- See adhesive for general discussion of glue.
This is a list of various types of glue. Historically, the term "glue" only referred to protein colloids prepared from animal flesh. The meaning has been extended to refer to any fluid adhesive.
There are many adhesive substances that are considered or commonly referred to as "glue".
Plant- and animal-based adhesives
Type | Subtypes | Source(s) | Manufacture | Chemistry | Volatiles | Safety | Properties | Shelf life | Working time | Setting | Strength | Solvents | Uses | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roasted hydrocarbons | Tar, pitch, and asphalt/ bitumen | Made from plants (especially wood) or fossil hydrocarbons | natural or artificial destructive distillation | Hydrocarbon goo of no specific chemical formula | Emits Volatile organic compounds, especially when heated | health effects understudied (see Asphalt#Health and safety) | dark, viscous, more flexible when heated | Indefinite, may stiffen | Indefinite | Reversibly becomes more flexible and fluid when heated | water-repellant, | Sealant, hafting | prehistoric | |
Mixed-protein glues[1] | Casein glue | Milk, limestone and brine | Milk curd is mixed with alkalis | non-toxic (preservatives excepted) | Once wet, 6–7 hours. | ~4 hours for softwood, 8 for hardwood; must be under pressure for >0.5-2 hrs | tensile strength exceeds most woods, 2,200-3,00 pounds per square inch | water-resistant, depending on alkalis used | Woodworking, paper glue, fireproof laminates | Medieval or earlier | ||||
Soybean glue | As for casein glue, but using soy protein | Soy protein is mixed with alkalis | ||||||||||||
Albumin glues (blood glues and egg albumin adhesive, EAA) | blood (serum albumin) or eggs | prehistoric | ||||||||||||
Gelatin glues | hide glue, including rabbit-skin glue;
bone glue, and fish glue including isinglass |
Animal connective tissue
and bones |
hides are acid-treated, neutralized, and repeatedly soaked; the soaking-water is dried into chips | hydrolyzed collagen | Until it cools | Thermoplastic. Somewhat brittle when set | Water-soluble | Cabinetmaking, bookbinding, lutherie, glue-size | ||||||
Keratin glues | Hoof glue and horn glue | hooves of ungulates, animal horns | Hooves or horns are fragmented, boiled into goo, and acidified | partially- hydrolyzed keratin | Until it cools | Thermoplastic. Hardens as it cools, but does not become brittle | Gluing and stiffening textiles, cabinetmaking, glass sealant | |||||||
Fibrin glue | human fibrinogen and human thrombin | when two parts are mixed, they form fibrin | 10–60 seconds | converts to fibrin | Medicine | |||||||||
Waxes | Beeswax | made by insects | ||||||||||||
Starch glues | potato starch, rice glue, wheatpaste | starches (plant energy-storage chemicals) | Starch may be purified before being mixed with water; leaving gluten in makes a more permanent bond | |||||||||||
Dextrin glues | British gum, Coccoina | usually derived from potato starch | mid-19th century | |||||||||||
Polysaccharide glues | mucilage, agar, algin | |||||||||||||
Tree gums/resins | Balsam (fir) resins, such as Canada balsam, Dammar gum, Gum Arabic (also called acacia gum), Mastic | |||||||||||||
Latex rubber cement
(cow gum) |
latex, a coagulating plant fluid, also made synthetically | latex is dissolved in an organic solvent | organic solvent evaporates as it sets | solvent may be hazardous; latex is an allergen | ||||||||||
Methyl cellulose | cellulose, a plant structural material, and methyl chloride | heating cellulose with an alkali and reacting it with methyl chloride |
Solvent-type glues
Solvent adhesives temporarily dissolve the substance they are gluing, and bond by solvent-welding material together with the re-solidified material.
Type | Subtypes | Source(s) | Manufacture | Chemistry | Volatiles | Safety | Properties | Shelf life | Working time | Setting | Strength | Solvents | Uses | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ketones | Acetone | dissolves ABS plastic | it is volatile | |||||||||||
Polystyrene cement/Butanone/methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) | dissolves polystyrene | it is volatile | Vapour is heavier-than-air and explosive. Toxic, neuropsychological effects. Rapidly absorbed through undamaged skin and lungs. Produces toxic ozone.[2] | |||||||||||
Dichloromethane | Dissolves:
|
it is volatile, boiling at 39.6°C (103.3°F; 312.8K) | Will also glue acrylic to wood.[3] Clear, waterproof, exterior grades exist.[4] | 24 hours to set fully.[5] |
Synthetic glues
Synthetic monomer glues
Type | Subtypes | Source(s) | Manufacture | Chemistry | Volatiles | Safety | Properties | Shelf life | Working time | Setting | Strength | Solvents | Uses | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Acrylonitrile | synthetic monomer | |||||||||||||
Cyanoacrylate ("Superglue", "Krazy Glue") | synthetic monomer | |||||||||||||
Methyl acrylate ("acrylic") | synthetic monomer |
Synthetic polymer glues
Thermoplastic polymers
Thermoplastic glues including hot-melt adhesives cure reversibly as they cool, like the gelatin and keratin glues listed above. They frequently don't emit volatiles unless overheated.
