A review on recent advances in gel adhesion and their potential applications

Over the last few decades, gel with excellent characteristics and functions have attracted considerable interests of researchers for potential applications in various fields such as cosmetics, energy saving, biomedicine, electronic devices. etc. The applications of the gel are not only attributed to the biocompatible, controllability, conductivity and hydrophilic properties, but also significant rely on the strong adhesion on various substrate surfaces. When used in the field of adhesives, gel has excellent performances that ordinary adhesives cannot achieve. This review provides comprehensive information on characterizing the adhesion properties and the factors affecting the adhesion properties of gels. Several summaries of adhesion strength and the method of gel adhesion to different materials were provided. According to the different properties of the gel, the current applications of the gel in the field of biomedicine, underwater adhesion, coating and wearable devices are discussed and prospected. We also explore the latest research progress of de-bonding and classify the current ways of gel de-bonding. Finally, we emphasize the current challenges and highlight the prospects of the adhesion gel, which may provide valuable references for the subsequent researches. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.