Silklab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4875, Medford, MA, 02155, USA.
Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, via Orabona 4, Bari, 70126, Italy.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2021 Aug;8(16):e2004786. doi: 10.1002/advs.202004786. Epub 2021 Jun 3.
The exceptional underwater adhesive properties displayed by aquatic organisms, such as mussels (Mytilus spp.) and barnacles (Cirripedia spp.) have long inspired new approaches to adhesives with a superior performance both in wet and dry environments. Herein, a bioinspired adhesive composite that combines both adhesion mechanisms of mussels and barnacles through a blend of silk, polydopamine, and Fe ions in an entirely organic, nontoxic water-based formulation is presented. This approach seeks to recapitulate the two distinct mechanisms that underpin the adhesion properties of the Mytilus and Cirripedia, with the former secreting sticky proteinaceous filaments called byssus while the latter produces a strong proteic cement to ensure anchoring. The composite shows remarkable adhesive properties both in dry and wet conditions, favorably comparing to synthetic commercial glues and other adhesives based on natural polymers, with performance comparable to the best underwater adhesives with the additional advantage of having an entirely biological composition that requires no synthetic procedures or processing.
水生生物（如贻贝和藤壶）表现出的卓越水下粘附特性长期以来激发了人们对具有优异干湿环境粘附性能的新型胶粘剂的研究。在此，通过丝、聚多巴胺和 Fe 离子的混合物，在完全有机、无毒的水性配方中结合贻贝和藤壶的两种粘附机制，提出了一种仿生粘附复合材料。这种方法旨在再现贻贝和藤壶粘附特性的两种不同机制，前者分泌粘性蛋白质丝状物质叫足丝，后者则产生一种坚固的蛋白质胶以确保附着。该复合材料在干燥和潮湿条件下均表现出显著的粘附性能，与合成商业胶和其他基于天然聚合物的胶粘剂相比具有优势，其性能可与最佳水下胶粘剂相媲美，而且具有完全生物组成，无需合成工艺或加工。
