Bio-inspiration has become one of the key strategies to develop advanced materials.1-2 For instance, the byssal adhesion system of marine mussels offers rich sources of inspiration.2,3 Here we summarize work going beyond instant adhesives, as L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) can be enzymatically generated on demand via tyrosinase processing of tyrosine-bearing precursors.4 Enzymatically activable adhesives were specifically selected to bind to certain surfaces, leading to antifouling coatings, which bind under salt water.4,5 The rich follow-up chemistry of Dopa moieties can be exploited to realize novel polyaddition routes, which enabled polymerization of peptides to segmented polymers exhibiting thiol-catechol connectivities (TCC).6 The resulting TCC-polymers show potent functionalities for adhesives and reach remarkable adhesion energies. Peptides with activable β-sheet domains could be polymerized, leading to artificial mussel glue proteins that combine interesting adhesive properties with mechanisms to control cohesion based on moderate pH changes, highlighting the potentials for next generation under water glues or coatings.7 Figure 1 From mussel inspiration toward polymer materials with advanced function

Adhesive Engineering: From Dopa on demand to artifact mussel glue proteins with differentiated functions

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.