Recyclable surgical, consumer, and industrial adhesives of poly(α-lipoic acid)
Subhajit Pal, Jisoo Shin, Kelsey G. DeFrates, Mustafa Arslan, Katelyn Dale, H. Chen, Dominic Ramirez, Phillip B. Messersmith
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%.