Researchers at UC Berkeley Develop Recyclable Adhesives

Polymers derived from alpha-lipoic acid (αLA), a small molecule that aids in cell metabolism, have the potential to provide versatile and environmentally friendly adhesives, but their instability has long been a barrier to their use in practical settings. Now, engineers at UC Berkeley have discovered a new chemical strategy that overcomes this impediment, opening the door to high-performance, recyclable adhesives for a wide variety of applications.

As published in the journal Science, researchers have created a new family of stabilized αLA polymer adhesives by slightly altering the chemical composition of their monomers, the small molecules that make up polymers. Using this "modular monomer system," they tailored the properties of the polymers to create adhesives for medical, consumer, and industrial applications, including a surgical superglue that could significantly advance the field of fetal surgery.