Recent Advances on Polymer‐Based Underwater Adhesives

Underwater adhesives have attracted significant attention due to their crucial applications in marine exploration, underwater repair, and biomedical engineering. Among diverse available underwater adhesives, polymer‐based adhesives are particularly attractive and have demonstrated great promise because of their flexible and adjustable molecular structures, versatile adhesion mechanisms, and superior multifunctional properties. However, compared to adhesives designed for dry conditions, adhesives for wet or submerged surfaces in aqueous environments still face serious challenges in both development and performance. This review first surveys the fundamental principles of underwater adhesion, followed by a detailed discussion of common design strategies for currently developed polymer‐based underwater adhesives, along with an overview of their potential applications in underwater repair, biomedical engineering, underwater sensing, and other emerging fields. Finally, the current challenges and future prospects are summarized for achieving high‐performance polymer‐based underwater adhesives.