Researchers develop water-based adhesive that can be recycled by changing pH

A research team has developed a reversible, water-based glue that has good adhesion in the neutral pH range, but can be detached again in strongly acidic or alkaline environments. As the team writes in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, the novel adhesive system, which is based on electrostatic interactions, has bond strengths somewhere between those of structural adhesives and pressure-sensitive adhesives. The new adhesive also bonds "difficult" surfaces such as water-repellent polypropylene.