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Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Evaluation of the Curing of Adhesive Systems by Rheological and Thermal Testing
Published on: July 3, 2020
Robust Underwater Epoxy Adhesives Enabled by Dynamic Covalent Bond Mediated Two-Stage Curing
Zhipeng Liu1, Ying Tang1, Jiadong Yang2
1School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Platform Chemicals from Marine Biomass and their Functionalization, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China.
Abstract:
Herein, an innovative two-stage curing strategy based on poly(thioctic acid) is proposed for developing robust underwater epoxy adhesives. The epoxy curing agent with an adaptive molecular architecture is first synthesized via solvent-free ring-opening polymerization of naturally occurring thioctic acid propelled by dynamic thiol-disulfide exchange. Upon combining the epoxy resin with poly(thioctic acid), the water-resistant long-chain polymers that effectively expel interfacial water and establish multiple interfacial interactions are formed by the first-stage curing via a click reaction between thiol and epoxy groups initiated by the thiol-disulfide exchange mechanism. Subsequently, the second-stage curing is triggered via carboxyl-epoxy reactions and leads to the formation of cross-linked networks. This strategy endows the developed underwater epoxy adhesive with underwater bonding strength up to 16.4 MPa and green recyclability that can be repeatedly disassembled.
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