Research lead Jonathan Wilker says the group found inspiration in substances used by mussels, barnacles, and oysters to attach to rocks. “Our current adhesives are terrible at wet bonding, yet marine biology solved this problem eons ago,” he tells the Deccan Chronicle.
Researchers created a biomimetic polymer called poly(catechol-styrene) contained within the amino acid DOPA. The catechol groups have the ability to bind onto surfaces, rather than interacting with water. “Poly(catechol-styrene) is looking to be, possibly, one of the strongest underwater adhesives found to date,” Wilker says, adding that the biomimetic adhesive is 17 times stronger than the adhesive produced by mussels.