily, a sealant is a substance used to stop the passage of liquid through joints or the surface of materials. Sealants are not adhesives but some of them have adhesive properties and are known as adhesive sealants. Acrylic sealants, hot wax, latex sealants, and valve sealants are some common examples of it.

Adhesives are a substance used for sticking materials and objects together. The use of adhesives provides many advantages over other binding techniques. Sealants and adhesives have many common features, but they are structurally not identical and cannot be utilized as a substitute for one another. A sealant is a material which becomes solid after application and creates a barrier. This barrier blocks the passage of different elements, such as air, liquid, and noise from breaching the seal.

Industrial tapes and adhesives are used to keep different components and equipment together. An adhesive can exist in different states, such as powder or liquid, and it works to bond items together. The only purpose of an adhesive is to join items together, but sealants have different uses. Sealants are used to fill a space between two objects, not for the only purpose of bonding them together. They are utilized for creating a barrier through their physical structure and chemical composition. On the other hand, adhesives are used to bond two objects and not for filling the space.

The effects of additives in sealants and adhesives also differ, in their chemical and physical properties. Sometimes, sealants and adhesives share common chemical similarities, but they require different additives. Catalysts are added in many adhesives to enable polymerization and cross-linking. Some reactive acrylic acids also require a catalyst, for example UV adhesives and peroxides contains photo-initiators that require light to cure.

Colorant additives add colors and are frequently mixed in adhesives. This includes pigments and dyes, such as coated particles of mica. Plasticisers increase the durability and flexibility of an adhesive. Benzoate plasticisers are added in latex adhesives as they synchronize with base ingredients and increase the flexibility. Filler additives enhance the material and are common in both sealants and adhesives. Some common examples are- talc, mica, silica, and alumina.

Sealants require stabilizers and it depends on the components present in the mixture. Stabilizers are used to increase the life of a sealant, and invariably, it also helps in improving the properties. Plasticisers are also used for sealants. Phthalates are a common plasticiser additive in latex adhesives. Adhesives have an excessive power of holding and bonding and sealants are ideal for water and airtight spaces. These two materials appear to be similar because of their resemblance in characteristics but both are different materials.

Author’s bio- the author is trying to highlight the differences between sealants and adhesives. The significance of industrial tapes and adhesives is also discussed.