Small Glue Da Kun: The Neglected Industrial Invisible Man

When you wake up in the morning, you pick up your smartphone, and its touch screen is closely attached to the fuselage; Put on sports shoes, and the soles are firmly connected with the uppers; Driving to work, the windshield is firmly fixed on the frame-behind these seemingly ordinary scenes, there is a common "hero": adhesive. This humble material is changing our world in an amazing way.

 

The history of adhesives can be traced back to thousands of years ago. Ancient Egyptians glued wooden furniture with natural resin, and craftsmen of Qin Dynasty in China built the Great Wall with glutinous rice mortar. But it was not until the appearance of synthetic polymer materials in the 20th century that adhesives ushered in a real revolution. Today's adhesives have developed hundreds of varieties such as epoxy resin, polyurethane and acrylate, forming a precise scientific system.

 

Compared with traditional mechanical connection, adhesive has incomparable advantages. It can evenly disperse stress and avoid material damage caused by drilling; Different materials can be bonded to realize the "cross-border marriage" between metal and plastic; It can also provide additional functions such as sealing, shock absorption and insulation. In the aerospace field, adhesives reduce the weight of aircraft; In the medical field, biocompatible glue has replaced part of surgical suture.

 

The adhesive industry is facing the dual challenges of environmental protection and high performance. Scientists have developed environmentally friendly glue with soybeans and corn as raw materials, and developed special adhesives that can remain stable in extreme environments. In the future, innovative products such as self-repairing adhesive and intelligent response glue will appear one after another.

 

Although this "invisible man" in industry is unremarkable, he supports all aspects of modern life. From art restoration to space exploration, adhesives are silently writing their own legends. When we admire the miracle of science and technology, don't forget to pay tribute to these unsung heroes who "glue civilization".