Study of the adhesion property of the combination patch αLA-MS4 + spray αLA-MS2 on bovine tendon. Credit: Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.ado6292
A team of bioengineers from the University of California, Berkeley, has developed a new type of environmentally friendly adhesive polymer. In their study, published in the journal ScienceThe group used an electrophilic stabilizer to prevent a certain fatty acid from depolymerizing, allowing its use as an adhesive.
Zhibin Guan, a chemist at the University of California, Irvine, published a Perspective article in the same issue of the journal describing the team’s work.
As Guan points out, polymer adhesives are used for a wide variety of applications. But, he notes, most are tailored to a specific use, such as joining wood, and cannot be used in other contexts. Worse yet, many adhesives are hazardous to plants and animals, creating an environmental problem.
The research team’s goal was to develop a sustainably sourced polymer adhesive that could be used for a wide variety of medical and non-medical applications.
The research team turned to polymers derived from α-lipoic acid (αLA), a naturally occurring fatty acid that breaks down naturally. They found that using an electrophilic stabilizer could prevent the polymers from degrading, leading to the creation of a family of adhesives, all of which were environmentally friendly because they could be easily broken down at will. Each of the new adhesives they developed was tested in a range of applications.
In their tests, they found that αLA-based adhesives could be used to repair wood, metal and fabrics and were environmentally friendly. They also found that a type of pressure-sensitive adhesive they developed had 10 times the peel strength of conventional products and worked equally well in wet and dry conditions.
In general, this family of adhesives had about the same strength as adhesives derived from petroleum-based products. Additionally, many of them were self-healing, making them ideal for use in medical applications.
Continuing their work, the research team also developed what they describe as a closed-loop recycling process that makes it possible to make new adhesives from old ones by adding an aqueous medium.
More information:
Subhajit Pal et al., Recyclable surgical, consumer and industrial adhesives based on poly(α-lipoic acid), Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.ado6292
Zhibin Guan, durable polymers that stick inside and out, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adr5857
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