Abstract
The global building sealant market is expected to exceed US$9 billion in 2027. As a core bonding and sealing material, the performance of glass glue directly affects building safety, electronic equipment reliability and industrial product life. This article deeply analyzes the four major component systems of glass glue (silicone, polyurethane, acrylic acid, MS polymer) and four core functional scenarios (structural bonding, efficient sealing, electronic protection, material filling), and provides authoritative purchasing guidance.
1. Component classification: chemical properties determine the application boundary
- Silicone glass glue: King of weather resistance
- Argument: Its unique Si-O-Si main chain gives excellent weather resistance (stable operation from -60°C to 250°C), anti-ultraviolet aging ability and excellent flexibility (displacement ability often reaches more than ±25%). The long-term outdoor exposure test of the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany confirmed that the performance degradation of high-quality silicone in 50 years is less than 20%. It is widely used in curtain wall structural bonding, high-temperature kitchen and bathroom sealing and photovoltaic module packaging.
- Authoritative link: Dow Corning – Silicone Sealant Technology White Paper
- Polyurethane Glass Glue: High Strength and Toughness
- Argument: The molecular chain contains highly polar urethane groups, providing ultra-high tensile strength (up to 3MPa or more) and excellent wear and oil resistance. Henkel’s Tyroson series polyurethane glue performs well in automotive body welding seals and can withstand continuous vibration and stress deformation during driving.
- Authoritative link: Henkel – Polyurethane Sealant Industrial Solutions
- Acrylic Glass Glue: Environmentally friendly and fast-drying pioneer
- Argument: With water as the dispersion medium, VOC emissions are extremely low, complying with increasingly stringent environmental regulations (such as China’s GB 18583). It has a short drying time (about 30 minutes) and strong adhesion to porous substrates (concrete, wood), and is particularly suitable for indoor decoration caulking and gypsum board joint treatment.
- Authoritative link: China Building Materials Federation – Interpretation of Environmental Protection Standards for Building Sealant
- MS polymer modified glue: All-round balancer
- Argument: It combines the weather resistance of silicone with the strength of polyurethane, and has low modulus and high elasticity (excellent stress relaxation), solvent-free environmental protection and good coating properties. Kaneka MS Polymer™ developed by Kaneka Chemical of Japan is widely used in the joints of prefabricated components of assembled buildings and the installation of high-end doors and windows to achieve integrated bonding and sealing.
- Authoritative link: Kaneka – MS Polymer Technology Platform
2. Functional classification: Accurately match scene requirements
- Structural glass glue: safety responsibility
- Argument: It needs to pass strict international standards (such as ASTM C1184) to withstand long-term wind loads and deadweight. The structural glue of GE Momentive Silicone in the curtain wall project of Dubai Burj Khalifa ensures the absolute safety of glass panels under strong winds and temperature differences.
- Authoritative link: ASTM International – C1184 Structural Silicone Sealant Standard
- Sealing glass glue: environmental barrier
- Argument: The core indicators are watertightness, airtightness and long-term weather resistance. The European ETAG 002 standard requires 25 years of durability for door and window sealants. Wacker Chemical’s silicone weather-resistant adhesive is used in buildings in the cold regions of Northern Europe, effectively blocking rain and snow infiltration and energy loss.
- Authoritative link: European Technical Accreditation Organization (EOTA) – ETAG 002
- Electronic potting adhesive: precision guard
- Argument: In addition to bonding and fixing, it also requires insulation protection (volume resistivity>10¹⁵ Ω·cm), thermal conductivity (some contain boron nitride fillers) or flame retardancy (UL94 V-0 grade). Dow Electronic Adhesive provides a three-proof (humidity, heat, shock) barrier for 5G base station circuit boards.
- Authoritative link: UL Solutions – Material Flame Retardant Grade Standard (UL 94)
- Special Function Glass Adhesive: Customized on Demand
- Argument: Conductive adhesive contains silver/copper powder (resistivity <0.01 Ω·cm), which is used for electromagnetic shielding and circuit repair; flame retardant adhesive adds aluminum hydroxide (in accordance with GB/T 2408) to ensure the safety of high-speed rail interior decoration; optical adhesive (light transmittance >99%) is the key to touch screen bonding.
- Authoritative link: International Electronics Industry Connecting Association (IPC) – Electronic Adhesive Standard
3.Core role: multiple values beyond bonding
- Stress buffering and displacement compensation
- Argument: Buildings can deform by several millimeters due to temperature differences. High elastic modulus adhesives (such as silicone) absorb stress through deformation to prevent cracking of glass or metal joints, which far exceeds the function of simply “sticking”.
- Long-lasting protective barrier
- Argument: Car window polyurethane sealant isolates water vapor from intrusion and prevents sheet metal from rusting; solar panel silicone encapsulation glue blocks moisture from corroding the cell, ensuring that the power generation efficiency decay rate is less than 20% in 25 years.
- Functional medium integration
- Argument: Electronic conductive glue replaces solder to achieve micro-component interconnection; thermal conductive silicone grease fills the gap between the CPU and the radiator, and the thermal resistance can be as low as 0.05°C-in²/W.
- Aesthetics and surface protection
- Argument: Anti-mildew kitchen and bathroom glue (containing antibacterial agent) keeps the gap clean; sprayable MS glue provides seamless and beautiful edges for high-end furniture, enhancing the product value.
Summary
The scientific selection of glass glue is a precise match of multi-dimensional variables: from the extreme weather resistance of silicone to the all-round balance of MS polymer; from the safety guarantee of structural bonding to the precise protection of electronic potting. Understanding the characteristics of ingredients (silicone, polyurethane, acrylic, MS) is the foundation, understanding the functional scenarios (structure, sealing, electronics, special) is the core, and paying attention to performance extension (stress buffering, long-term protection, functional integration, surface beautification) determines the final performance.
Four steps to purchase gold:
- Substrate adaptability verification (refer to ISO 9047 adhesion test);
- Functional requirements sorting (strength/sealing/insulation/conductivity?);
- Service environment assessment (temperature and humidity, ultraviolet rays, chemical media);
- Certification standard verification (ASTM, ETAG, UL, national standard).
When glass glue is upgraded from “material to fill gaps” to “enabler of system performance”, every choice is a deep investment in quality and safety.