All Articles Tagged As: adhesives

Mussels - material artists with grip (3/6/2010)

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces believe they have uncovered the basis how marine mussels use the byssus, a bundle of tough and extensible fibers, to fasten securely to wave-swept rocky coastlines. According to their findings, local accumulation of iron-mediated cross-links creates hard knobs within an extensible matrix containing much fewer of these molecular bridges. Such a design could be an interesting concept for developing novel abrasion-resistant, highly extensible coatings. ...> Full Article

Glue, fly, glue (3/1/2010)

Like silkworm moths, butterflies and spiders, caddisfly larvae spin silk, but they do so underwater instead on dry land. Now, University of Utah researchers have discovered why the fly's silk is sticky when wet and how that may make it valuable as an adhesive tape during surgery. ...> Full Article

Mussel-inspired 'glue' for fetal membrane repair (1/25/2010)

A sealant inspired by mussels' ability to stick to surfaces under wet conditions has shown promise in the repair of defects in human fetal membranes, according to a Northwestern University study. During a pregnancy, such defects -- ruptures or holes -- can lead to the leakage of amniotic fluid, resulting in premature labor or termination of the pregnancy. In tests, the Northwestern sealant was found to be biocompatible and effective at sealing the tiny holes. ...> Full Article

Spider web glue spins society toward new biobased adhesives (10/22/2009)

With would-be goblins and ghosts set to drape those huge fake spider webs over doorways and trees for Halloween, scientists in Wyoming are reporting on a long-standing mystery about real spider webs: It is the secret of spider web glue. The findings are an advance toward a new generation of biobased adhesives and glues -- "green" glues that replace existing petroleum-based products for a range of uses. A report on the study is in the October issue of ACS' Biomacromolecules, a monthly journal. ...> Full Article

The invasive green mussel may inspire new forms of wet adhesion (9/1/2009)

The green mussel is known for being a notoriously invasive fouling species, but scientists have just discovered that it also has a very powerful form of adhesion in its foot, according to a recent article in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The stickiness of the mussel's foot could possibly be copied to form new man-made adhesives. ...> Full Article

Secrets of the sandcastle worm could yield a powerful medical adhesive (8/19/2009)

Scientists have copied the natural glue secreted by a tiny sea creature called the sandcastle worm in an effort to develop a long-sought medical adhesive needed to repair bones shattered in battlefield injuries, car crashes and other accidents. They reported on the adhesive here today at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. ...> Full Article

New angle on gecko research (8/6/2009)

Scientists discover trigger that deploys geckos' amazing grip ...> Full Article

Getting a grip: 'Velcro'-like structure helps bees stick to flowers (5/15/2009)

When bees collect nectar, how do they hold onto the flower? Cambridge University scientists have shown that it is down to small cone-shaped cells on the petals that act like Velcro on the bees' feet. ...> Full Article

SQUID: The long (and sticky) arms of the law (1/17/2009)

Catching them by the axles ...> Full Article

Superglue from the sea (11/26/2008)

Synthetic sea worm glue may mend shattered knee, face bones ...> Full Article

Gaps in adhesion (11/19/2008)

Adhesive shellfish proteins bind regardless of how many binding elements they contain. This has potential for the development of new kinds of binding agents. ...> Full Article

As Sticky as a Gecko - but Ten Times Stronger! (10/28/2008)

Successful construction of a gecko-inspired adhesive that is ten times stronger than a gecko, at about 100 newtons per square centimeter. ...> Full Article

New gecko-like adhesive shakes off dirt (9/12/2008)

Researchers create first adhesive that cleans itself after each use without the need for water or chemicals, much like the remarkable hairs found on the gecko lizard's toes. ...> Full Article

Scientists find that squid beak is both hard and soft, a material that engineers want to copy (3/28/2008)

How did nature make the squid's beak super hard and sharp -- allowing it, without harm to its soft body -- to capture its prey? ...> Full Article

Scientists create gecko-inspired bandage (2/19/2008)

Researchers and colleagues have created a waterproof adhesive bandage inspired by gecko lizards that may soon join sutures and staples as a basic operating room tool for patching up surgical wounds or internal injuries. ...> Full Article

The Pitter Patter of Little Feet . . . Climbing Straight Up a Wall (1/30/2008)

New adhesive is first to mimic quick catch and rapid release traits of a gecko's foot ...> Full Article

Sticky questions tackled in gecko research (12/27/2007)

Velcro, Superglue and Post-It Notes... Three things that started out as obscure inventions but are now indispensable for everyday life. So what will the next idea to stick with modern society look like? The answer may lie in the tiny toes of a humble lizard, according to a University of Calgary biologist who is trying to figure out how geckos can cling to virtually any surface, including glass. ...> Full Article

Mimicking Mussel Proteins, Scientists Develop Super-Adhesive from Dopamine (10/20/2007)

Mimicking a protein secreted by mussels that allows the mollusk to stick to, well, just about anything, scientists have developed a new material from a dopamine-like molecule that can serve as a versatile adhesive coating. ...> Full Article

Now it's not just Spiderman that can scale the Empire State Building (8/30/2007)

Physicists have found the formula for a Spiderman suit. Only recently has man come to understand how spiders and geckos effortlessly scuttle up walls and hang from ceilings but it was doubted that this natural form of adhesion would ever be strong enough to hold the weight of real life Peter Parkers. ...> Full Article

Nanotube Adhesive Sticks Better Than a Gecko's Foot (6/19/2007)

Mimicking the agile gecko, with its uncanny ability to run up walls and across ceilings, has long been a goal of materials scientists. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Akron have taken one sticky step in the right direction, creating synthetic 'gecko tape'� with four times the sticking power of the real thing. ...> Full Article