Hydrophobicity-enhanced adhesion of novel biomimetic biocompatible polyaspartamide derivative glues

The development of wet bioadhesives for tissue fixation and wound care remains a challenge. While various commercial bioadhesive products based on both natural and synthetic materials are available, both types of adhesive have several drawbacks including weak adhesion or toxicity. In this study, we present a novel mussel-inspired synthetic adhesive based on polyaspartamide derivatives modified with dopamine and a series of hydrophobic n-alkylamines (lauryl, octyl, hexyl and butyl), which shows very strong adhesion toward various types of substrates such as paper, glass and metals as well as several common plastics (0.1–0.6 MPa). Additionally, the effect of adding metal ions (Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺) as a coordination crosslinker to enhance adhesion performance was investigated using acryl plastic substrate. Even under deionized water conditions, the strong adhesion was found to be maintained for an appreciably long time after 24 h. This novel and biocompatible polymer glue system has potential in various applications including as a medical tissue adhesive and sealant.