Stress Dissipation in Cucurbit[8]uril Ternary Complex Small Molecule Adhesives
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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Assay of Adhesion Under Shear Stress for the Study of T Lymphocyte-Adhesion Molecule Interactions
Published on: June 29, 2016
Paul E Williams1, Zarah Walsh-Korb1, Samuel T Jones1
1Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis, Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , Lensfield Road , Cambridge CB2 1EW , United Kingdom.
Abstract:
The ability to control supramolecular and macroscopic self-assembly and disassembly holds great potential for responsive, reversible adhesives that can efficiently broker stresses accumulated between two surfaces. Here, cucurbit[8]uril is used to directly adhere two functionalized mica substrates creating surface-surface interactions that are held together through photoreversible CB[8] heteroternary complexes. Comparison of single-molecule, bulk, and macroscopic adhesion behavior give insight into cooperativity and stress dissipation in dynamic adhesive systems.
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