Catechols have been adopted in biological systems for many purposes. 2,3-Dihydroxybenzoic acid is the catechol present in certain siderophores used for microbial Fe(III) uptake. 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) is the catechol present in proteins, including the mussel foot proteins (mfps) used by mussels for adhesion to rocks in the intertidal zone of the ocean. In some mfps the catechol content is as high as 30 mol percent and matched by an equally high content of Lys or Arg, yet siderophores are also known that have a matched ratio of catechol to cationic amino acid (Lys, Arg, Orn), as in cyclic trichrysobactin, frederiksenibactin, trivanchrobactin and turnerbactin. We and others are finding a synergistic role between cationic amines and catechols in surface adhesion to mica, in aqueous environments. Mica, a negatively charged aluminosilicate mineral, develops a significant hydration layer in salt water. The cationic amine appears to be important in displacement of hydrated surface cations, enabling catechol adhesion. New adhesive catechol compounds inspired by the siderophores and mussel foot proteins are under investigation which further probe the importance of coupled catechol and cationic amine groups in aqueous wet adhesion, as well as microbially directed synthesis of new catechol-amine compounds

Aqueous catechol adhesion to mineral surfaces: From siderophores to a catechol-cation synergy

ACS Spring 2022

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