Zwitterion-Initiated Spontaneously Polymerized Super Adhesive Showing Real-Time Deployable and Long-Term High-Strength Adhesion against Various Harsh Environments

Real-time deployment of adhesives and achieving long-term and high-strength adhesion in various harsh environments remains a significant challenge both in the engineering field and daily life. Herein, the authors report the construction of a super adhesive based on an entirely new mechanism of zwitterion-initiated polymerization. This adhesive can be formed quickly by the rapid spontaneous polymerization of 4-aminostyrene (4-AS) in the presence of acidic polyanion aqueous solution initiated by zwitterions. Direct adhesion and curing process of the adhesive is independent of the environment, and it can be completely cured within 20 min to strongly glue diverse materials spanning from plastics to inorganic substances and metal in various environments (water, acid, alkali, seawater, oil, organic solvent, and low temperature), supposedly due to their marvelous ability to repel the surface liquid barrier layer and form multiple interactions with adherend. Remarkably, this adhesive can maintain high-strength and long-term adhesion to different materials surfaces, quickly repairing broken containers in various conditions. The zwitterion-initiated spontaneous polymerization provides a new strategy for constructing an eco-benign high-strength adhesive with an ability to bond a wide variety of materials with long-term stability against various severe environments.