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Thermoresponsive Complex Coacervate-Based Underwater Adhesive.

Marco Dompé1, Francisco J Cedano-Serrano2, Olaf Heckert1

  • 1Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|March 30, 2019
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Summary

Researchers developed a synthetic adhesive inspired by sandcastle worm glue. This new material forms a liquid that solidifies into a hydrogel when warmed, offering a promising solution for underwater bonding applications.

Keywords:
complex coacervatesenvironmentally triggered phase transitionslower critical solution temperaturepoly(N-isopropylacrylamide)underwater adhesion

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Area of Science:

  • Biomaterials Science
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Adhesion Science

Background:

  • Sandcastle worms utilize protein-based adhesives for tube construction, employing a fluidic complex coacervate phase that solidifies upon delivery.
  • Existing underwater adhesives face challenges in application and performance, highlighting the need for novel solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a fully synthetic, in situ setting adhesive mimicking the sandcastle worm's glue.
  • To engineer an adhesive that transitions from a fluid to a solid hydrogel state triggered by temperature changes.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesized oppositely charged polyelectrolytes grafted with thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) chains.
  • Formulated a fluid complex coacervate that can be injected at room temperature.
  • Investigated the transition to a nonflowing hydrogel upon heating above the lower critical solution temperature of PNIPAM.

Main Results:

  • The synthetic adhesive forms a fluid complex coacervate at room temperature, enabling injection.
  • Upon heating above the PNIPAM lower critical solution temperature, the coacervate transforms into a volume-preserving, nonflowing hydrogel.
  • The adhesive demonstrates functionality in water and bonds to various surfaces irrespective of their charge.

Conclusions:

  • The developed synthetic adhesive successfully mimics key features of sandcastle worm glue using complex coacervation.
  • The temperature-triggered hydrogel formation offers a controllable solidification mechanism for underwater applications.
  • This novel adhesive shows potential for overcoming limitations of current underwater adhesives and for biomedical applications, such as tissue bonding.