Type | Subtypes | Source(s) | Manufacture | Chemistry | Volatiles | Safety | Properties | Shelf life | Setting | Strength | Solvents | Uses | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ethylene-vinyl acetate | synthetic | polyethylene mixed with about 11% vinyl acetate | |||||||||||
Polyolefins | (polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.) | synthetic | thermosetting | ||||||||||
Polyamides | synthetic | ||||||||||||
Polyesters | synthetic | ||||||||||||
Polyurethanes | synthetic | ||||||||||||
Polycaprolactone | synthetic | biodegradable | very low melting temperature, 40–60 °C (104–140 °F) and heat conductivity means it can be moulded by hand. Can be used to mould itself. |
- Styrene acrylic copolymer – e.g. "No More Nails"
Thermosetting polymers
Thermosetting glues or thermosets cure irreversibly by polymerization. The polymerization can be triggered by heat or other radiation, or high pressure or a catalyst/hardener may be added.
Type | Subtypes | Source(s) | Manufacture | Chemistry | Volatiles | Safety | Properties | Shelf life | Working time | Setting | Strength | Solvents | Uses | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phenol formaldehyde resins (PF), also called phenolic resins | Resorcinol glue, Para tertiary butylphenol formaldehyde resin | synthetic | resorcinol or similar is mixed with phenol to make a resin; cured by adding formaldehyde | offgasses phenol and formeldehyde | phenol and formeldehyde are toxic, PTBPF causes contact allergies | Temperature-, UV-, and microbe-resistant. No gap-filling; joint must fit tightly. Brown in colour, sands off.[6] | A few years, unmixed. | Temperature-dependent. Will not cure at temperatures below 10 °C (50 °F).[6] | Needs to be clamped | Structural | Water-soluble until set, waterproof after.[6] | laminating plywood, especially for exterior use; woodworking | ||
Urea-formaldehyde glue | synthetic | urea and formaldehyde | offgasses urea and formeldehyde | formeldehyde is toxic, urea is an irritant | thermosetting | |||||||||
Polysulfides | synthetic | Will melt acrylic, polycarbonate, ABS and PVC plastic. Can be used to glue nylon, epoxy, and polyoxymethylene.[7] |
- Epoxy resins
- Polyvinyls
- Polyvinyl acetate (PVA) Includes white glue (e.g. Elmer's Glue) and yellow carpenter's glue (Aliphatic resin) (Brands include Titebond and Lepage)
- Polyvinyl alcohol
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
- Polyvinyl chloride emulsion (PVCE) – a water-miscible emulsion that polymerizes as it cures
- Polyvinylpyrrolidone (component of glue sticks)
- Silicone resins
- Silyl modified polymers
By use
- Postage stamp gum may be a mixture of assorted starch and resin adhesives
- Library paste is usually starch-based
- Meat glue is a variety of culinary binding agents
References
- ↑ Bye, Carolyn N. (1990). "Casein and Mixed Protein Adhesives". Handbook of Adhesives. pp. 135–152. doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-0671-9_7.
- ↑ Simon B.N. Thompson (Winter 2010). "Implications for cognitive rehabilitation and brain injury from exposure to Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK): a review" (PDF). Journal of Cognitive Rehabilitation. 28(Winter): 4–14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-21.
- ↑ "Tensol 70 Glue | EVO-STIK Two Part Adhesive | Silmid". www.silmid.com.
- ↑ "Chemical Bonding | Perspex Fabrication | UV & Solvent bonding, Tensol 70". IPFL.
- ↑ "Gluing Acrylic | Acrylic". www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- 1 2 3 Boat, Classic (2011-03-11). "Adhesives for Wooden Boats: Structural Glues". Classic Boat Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ↑ "Marine Caulking & Adhesives". West Marine. Retrieved 2022-11-11.