Kar Tean Tan

Adhesive Materials Engineer, Google

Dr Kar Tean Tan is an Adhesive Materials Engineer at Google, where he spearheads the development of advanced adhesives for Google hardware devices. With over 20 years of experience across fundamental research and applied engineering, Dr. Tan brings extensive expertise to the study of adhesives, mechanics, and interfacial phenomena. He earned his Ph.D. from Imperial College London, where his adhesive research was honored with the Margaret Fishenden Centenary Memorial Prize. Dr. Tan has published over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and seven book chapters. His career is distinguished by numerous honors, including the Adhesion Society’s Outstanding Young Adhesion Technologist Award, and Distinguished Paper Award. He has served as a chair for Adhesion Society conferences and continues to drive interdisciplinary innovation in adhesive development and performance within the tech industry.

Enabling On-Demand Disassembly through Electrochemical Debonding

Electrically debondable adhesives (ePSAs) represent a key enabler for circularity in consumer electronics by providing on-demand, electrochemically triggered disassembly. This presentation characterizes the mechanical performance and debonding kinetics of ePSAs optimized for device integration. Our research establishes a quantitative correlation between electrical parameters—specifically voltage and trigger time—and resulting bond degradation. Additionally, we analyze the adhesive’s reliability through environmental aging and creep testing under thermal-mechanical stress. The integration of these empirical findings into high-fidelity FEA models allows for the determination of operational limits and informs the selection of materials for next-generation, repairable hardware.

Breakout Session VI – Reversible & On‑Demand Debonding – 17 September 2026 – 12:30 – 13:00 – Room Whittle – F3