Virginia Tech develops super-strong adhesives that break down on demand

Chemists at Virginia Tech have created two new adhesives: one is four times stronger than the glue in duct tape yet degrades in minutes in mildly alkaline water, and the other is a mono-material tape whose adhesive and backing recycle together. No commercial product or launch date has been announced.

• Lipoic acid-based adhesive is four times stronger than duct tape glue
• Mildly alkaline water breaks the adhesive down within minutes
• Mono-material tape recycles adhesive and backing together
• Results published in Advanced Functional Materials and Angewandte Chemie