Recently, a research group at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has developed a type of glue that hardens after a low voltage is applied to it. They nicknamed the new adhesive “Voltaglue.”
“We had to find a way to make glue which cures (hardens) when we want it to without being affected by environmental conditions, so electricity was the best approach for us. The hardness of our glue can be adjusted by the amount of time we apply a voltage to it, which we call electrocuring,” Terry Steele, a chemist at NTU, said.
“The glue consists of a layer of hydrogel, a water based gel into which are dissolved carbon molecules called carbenes that are attached to plastic dendrimers, which are typically spherical large molecules. Using electrodes to apply two volts across the glue causes the carbenes to start bonding with other dendrimers and nearby surfaces. Once the voltage is removed, the bonding activity stops,” IEEE.org said
“Voltaglue” may also make recycling vehicles easier by way of ungluing cars’ components to disassemble them.
