Biodegradable Block Copolymer–Tannic Acid Glue
Jongmin Park, Eunsook Park, Siyoung Q. Choi, Jingxian Wu, Jihye Park, Hyeonju Lee, Hyeonju Lee, Hyungjun Kim, Haeshin Lee, Haeshin Lee, Myungeun Seo
Abstract
Bioadhesives are becoming an essential and important ingredient in medical science. Despite numerous reports, developing adhesive materials that combine strong adhesion, biocompatibility, and biodegradation remains a challenging task. Here, we present a biocompatible yet biodegradable block copolymer-based waterborne superglue that leads to an application of follicle-free hair transplantation. Our design strategy bridges self-assembled, temperature-sensitive block copolymer nanostructures with tannic acid as a sticky and biodegradable polyphenolic compound. The formulation further uniquely offers step-by-step increases in adhesion strength via heating-cooling cycles. Combining the modular design with the thermal treating process enhances the mechanical properties up to 5 orders of magnitude compared to the homopolymer formulation. This study opens a new direction in bioadhesive formulation strategies utilizing block copolymer nanotechnology for systematic and synergistic control of the material's properties.