Hydrogen-bonded supramolecular adhesives: Synthesis, responsiveness, and application

Abstract

Adhesive bonding to diverse substances is vital to a great number of the established, cutting-edge and emerging applications. We have witnessed, in the last few years, the transformative progress in achieving robust adhesive bonding and tunable debonding behavior, which mostly employing the supramolecular forces. Among the diverse supramolecular forces, the contribution of hydrogen-bonds (H-bonds) to adhesives, on the modality of directionality, selectivity and sensitivity, can function as nano-scaled bonding agents for improved interfacial interactions, thus paved novel perspectives to the design and creation of glue materials with outstanding performance. On account of the dynamic and reversible feature, a characteristic principally determined for H-bonding (macro)molecules could be employed as adhesive platform for affording outstanding attaching, connecting and on demand disconnecting, arising from the combination of adhesion/cohesion process via H-bonding interactions and the responsive characteristics. Thus, H-bonded adhesives with abundant diverse molecular configuration furnish a rich toolbox that can fulfill universal yet specific needs with unique advantages, demonstrating great opportunities for fundamental researches and practical applications. Herein we outline and summarize the design and creation of H-bonded adhesives, responsive attaching/detaching, and applications in advanced materials. We propose the guidance for further designing H-bonded adhesives, in concert with biomedical science, physics, mechanical and electric, informatics or robotics of promising future.