Adhesives are essential in various industries, including aerospace, electronics, construction, marine, automotive, and biomedical fields. As these fields continue to advance, the demand for high-performance, multifunctional adhesives is also growing. However, such widespread use has also highlighted their environmental issues. Conventional adhesives, while effective and economical, release petroleum-based chemicals that are harmful to soil and water quality. Their production also contributes to environmental pollution, and the adhesives themselves are difficult to recycle or dispose of. Developing reusable and more eco-friendly alternatives is therefore becoming increasingly important.
At the same time, there is a growing demand for advanced adhesives with diverse functionalities. For example, stimuli-responsive adhesives that can vary their adhesive strength based on external stimuli are attracting significant attention. Among them, photo-responsive adhesives are especially attractive, as they allow localized wireless control of adhesion through light while also possessing non-invasive properties.
To meet both performance and sustainability goals, a research team led by professor Kwang-Un Jeong, along with Ph.D. Student Mr. Mintaek Oh from the Department of Nano Convergence Engineering at Jeonbuk National University, South Korea, has developed a novel eco-friendly, photo-switchable smart adhesive.
“We synthesized a tetrahydrogeraniol-based monomer, a derivative of rose oil, and successfully fabricated an eco-friendly adhesive containing 95% of it,” explains Prof. Jeong. “The final adhesive, incorporating a small amount of a functional monomer that responds to light and adheres strongly to various substrates, exhibits high-responsive adhesion, allowing quantitative control of its bonding strength. It is eco-friendly, cost-effective, versatile, and reusable.”
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