List of glues
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.
- See adhesive for general discussion of glue.
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 |
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.
- 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.