Dr FU Jimin, Member of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), and his collaborators designed a polymeric glue which is a promising adhesive material for underwater repair and follow-up crack monitoring.
The glue was developed on the basis of triazole-beared macromolecules and ionic liquids. It is highly conductive and exhibits rapid, strong and long-lasting underwater adhesion on diverse substrates in various harsh environments and at extreme temperatures. The glue’s fluorescence and molecular recognition ability make it suitable for underwater labelling and sensing.
Developing a conductive underwater glue is challenging because the fluidity of the glue favours adhesive spreading and yet leads to leakage. The polymeric glue was designed to address this problem. The triazole-beared macromolecules of the glue serve as underwater binding sites, while ionic liquids (ILs) are used as the solvent for fast water exchange that triggers rapid adhesion. The binding between the polymer and ILs is controlled so that sufficient ILs within the adhesive are retained for
sensing.
The glue can be used for underwater sealing and in situ monitoring of various physical signals, while its fluorescence can be utilised for underwater labelling. The design strategy for this polymeric glue provides a new direction for next-generation multifunctional underwater adhesives.
This research was published on the inside front cover of Advanced Functional Materials (https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202270248).
