The Teaching and Learning Center of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, hosted a President’s Lecture Series on September 25, 2026, at the 24-Hour Library Space, where Dr. Adebayo I. Olosho examined the potential of smart adhesives and sustainable materials to advance circular material design.
Titled “Strong to Hold, Smart to Let Go: Adhesives for a Circular Material Future,” the lecture focused on how bio-based adhesives could support more sustainable approaches to material development.
Dr. Olosho addressed both the effectiveness and limitations of bio-based adhesives, emphasizing the need to move beyond conventional approaches toward materials that can respond intelligently to changing conditions while supporting more sustainable production systems.
He also introduced programmable glue and discussed major classes of polymers, including thermoplastics, thermosets, and vitrimers. He explained that vitrimers are an emerging class of polymers capable of rearranging their molecular networks while retaining the overall integrity of the material, creating possibilities for materials that are easier to repair, reuse, and recover.
The discussion then turned to materials developed through benzoxazine chemistry, with Dr. Olosho explaining how their molecular structures can be engineered to achieve desirable properties while supporting circularity and material recovery.
Dr. Olosho also challenged a common assumption about sustainable materials, noting that being bio-based or labeled biodegradable does not necessarily mean that a chemical will biodegrade in practice. He emphasized the importance of examining the entire lifecycle and properties of materials when assessing their environmental performance.
The lecture highlighted how advances in adhesive and polymer technologies can support more sustainable material development, resource recovery, and circular production.
Reported by Udoh Victoria Clement