Monday, October 27, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Medicine

Fatty-acid derived polymers yield recyclable and highly versatile adhesives

August 22, 2024
in Medicine
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Fatty-acid derived polymers yield recyclable and highly versatile adhesives
67
SHARES
608
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

Researchers have presented a new family of polymer adhesives that offer a sustainable and recyclable alternative to conventional polymer adhesives and can be used across a wide range of applications, from industrial adhesives to surgical superglues. The new chemical approach to aLA polymerization addresses the performance and environmental challenges of traditional polymers, providing environmentally friendly adhesive solutions. Polymer adhesives are ubiquitous in modern life and are widely used in many medical, consumer, and industrial products. Given this diversity, each adhesive material is often tailored for a specific use, and its performance in one application often does not easily translate to another. Moreover, many adhesives are nonrecyclable and contain chemicals or volatile organic substances that are harmful to health and the environment. Thus, there is a growing demand for multipurpose polymer adhesives that work well across various surfaces and environmental conditions while also being non-toxic, environmentally sustainable, and capable of closed-loop recycling. Polymers derived from aLA – a naturally occurring fatty acid – have the potential to address these needs. However, they suffer from spontaneous depolymerization under conditions relevant to most real-world applications.

Researchers have presented a new family of polymer adhesives that offer a sustainable and recyclable alternative to conventional polymer adhesives and can be used across a wide range of applications, from industrial adhesives to surgical superglues. The new chemical approach to aLA polymerization addresses the performance and environmental challenges of traditional polymers, providing environmentally friendly adhesive solutions. Polymer adhesives are ubiquitous in modern life and are widely used in many medical, consumer, and industrial products. Given this diversity, each adhesive material is often tailored for a specific use, and its performance in one application often does not easily translate to another. Moreover, many adhesives are nonrecyclable and contain chemicals or volatile organic substances that are harmful to health and the environment. Thus, there is a growing demand for multipurpose polymer adhesives that work well across various surfaces and environmental conditions while also being non-toxic, environmentally sustainable, and capable of closed-loop recycling. Polymers derived from aLA – a naturally occurring fatty acid – have the potential to address these needs. However, they suffer from spontaneous depolymerization under conditions relevant to most real-world applications.

 

To address this critical limitation, Subhajit Pal and colleagues developed a family of stabilized aLA polymer adhesives with a wide range of physical properties. Pal et al. found that minor modifications to monomer composition – namely, the incorporation of an electrophilic stabilizer – prevented aLA depolymerization and enabled the practical design of aLA polymer adhesives.  The authors synthesized several aLA adhesives and tested them across a range of uses. Pressure-sensitive adhesives demonstrated tenfold higher peel strength than conventional options and worked effectively in both dry and wet conditions; structural adhesives matched the strength of petroleum-derived epoxies and were self-healing and reprocessable; and aLA surgical superglue successfully sealed mouse amniotic sac punctures, improving fetal survival from 0% to 100%. Additionally, Pal et al. developed a closed-loop recycling process that regenerated aLA monomers using only aqueous media, demonstrating their sustainability. “Although aLA is naturally occurring, it is, ironically, manufactured primarily from petroleum-based starting materials,” writes Zhibin Guan in a related Perspective. “Looking ahead, developing commercially viable, high-performance polymeric materials from renewable resources is undoubtedly one of the most important directions in modern polymer science.”



Journal

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.ado6292

Article Title

Recyclable Surgical, Consumer and Industrial Adhesives of Poly(a-lipoic acid)

Article Publication Date

23-Aug-2024

Share27Tweet17
Previous Post

Life after (feigned) death

Next Post

The secret to sleepy cells’ control of inflammatory secretions

Related Posts

Medicine

Emotional Intelligence Boosts Healthcare Workers’ Well-Being

October 27, 2025
Medicine

Multi-View Deep Learning Detects Pediatric Pulmonary TB

October 27, 2025
Medicine

Listening to Music During Surgery Lowers Anesthetic Needs and Stress Responses

October 27, 2025
Medicine

Screening Neonatal Hypoglycemia in Infants of Untested Mothers

October 27, 2025
Medicine

Schizophrenia Brain Chromatin Tied to Early Development

October 27, 2025
Medicine

iPSC-Derived ITGA6+ Cells Restore Glaucoma Eye Flow

October 27, 2025
Next Post
Peter Adams and Nirmalya Dasgupta

The secret to sleepy cells’ control of inflammatory secretions

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27572 shares
    Share 11026 Tweet 6891
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    981 shares
    Share 392 Tweet 245
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    649 shares
    Share 260 Tweet 162
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    516 shares
    Share 206 Tweet 129
  • Groundbreaking Clinical Trial Reveals Lubiprostone Enhances Kidney Function

    485 shares
    Share 194 Tweet 121
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Family Relationships Impacted by Eating Disorders
  • Emotional Intelligence Boosts Healthcare Workers’ Well-Being
  • Space Data Centers Achieve Carbon Neutrality Breakthrough
  • Seamless Bonding and Debonding in 2D Semiconductors

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Blog
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,189 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading