Thank you, spiny-headed parasitic worms. We are improving the ability of bandages to stay on wet, living tissue because of you. “There’s a huge unmet medical need for better adhesives, to patch leaks in places where they can be catastrophic,” says bioengineer Jeffrey Karp, co-director of the Center for Regenerative Therapeutics at Brigham and Women’s [...]
Imitating Mussels’ Adhesive Qualities for Medical Uses
February 27, 2013 By 1 Comment
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then common marine mussels are getting a lot of love these days. They can stick to most any surface, and in wet and turbulent conditions. Philip Messersmith, a professor of biomedical engineering at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, has created new materials that [...]
Spiders Teach Scientists About Adhesive Strength
November 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Scientists who want to make new applications for adhesives have a lot to learn from spiders because they can make two kinds of adhesive strengths with their silk based on where they build their cobwebs and what kind of prey they want to capture. University of Akron (UA) polymer scientists and biologists have found that [...]
“Stapling” of Non-Sticky Polymers Creates Strong Bond
September 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Some materials, such as silicone and Teflon, are designed to be non-sticky. But some products would be improved if other materials could “stick” to them. For example, try painting silicone. After a few hours, the paint peels off because the silicone is a low surface energy polymer that has extremely low adhesive qualities. Basically, the [...]
Mussel-Inspired Adhesive Has Many Useful Properties
April 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Inspired by mussels’ ability to adhere to many surfaces underwater, German researchers have developed a group of adhesives that are waterproof, can bind themselves together, react with surfaces, degrade with light, and are biocompatible. The materials have applications in medicine, reports Azom.com. They could be used for removable hydrogel pads that help regenerate skin or [...]
