Underwater adhesion is a challenging task, which most man-made synthetic adhesives fail to achieve, but several marine organisms master. Here, we present a versatile strategy for strong and reversible underwater adhesion based on ultrahigh-affinity host-guest binding pair. We design a supramolecular �velcro� i.e., a molecular hook-and-loop fastener, by attaching cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) loops and aminomethylferrocene (Fc) hooks on two separate silicon surfaces. The velcro,which adheres strongly in water, without need of any curing agents, owing to multivalent host-guest interactions, exhibits excellent holding power and lap shear adhesion strength.Further, the holdfast strength can be tuned by controlling the number of Fc hooks. The supramolecular velcro is reversible by chemical and mechanical means, and serves as a model system to explore applications in various technological and biomedical fields where adhesion in aqueous environment is critical.

Supramolecular velcro for underwater adhesion

245th National Meeting (2013)

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