Abstract: Diazirine-containing polymers (also referred to as polymeric diazirines or polydiazirines) are useful in the adhesion of a broad range of substrates, including low-surface energy polymers such as polyethylene. In addition to being employed as single-component adhesives, such agents can be used as surface-activating primers, which can enable traditional adhesive reagents to bond previously challenging substrates. The presence of the diazirine group within or along the polymer chain allows the reagents to covalently bond directly to substrate surfaces via C—H, O—H, or N—H insertion, while also leading to crosslinking and aggregation within the polymeric reagent itself.

Abstract: A family of novel diazirine-based molecules is disclosed, as well as methods of manufacture and uses thereof. These compounds allow non-functionalized polymers, such as polyolefins, to crosslink via C—H insertion. Such a C—H insertion process is useful, for example, for the covalent adhesive bonding of low surface energy films or materials, or for creating rigid 3-dimenional polymeric structures by in-situ doping and activation of the crosslinker. The disclosed crosslinkers can be activated thermally, by UV radiation or by an electric potential.