Researchers have found that adding sacrificial weak bonds can improve the toughness of an adhesive system.
How do you make adhesives for electronics, vehicles, and construction tougher? By making them weaker. That’s the proposed solution from a Purdue University research team.
“We have been using inspiration from sea creatures to develop several new adhesives,” said Jonathan Wilker, a Purdue professor of chemistry and materials engineering who helps lead the research team. “Recently we have been seeking strategies for making adhesives tougher. One way to get there can be viewed as making the materials tougher by, first, making them weaker.”