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Hot Melt Adhesive Grade Polycaprolactone PCL
Description
Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a synthetic aliphatic polyester produced through ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone. Due to its low melting point (typically 58–64°C), excellent processability, and biodegradability, polycaprolactone PCL is an important raw material in the hot melt adhesive industry.
PCL can be supplied in polycaprolactone pellets or powder depending on your formulation requirements.
Hot Melt Adhesive Grade Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a versatile, semi-crystalline biodegradable polyester widely used in hot melt adhesives, reactive adhesives, polyurethane systems, and specialty polymer blends. With CAS 24980-41-4, Polycaprolactone offers excellent flexibility, chemical compatibility, and controlled melting behavior, making it a preferred choice for manufacturers seeking high-quality and sustainable polymer solutions.
As a professional polycaprolactone manufacturer and supplier, we provide stable-quality PCL materials tailored for industrial adhesive applications.
Polycaprolactone is widely chosen for adhesive manufacturers due to:
Improved adhesion strength on various substrates
Enhanced flexibility and impact resistance
Protection against brittleness at low temperatures
Controlled viscosity for precise hot melt processing
Compatibility with reactive systems, especially polyurethane hot melts (PUR-HMAs)
These benefits make PCL a key component in industrial, packaging, footwear, automotive, and electronics adhesives.
Information
Item | Standard | Result |
Appearance | White granule | White granule |
Hazen(color/pt-co) | ≤75 | 50 |
Acidity(mgKOH/g) | ≤1.00 | 0.80 |
Moisture | ≤0.4% | 0.026% |
Melt mass flow rate(g/10min) | 12-18 | 16.94 |
Free Monomer/%(m) | 0.50 | 0.25 |
1. Hot Melt Adhesives
Polycaprolactone (PCL) is most prominently used in hot melt adhesive formulations, where its low melting point and excellent thermal stability provide both processing convenience and high performance. In hot melt adhesive applications, PCL melts quickly and maintains a stable viscosity during application, ensuring smooth flow and reduced stringing. After cooling, it forms a flexible yet durable adhesive film that maintains long-term bonding strength. Its semi-crystalline structure improves low-temperature flexibility and prevents brittleness, making PCL-based hot melt adhesives ideal for paper packaging, bookbinding, furniture edge banding, textile lamination, footwear manufacturing, and general industrial assembly. By enhancing softness, adhesion, and durability, PCL significantly elevates the performance of modern hot melt adhesive systems.
2. Reactive Polyurethane Hot Melt Adhesives (PUR-HMA)
In reactive polyurethane hot melt adhesives, Polycaprolactone serves as an important polyol component. PCL provides excellent melt flow during application and maintains an optimal open time for processing. Upon reaction with isocyanates, it forms a strong and elastic polyurethane network that offers exceptional cohesion, peel strength, and impact resistance. The resulting adhesive provides high durability, moisture resistance, and excellent bonding to various substrates. Due to these advantages, PCL-based PUR hot melts are widely used in woodworking, automotive interiors, electronics assembly, architectural panels, and other applications requiring strong structural bonding.
3. Solvent-Based Adhesives
Polycaprolactone is also utilized in solvent-based adhesive systems due to its good solubility in various organic solvents. When incorporated into solvent adhesives, PCL enhances film-forming properties, improves clarity and softness, and increases the flexibility of the final adhesive layer. It contributes to improved adhesion to flexible materials, making it suitable for leather adhesives, footwear adhesives, laminating adhesives, and other applications requiring both transparency and long-term durability. Its excellent flexibility ensures that bonded materials maintain resistance to bending and fatigue.
4. Polymer Blending for Adhesive Modification
PCL is frequently used in polymer blending to modify the performance of adhesive formulations. Its compatibility with polymers such as polyester resins allows manufacturers to enhance flexibility, melt flow behavior, crystallization control, and overall mechanical properties. Blending PCL into adhesive polymers can significantly improve low-temperature performance, elasticity, and environmental degradability. As sustainability becomes increasingly important, PCL’s biodegradable nature makes it a valuable component in eco-friendly adhesive solutions without compromising mechanical strength or processing behavior.
5. Polycaprolactone Pellets for Thermoplastic Processing
Polycaprolactone supplied in pellet form is widely used in thermoplastic hot melt processing, compounding, and extrusion applications. PCL pellets melt uniformly and blend easily with other polymers, providing stable processing behavior and consistent quality across production batches. Their excellent flow characteristics and controllable crystallization make them ideal for high-performance hot melt adhesives, polymer modifiers, and low-temperature molding applications. For manufacturers seeking predictable and stable production performance, PCL pellets offer a reliable and high-quality raw material.


PCL Polymer Structure
The PCL polymer structure is a linear, semi-crystalline chain with repeating caprolactone units. This structure gives PCL:
High flexibility even at low temperatures
Excellent compatibility with polyurethane and polyester systems
High crystallinity for controlled melting behavior
Easy blending with tackifiers and other polymers
Predictable thermal and rheological performance
Its molecular architecture is the foundation of PCL’s strong bonding performance in hot melt adhesive formulations.
Key PCL Polymer Properties
Hot Melt Adhesive Grade PCL is selected for applications requiring flexibility, durability, and environmental friendliness.
Major PCL polymer properties include:
1. Low Melting Point (60°C ± 5°C)
Ideal for hot melt adhesives that require fast melting and efficient processing.
2. Excellent Flexibility
Remains soft and elastic even at low temperatures, improving adhesive toughness.
3. High Compatibility
Blends well with polyurethanes, tackifiers, EVA, and other adhesive polymers.
4. Good Solubility
Soluble in many organic solvents, enabling formulation versatility.
5. Biodegradable Performance
As a PCL biodegradable polymer, it is increasingly favored in sustainable adhesive solutions.
6. High Thermal Stability
Maintains performance during repeated heating cycles.
Products are packaged in bag,25kg/bag,Avoid rain,collision,packaging damageand pollution during transportation,and comply with the relevant provisions of the transport sector.










