Topological Adhesion of Wet Materials

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Adhesion Science

Background:

• Adhesion between wet biological materials (tissues, hydrogels) is difficult due to limitations of current adhesives.
• Existing methods are often weak, toxic, or require specific functional groups on the wet surfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a new method for strong, biocompatible adhesion between wet materials.
• To create a molecular-level stitching mechanism that does not rely on functional groups from the substrates.

Main Methods:

• Utilized biocompatible polymer chains that form a network in response to a trigger (pH).
• Achieved adhesion through topological entanglement between the stitching polymer network and the wet material polymer networks.
• Tested adhesion between hydrogels and various porcine tissues (liver, heart, artery, skin, stomach).

Main Results:

• Demonstrated strong adhesion with energies exceeding 1000 J m⁻² by eliciting hysteresis in wet materials.
• Showcased the ability to tailor the molecular suture for permanent, transient, or on-demand removal.
• Successfully adhered hydrogels across a full pH range and to diverse biological tissues.

Conclusions:

• Topological adhesion offers a robust and versatile solution for joining wet materials.
• This approach overcomes limitations of existing adhesives, enabling new applications in complex biological environments.
• The molecular suture technology has broad potential in fields requiring strong, tunable adhesion to soft and wet substrates.