Aqueous adhesives are one of the oldest varieties in the adhesive family. In ancient times, people entirely used water-soluble polymers containing natural substances such as bone glue and casein as adhesives. It was not until the early 1960s that this field saw new development. In recent years, the pursuit of safe and pollution-free practices, particularly solvent-free technologies, in adhesive research and development has promoted the growth of water-based adhesives.
Aqueous adhesives use water as the dispersion medium for polymers. When a polymer dissolves in water, it is called a water-soluble adhesive; when a polymer is dispersed in water with the aid of an emulsifier, it is called a water-based emulsion adhesive. Aqueous adhesives offer advantages such as environmental friendliness, non-toxicity, non-flammability, high solid content, compatibility with existing application equipment, and easy equipment cleaning.