Manufacturing self-healing gel from boys

An international team of scientists has successfully fabricated a synthetic version of the self-healing adhesive that mussels use to attach themselves to rocks in response to waves and rising tides. down, according to Newswise.

The new glue promises many potential future applications such as the use of underwater coating, fabrication of surgical adhesives or bonding agents for implants.

Danish graduate student Niels Holten-Andersen and Professor Ka Yee Lee of the University of Chicago (USA) and colleagues took the idea of ​​this invention from the thin hairs that the mussels secrete to attach themselves to rocks in lakes, rivers and oceans.

Scientists say many synthetic coatings have a common characteristic that is durable but easy to break. These coatings rely on permanent covalent bonds, a common type of chemical bond that consists of two molecules that share two or more electrons. Meanwhile, the links of materials are inspired by clams that link through metal. According to Holten-Andersen, these links are very stable, however, if broken, they can recover without reinforcing.

The key component of this material is a polymer, consisting of long molecular chains manufactured by Northwestern University's Phillip Messersmith (USA). When mixed with metal salts at low pH levels, this polymer has a green solution. But the solution is immediately converted into a gel that, when mixed with sodium hydroxide, changes the pH from high acid to high alkali. ' Instead of being a green solution, it turns into a red self-adhesive gel ,' according to Holten-Andersen.

The research was jointly funded by the US National Science Foundation and the Danish National Research / Independent Research Council .