Advanced Material

Adhesives and sealants are advanced materials

Advanced materials are materials that are deliberately engineered to deliver enhanced or new properties, mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical or functional, so that products can perform better in demanding applications.  Advanced materials support the substitution of critical raw materials, improve sustainability and enable high-performance applications in sectors such as mobility, energy, healthcare, defence, aerospace and electronics.

Adhesives and sealants fit this definition clearly and do far more than join parts together. They help preserve the properties of the materials they bond, enable different materials to work together in one product, and can add extra functions such as sealing, insulation, conductivity, heat management, or protection against moisture and corrosion. That is what makes adhesives and sealants advanced materials in their own right.

Why do we need advanced materials?

Today’s products are expected to do more with less. They need to be lighter, smaller, more durable, repairable, and efficient in how they use materials and energy. A single material often cannot meet all of these demands on its own. Modern products therefore depend on combinations of materials, and those combinations work only when the joining solution is designed just as carefully as the materials themselves.

Adhesives and sealants meet that need. Unlike fastening methods that can damage materials or create stress points, adhesives and sealants can join different materials while helping maintain their performance. They can also add extra functions, such as thermal management, electrical insulation, sealing, or protection against moisture and corrosion.

What adhesives and sealants make possible

Across Europe’s industrial base, adhesives and sealants support innovation in ways that are easy to overlook but hard to replace. For example, they enable:

• Enhanced safety while minimising weight in transport
• Miniaturised electronics and high-precision components
• Wind turbines, solar panels, batteries and fuel cells
• Waterproofing, sealing and thermal management in electronic devices
• Enabling minimally invasive medical interventions

Adhesives and sealants are also important because they are highly customisable. Manufacturers develop them for specific applications, often in close cooperation with downstream users, so they can meet technical, environmental and regulatory requirements at the same time. That ability to tailor performance is a core reason adhesives and sealants belong in the advanced materials discussion.

Read why the Advanced Materials Act is important for the Adhesive and Sealant Industry.