Mussel-inspired photoreactive instant glue for environmental and biomedical applications

Abstract

Nature-inspired smart materials offer numerous advantages over environment-friendliness and efficiency. Emulating the excellent adhesive properties of mussels foot proteins, where the Lysine is in close proximity with the 3, 4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (DOPA), embodiments report the synthesis of a novel photo-curable peptide-based adhesive consisting exclusively of these two amino acids. The adhesive is a highly concentrated aqueous solution of a monomer, a crosslinker and a photoinitiator. No toxicity of the adhesive was observed when the cytocompatibility on human dermal fibroblast cells was assessed. Lap-shear adhesion measurements on plastic and glass surfaces and comparison with different types of commercial adhesives showed that the adhesive strength of the disclosed glue is comparable when applied in the air and superior when used underwater. Given the convenience of the facile synthesis, biocompatibility, ease of application underwater and high adhesive strength, embodiments expect that the adhesive may find application, but not limited, to the biomedical field.