Adhesive sheets are made from a combination of a thin material, such as paper, and an industrial adhesive that sticks the material to something else, such as a wall. They are used for a number of different recreational and professional purposes based on what type of material is used to make the adhesive sheet. The adhesive used in adhesive sheets is usually a simple contact chemical that has been made from either natural sources, such as rubber, or through artificial means.
Natural adhesives are made from the starchy material in animal and plant fluids, such as blood and sap, respectively. The rubber tree has a very thick sap flowing throughout it, which makes it ideal for adhesive. Neoprene is an artificial adhesive that is commonly used in adhesive sheets. For wallpaper adhesive, chemical polymers make up the adhesive, and take effect when they are drying, not when they come into contact with a liquid, such as water. This drying action activates the adhesive and makes the wallpaper stick to whatever surface it was applied to.
There are a number of different kinds of sheets to choose from, including those that require the adhesive to be activated as well as self-adhesive sheets. An example of an adhesive sheet that requires activation of the adhesive is wallpaper. Most wallpaper needs to be soaked in water or an adhesive bath to trigger the adhesive on the side that is going to stick to the wall. In most cases, wallpaper is packaged rolled in on itself. By having to activate the adhesive, the wallpaper is not ruined by storing it with the adhesive side touching the non-adhesive side.
Self-adhesive sheets have active adhesive on either one or both sides. One-sided adhesive sheets are useful for printing posters and the like, as the graphic or images can be printed on the non-adhesive side. The adhesive side can then be attached to many tactile surfaces to display the information printed on the other side. Self-adhesive sheets are also popular for crafting or decorative purposes. They can be used in scrapbooks or home decoration, as well as in commercial printers to print adhesive photos and information.
Double-sided adhesive sheets can be used for energy conductivity between two metal machines, or to transfer energy from one metal to another. To do this, small strips of metal are attached to both sides of the adhesive sheet and set between two machines or electrical components. These double-sided adhesive sheets are extremely useful in scanning electron microscopes, as they can direct the energy more precisely and eliminate any stray x-rays, which may cause image cloudiness. The final x-rayed image is much clearer as a result.