Synthesis and characterization of polyacrylamide-based biomimetic underwater adhesives

Abstract

Adhesion in an aqueous environment is still a challenging topic. In recent years, the focus on biomimetic adhesives inspired by mussel proteins has greatly increased. The present paper focuses on a straightforward synthesis route for three biomimetic polymers with opportunity in a multi-gram scale and an overall yield of 83% over three steps. Two synthesized monomers combined with commercially available monomers are the basis for three different co-polymers with varying catechol content with nature inspired concentrations. Catechol-bearing monomers were protected prior to polymerization.