Mussel adhesion has fascinated scientists for their ability to adhere to underwater substrates. They do this by the secretion of adhesive proteins underwater in a temporal fashion. The mixture of proteins secreted by mussels are tuned to provide both adhesive and cohesive interactions with the substrate. Synthetic adhesives in comparison are for the most part are compromised in an aqueous environment due to their inability to prevent water penetration into the adhesive interface. We will present our work on the design and evaluation of synthetic polyesters that demonstrate strong underwater adhesion. The polyester is designed to flow at room temperature that enables application without any solvent. Catechol units of the polymer provide adhesive contacts with the substrate. The applied polymer is subsequently cured to a crosslinked polymer providing cohesive interactions. Lapshear measurements show strong adhesion even when the polymer is applied underwater and cured. Our current results indicate that the hydroxyl groups of catechol play a role in adhesion and that a hydrophobic environment is necessary for synthetic adhesives to show good performance in wet environments. We will also describe fundamental studies regarding the nature of the adhesive interface as revealed by sum frequency generation spectroscopy and JKR measurements.

Mussel-inspired polyesters with aliphatic pendant groups demonstrate the importance of hydrophobicity in wet adhesion

2019 Spring National Meeting

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