In many fields, from electronic equipment to biomedicine, bonding different material surfaces together is essential for the wide application of products, but it is very difficult to control the immediate work of adhesives in humid environments. Now, a group of researchers think they have developed a universal adhesive that works in both air and water.
Chandra Sekhar Tiwary from Rice University and the Indian Institute of Technology said that the binder is a simple mixture of equal amounts of liquid and solid polymers. Bruker Nano Surfaces, Rio Grande Valley University, Texas, Baylor College of Medicine, and Adelphi's U.S. Army Research Laboratory led the study. When mixed together, liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) penetrates between solid particles of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with a diameter of about 200 nm, holding the two polymers together.
"The difference in the strong electronegativity at the interface between the two polymers is mainly the strong electronegativity difference between the fluorine atom in polytetrafluoroethylene and the hydrogen atom in PDMS, which induces a strong reformable "Dipole-dipole interactions, these forces provide the binding force between the two materials," Tiwary explained.
Regardless of the conditions, the chemical affinity between the two polymers binds them together, unlike many other adhesives, which mostly rely on surface shape, chemical cross-linking, or surface modification and if moisture is present Have an adverse effect. Moreover, large electronegativity differences cause dipole-dipole interactions between the two polymers, enabling the adhesive to be reused multiple times.
The liquid component of the adhesive wets the surface very effectively, maximizes the surface area between the two components for interfacial chemical reactions, and reduces the time required for curing. This method is applicable to a variety of similar and different materials from glass, metal, ceramics to paper and biomaterials. The mechanical properties of the resulting joints are also excellent.
Tiwary said: "The adhesive is significantly recoverable under tension, adheres almost instantly to a variety of materials, and works in both air and water." To our knowledge, this is the first Simple, recoverable, immediate, universal and amphibious for all five conditions. "
This simple, effective, and reusable adhesive can be immediately put into use in a range of applications from electronics to medicine, especially in medicine, because it can provide rapid adhesion between biological materials.
"At this time, we are not aware of any disadvantages that adhesives may have, and biomedical companies are already interested in medical applications for this adhesive," Tiwary added.