MTU Engineers Zap and Unstick Underwater Smart Glue

With a small zap of electricity, biomedical engineers at Michigan Technological University take an underwater smart glue prototype from sticky to not in seven seconds.

Turning adhesion on and off is what makes a glue smart. It’s one thing to do this in the open air and quite another under water. Inspired by nature, catechols are synthetic compounds that mimic the wet-but-still-sticky proteins secreted by mussels and offer promise for smart adhesives that work in water. The technology could help with underwater glue, wound dressings, prosthetic attachments or even making car parts and in other manufacturing.


Smart Glue: Adhesives that can be turned on and off. (highlight
Biomedical engineers Bruce Lee and Saleh Akram Bhuiyan test catechol-containing adhesives to make underwater smart glue.

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