Adhesive bonding is taking on an increasingly important role in assembly technology due to its many advantages over other joining technologies. Many of the products we use every day already contain at least one adhesive, which is why interest in new applications for adhesives continues to grow. In this article, the influence of an oxygen-free atmosphere on the curing reaction of an adhesive is investigated to develop new assembly possibilities using adhesives. An experimental environment with an atmosphere adequate to extremely high vacuum is designed to allow oxygen-free bonding and subsequent determination of the physical properties of the bonded joints. This environment is created by utilizing an inert gas atmosphere and then doping with reactive monosilane. The residual oxygen, which is also present in high-grade inert gases, can thus react entirely with the monosilane.
In this work, a highly reactive cyanoacrylate, better known as a super glue, was characterized under tensile loading using butt joints with aluminium joining parts. In addition, in situ Raman spectroscopy was used to monitor the curing process and reaction kinetics in the different atmospheres. The experiments in SiH4‑atmosphere show that the curing time can be significantly extended compared to bonding in a standard atmosphere, as evidenced by an earlier increase in tensile strength. Furthermore, it was shown that the oxide layer of metal surfaces prevailing in the standard atmosphere between the joining partner and the adhesive layer has a positive influence on the tensile strength of the adhesive bonds. The bonded joints investigated offer simplified and targeted handling with potential for higher strengths and new joining partner-adhesive combinations.