Cyanoacrylates, a rejected wartime material, are ubiquitous in DIY projects
While you might be quick to reach for the Super Glue in your kitchen drawer to fix a broken mug or glue your DIY project together, Super Glue was initially a discarded wartime material. Cyanoacrylate glues, which you might know as Super Glue or Krazy Glue, are actually a family of glues made of cyanoacrylates, which create high-strength, quick-forming bonds, hence giving them the “Super” in their name.
Scientists initially researched cyanoacrylate during World War II. Dr. Harry Coover, a scientist at Eastman Kodak’s chemical division, was working with a team to develop chemicals that could produce a clear plastic for use as a precision gunsight for soldiers. The team found that cyanoacrylates were extremely sticky and difficult to work with, so they moved on with their research (1).
Six years later, in 1951, Coover “rediscovered” cyanoacrylates with a group of Kodak chemists in a different lab while researching heat-resistant polymers for jet airplane canopies. The scientists found that the compound could permanently bond the various items that they had tested in the lab. Even more remarkably, the team found that the substance did not require heat or pressure to bond the surfaces together (1). The glue solidified by itself, and while it was not what the Kodak team was looking for, it turned out to be useful.
Cyanoacrylate glues are a family of compounds comprising various cyanoacrylic esters: organic compounds created from carboxylic acids (2). The main component of cyanoacrylate glues is acrylic monomers, which cure in the presence of moisture (3). Because almost everything contains moisture, cyanoacrylate glues start sticking within seconds, though the bonds can take up to a day to fully cure (1, 3).
The polar nature of the nitrile and ester groups in cyanoacrylates causes them to react quickly with hydroxyl ions in water, triggering the glue to polymerize into chainlike polymers (2, 3). These polymers form strong, glassy resins that can join closely spaced objects (2). This chemical reaction is near-instantaneous, unlike traditional glue bonds, which form as their base fluid evaporates (3).
Coover and the company filed and received a patent for “Alcohol-catalyzed alpha-cyanoacrylate adhesive compositions,” which they packaged as “Eastman 910” and later rebranded to “Super Glue.” The product hit the market in 1958. Dr. Coover went on to hold over 460 patents and was inducted into the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame (1).
Super glue has uses beyond typical household repairs. During the Vietnam War, field surgeons sprayed cyanoacrylates over open wounds to prevent them from bleeding. This new medical use allowed soldiers to be transported to medical facilities and saved countless lives (1). Despite their effectiveness, the Food and Drug Administration did not approve their use until 1998, after the invention of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate, due to possible skin irritation (4). Now, these glues are used for “rejoining veins and arteries during surgery, sealing bleeding ulcers, punctures, or lesions, stopping uncontrollable bleeding of some soft organs, and use during dental surgery” (1).
Crime scene investigators also use cyanoacrylate glues to uncover fingerprints. The glue reacts with microscopic moisture traces on surfaces, forming a white residue that reveals the fingerprints (5).
Super Glue is not just for gluing and fixing the figurine you accidentally knocked off your counter. It saves lives, solves crimes, and has become one of the world’s most versatile adhesives—and it all started as a failed World War II experiment.
Works Cited
- Harry Coover. (2025). Lemelson MIT. https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/harry-coover
- Britannica Editors (2025, December 15). cyanoacrylate. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/cyanoacrylate
- Hotmelt.com Team. (2024, August 26). What is Cyanoacrylate Glue? Hotmelt.com. https://www.hotmelt.com/blogs/blog/what-is-cyanoacrylate-glue
- Yasemin Dursun. (2024, March 13). Cyanoacrylate: history and application. CFB Cosmetics. https://cfb-cosmetics.de/en/blog/cyanoacrylate-history-application
- Wilmot, R. (2016, July 26). Cyanoacrylate Adhesive Uses: Common and Unusual Cases. Permabond. https://permabond.com/cyanoacrylate-adhesive-usage/
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