A team of Chinese scientists has created a new super-strength adhesive that retains its effectiveness in extreme temperatures, from the boiling point of nitrogen to the scorching heat of an oven.
A powerful adhesive material
Featured in the magazine applied Chemistry, this new adhesive is of the ” supramolecular » : it consists of components specially designed to self-assemble into strong bonds during the curing phase. In this case, it is a ring-shaped molecule called a crown ether, which wraps itself around a small protein produced by bacteria.
When these components are combined and the mixture is heated, the crown firmly attaches to the surface of the protein, strengthening the bond through several molecular interactions, including their opposite charges. The team described this phenomenon as a ” molecular welding creating an incredibly strong interlocking structure, and an incredibly strong adhesive.
Used to bond two steel plates together, it withstood a maximum shear force of 22 megapascals, over a temperature range of -196°C to 200°C. The adhesive was also effective in attaching other materials and even worked underwater.
Exceptional properties
The team attributes the exceptional performance of the adhesive in part to these strong supramolecular interactions. The tight bond forces water out of the protein, which means that when the temperature drops, no ice crystals can form and fracture the material, as is often the case with other glues. This might also explain why it works underwater.
at first, these interlocking components can be separated on demand and recycled, with a new adhesive having basically the same strength.
According to the researchers, it would prove to be particularly suitable for objects and devices subject to large temperature variations during their use, such as spacecraft.
