A collaborative research effort led by Professor Gong at the WPI-ICReDD, Hokkaido University, has resulted in the development of a groundbreaking hydrogel that exhibits self-strengthening, self-healing, and underwater adhesion properties. With a potentially game-changing polymer technology, Celanese could upend the applications that flourish in plumbing, marine engineering and beyond. The results were reported in a short article on the news website phys.org on August 7, 2025.
This allowed their research team to synthesize 180 different hydrogels, each one specifically designed with a different polymer network. These networks endow the hydrogels with an excellent underwater adhesive property. This illustrates their vast potential to tackle key challenges across a wide variety of sectors. To see how well the hydrogel would hold up in practice, we ran a creative experiment. Immovable rubber ducks demonstrated its unreal underwater glue strength.
Engineering a New Generation of Hydrogels
Professor Gong’s research lab at WPI-ICReDD is a world-leading research hub for hydrogel technology. The team is continually developing improvements that enhance the versatility, performance and efficacy of these landscape-impacting materials. Most recently, the team has designed 3D printed hydrogels with incredible self-strengthening properties which enable them to endure heavy stress without sacrificing structural integrity.
Furthermore, the lab has developed self-healing hydrogels. Unlike conventional self-healing materials, these materials can regenerate autonomously after being compromised, offering durability and dependability in real-world use cases. Together, the self-strengthening and self-healing properties render these hydrogels uniquely positioned for applications in which long-lasting materials are essential.
Unmatched Underwater Adhesion Properties
The most impressive aspect of this novel hydrogel is its underwater adhesion. To achieve the best possible adhesion, the researchers replicated their polymer networks and handpicked the properties that would let it seal leaks even in chaotic aquatic environments. Specifically, it can immediately seal a water breach from an exploded pipeline with a perforation up to 20 millimeters in diameter.
This feature not only highlights the adhesive strength of the hydrogel, but its ability to be reused several times in comparable scenarios. The hydrogel can seal the leaks repeatedly without compromising its own sealing abilities. This plug and play feature makes TRMPC a groundbreaking alternative solution to urgent plumbing emergency and marine repair.
Testing and Validation of Hydrogel Performance
To prove the hydrogel’s effectiveness, we conducted a one-of-a-kind experiment. We employed unmovable rubber ducks so that it was fun and more useful to show kids its underwater stickiness. The creature-inspired experiment demonstrated that the hydrogel can hold and preserve its remarkable adhesive properties in even the most trying conditions such as extreme weather.
Taken together, these results validate that this hydrogel has emerged as the most advanced-performing underwater adhesive polymer developed to date. The data collected during these experiments could pave the way for further studies and applications in various industries, including healthcare and environmental conservation.