Adhesives at the Flip of a Switch (4/14/09)

Have you read thisreportof a technology where scientists can actually turn an adhesive’s stickiness on and off? Groups from the University of Sheffield, the University of Bayreuth in Germany and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxford say that the water-based glue loses and regains its stickiness at different pH levels.

The glue is made up of polyelectrolytes – polymers that are electrically charged and can change their shape in response to their environment. These polyelectrolyte can lengthen or shrink at different pH levels, allowing them to either stretch out or roll into a ball.

The researchers were able to show that if oppositely charged polyelectrolytes are brought together in water, they tightly adhere. While this was known before, the strength of this bond – and the fact that the process can be reversed and repeated – was not previously understood.

This technology is fascinating to me -- a multi-use glue is something that wouldn't have been available just a few years ago. Imagine the applications!

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Teresa McPherson was the former Editor of Adhesives & Sealants Industry. She has held several editorial positions during her more than 20 years with BNP Media. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from Eastern Michigan University.