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Bioinspired Underwater Adhesive With Spontaneous, Rapid, Stable, and Robust Adhesion in Dynamic Water Environment
Shuzhuang Zhu1, Chenyang Zhang1, Qingxi Wang1
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong, China.
Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|December 15, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a new biomimetic underwater adhesive (BMUA) inspired by mussels. This solvent-responsive adhesive offers robust, rapid, and stable underwater bonding for various applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Adhesion Science
Background:
- Marine mussels possess exceptional underwater adhesion, serving as a model for synthetic adhesives.
- Existing synthetic underwater adhesives often lack the robustness, speed, and stability of natural mussel adhesion.
- Developing effective underwater adhesives is crucial for marine, biomedical, and industrial applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a biomimetic underwater adhesive (BMUA) that mimics the adhesion of marine mussels.
- To achieve rapid, robust, and stable underwater bonding using a novel solvent-responsive mechanism.
- To evaluate the performance of BMUA in diverse environmental conditions and practical scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized BMUA via one-step free radical polymerization using methacrylic acid (MA), N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and DOPA-functionalized methacrylate.
- Incorporated catechol groups for adhesion and utilized hydrogen bond (H-bond) and hydrophobic interactions for crosslinking.
- Investigated the solvent-exchange triggered curing mechanism upon water contact for rapid solidification.
Main Results:
- BMUA demonstrated rapid solidification and strong underwater adhesion to various substrates via H-bond and hydrophobic crosslinking.
- The adhesive exhibited robust bonding stability across a wide range of pH, salinity, and temperature conditions.
- BMUA maintained high adhesive strength (>1.4 MPa) for over 45 days and showed potential in underwater sealing, bonding, and hemostasis models.
Conclusions:
- The developed BMUA effectively mimics marine mussel adhesion through a catechol-functionalized, solvent-responsive design.
- This biomimetic approach offers a new strategy for creating high-performance underwater adhesives.
- BMUA shows significant promise for practical applications requiring reliable underwater bonding and sealing.
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