Small-molecule ionic liquid-based adhesive with strong room-temperature adhesion promoted by electrostatic interaction

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 5214
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jun, Wang, Wenxiang, Zhang, Yan, Wei, Qiang, Han, Fei, Dong, Shengyi, Liu, Dongqing, Zhang, Shiguo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 05.09.2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/301/923/1028; 639/301/923/3931; 639/638/298/923/3931; Adhesion; Adhesive strength; Adhesives; Bond strength; Carbon nanotubes; Cohesion; Electrical conductivity; Electrical resistivity; Electrostatic properties; Fabrication; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrogen bonding; Hydrogen bonds; Ionic liquids; Ions; multidisciplinary; Nanotechnology; Nanotubes; Polymers; Room temperature; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Substrates
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32997-4

Low-molecular-weight adhesives (LMWAs) possess many unique features compared to polymer adhesives. However, fabricating LMWAs with adhesion strengths higher than those of polymeric materials is a significant challenge, mainly because of the relatively weak and unbalanced cohesion and interfacial adhesion. Herein, an ionic liquid (IL)-based adhesive with high adhesion strength is demonstrated by introducing an IL moiety into a Y-shaped molecule replete with hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) interactions. The IL moieties not only destroyed the rigid and ordered H-bonding networks, releasing more free groups to form hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) at the substrate/adhesive interface, but also provided electrostatic interactions that improved the cohesion energy. The synthesized IL-based adhesive, Tri-HT, could directly form thin coatings on various substrates, with high adhesion strengths of up to 12.20 MPa. Advanced adhesives with electrical conductivity, self-healing behavior, and electrically-controlled adhesion could also be fabricated by combining Tri-HT with carbon nanotubes. Low-molecular-weight adhesives (LMWAs) possess many unique features compared to polymer adhesives but fabrication of LMWAs with adhesion strengths higher exceeding those of polymeric materials is a significant challenge. Here, the authors propose an ionic liquid based thin coating adhesive with high adhesion strength.