An in-situ assembled cobweb-like adhesive with high processability

Abstract

Low temperature tolerant adhesive with high flexibility and adhesion strength is highly desired yet challenging owing to the presence of obvious volume shrinkage, increased brittleness, and reduced transmission of mechanical stress at low temperature. Inspired by the cobweb, we hereby develop a kind of flexible adhesive that can be used at low temperature by in-situ polymerization of disulfide bond-based polymer with polyoxometalate. This low-temperature tolerant adhesive presents high flexibility and adhesion strength, good processability and reversible adhesion ability, a wide tolerable temperature range (i.e., −196 to 50 °C), and a long-lasting adhesion effect (>80 days, −196 °C) that is significantly better than commercial solvent-free adhesives. The adhesive can be processed into high-strength cobwebs, injected into tiny tube models, and adhered onto complicated interfaces. Notably, it enables to be kilogram-scale produced through a solvent-free method, holding promise for potential utilization in fields like repairing artifacts or precision instruments with micro-fractures at low temperature. Flexible low temperature adhesives are highly desired, though preserving these properties at low temperatures is challenging. Here the authors show a cobweb-inspired flexible adhesive, resistant to low temperatures, and can be fabricated without solvent on the kilogram scale.