Fully recyclable multifunctional adhesive with high durability, transparency, flame retardancy, and harsh-environment resistance.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 36516253.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.add8527 and PMC identifier 9750157.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Recyclable/reversible adhesives have attracted growing attention for sustainability and intelligence but suffer from low adhesion strength and poor durability in complex conditions. Here, we demonstrate an aromatic siloxane adhesive that exploits stimuli-responsive reversible assembly driven by π-π stacking, allowing for elimination and activation of interfacial interactions via infiltration-volatilization of ethanol. The robust cohesive energy from water-insensitive siloxane assembly enables durable strong adhesion (3.5 MPa shear strength on glasses) on diverse surfaces. Long-term adhesion performances are realized in underwater, salt, and acid/alkali solutions (pH 1-14) and at low/high temperatures (-10-90°C). With reversible assembly/disassembly, the adhesive is closed-loop recycled (~100%) and reused over 100 times without adhesion loss. Furthermore, the adhesive has unique combinations of high transparency (~98% in the visible light region of 400-800 nm) and flame retardancy. The experiments and theoretical calculations reveal the corresponding mechanism at the molecular level. This π-π stacking-driven siloxane assembly strategy opens up an avenue for high-performance adhesives with circular life and multifunctional integration.