Underwater Adhesive for Coral Restoration

TIAX proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of a quick tack, long pot life, high strength underwater adhesive formulated to be delivered through a caulk gun like application device. This two part adhesive will pass through a static mixing nozzle during application, removing the need for hand-mixing the adhesive prior to use. Our adhesive will adhere strongly to commonly used artificial and natural coral substrates and reef materials. We will use statistical design of experiment techniques to help formulate candidate adhesive resin systems that possess the desired qualities. TIAX’s adhesive will represent a significant improvement in efficiency over existing underwater adhesive options. Innovative performance aspects of our adhesive include: • Quicker physical attachment of corals to substrates underwater. • Instant tack as well as long-life adhesive strength under water. • Improved adhesive durability in energetic environments. • Ambient temperature cure. • Minimal to no surface preparation (e.g., adherence to substrates coated with biofilm). • Adhesive formulation rheology that supports easy, reproducible application methods. • Non-toxic to marine life. • Able to be applied in salt water. Our optimized adhesive and its delivery method will eventually allow divers to move more quickly through their tasks, reducing labor and project costs.