Microwaves make sustainable sticky adhesive easy to recycle

Glue

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Light polymerises disulfide groups to create a transparent, robust and recyclable glue

Sustainable by design solutions in adhesives usually compromise on strength and stickiness. Now, a group of chemists has created a reversible adhesive, using molecules that quickly ‘click’ and cure with visible light and easily unstick in the microwave. Moreover, most processes are practically solvent-free, further increasing sustainability.