A biofilm-derived peptide as an underwater adhesive

Wet adhesives that perform under water have broad applications in industrial and biomedical settings. To date, molecular designs for underwater adhesives have largely been inspired by marine animals including mussels and barnacles. Here, we propose bacterial biofilms as an alternative source of inspiration for underwater adhesives. Specifically, we demonstrate the application potential of a peptide derived from biofilms formed by the notorious pathogen Vibrio cholerae. We characterize the ability of this biofilm-derived peptide to adsorb onto various surfaces and to glue wet surfaces by using a combination of confocal microscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, atomic force microscopy, lap shear tests, and spectroscopic tools. We further show that the peptide can coaggregate with microspheres acting as an effective flocculant. Our results open new design possibilities for underwater adhesives inspired by natural biofilms.