Recyclable surgical, consumer, and industrial adhesives of poly(α-lipoic acid).

Pal, Subhajit; Shin, Jisoo; DeFrates, Kelsey; Arslan, Mustafa; Dale, Katelyn; Chen, Hannah; Ramirez, Dominic; Messersmith, Phillip B · Science · 2024

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Polymer adhesives play an important role in many medical, consumer, and industrial products. Polymers of α-lipoic acid (αLA) have the potential to fulfill the need for versatile and environmentally friendly adhesives, but their performance is plagued by spontaneous depolymerization. We report a family of stabilized αLA polymer adhesives that can be tailored for a variety of medical or nonmedical uses and sustainably sourced and recycled in a closed-loop manner. Minor changes in monomer composition afforded a pressure-sensitive adhesive that functions well in dry and wet conditions, as well as a structural adhesive with strength equivalent to that of conventional epoxies. αLA surgical superglue successfully sealed murine amniotic sac ruptures, increasing fetal survival from 0 to 100%.

Medical subject headings