Adhesive
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Adhesives that hold underwater are elusive, but could be useful for marine repairs or tissue healing. Researchers have now developed a new type of adhesive hydrogel that combines the underwater stickiness of mussels with the strength of spider silk.
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It’s hard to get medical adhesives to stick when blood is making everything wet. Now, MIT researchers have developed a new surgical glue that can halt bleeding within 30 seconds, inspired by the super-strong underwater adhesive used by barnacles.
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Although there are glues that work underwater, they typically require at least 24 hours to set – which can be tricky in chaotic marine environments. A new additive, however, reportedly allows underwater resin adhesives to set in just 60 seconds.
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Whether it's a beam supporting a building or Scotch tape holding together a school science project, we're accustomed to the idea of materials becoming weaker as they age, but a newly created material might just flip the script in this regard.
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Ordinarily, epoxies are cured by exposure to either heat or ultraviolet light. Both have their drawbacks, which are nicely avoided by a new epoxy that hardens when passed through a magnetic field to produce a similar bond using a fraction of the energy.
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Ordinarily, if you want to separate two objects that are glued together, harsh solvents or mechanical force are required – either one could damage the items. A new glue, however, releases its bond by simply turning to gas.
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The natural world is a great source of inspiration for scientists working on advanced adhesives. The latest example, inspired by the clingy footpads of flies, can be attached and detached over and over like a piece of Velcro.
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When suturing wounds within the body, there's a risk of damaging the tissue, and of the development of infections. A new surgical glue could reduce the need for sutures, though, plus it could close wounds faster while also delivering medication.
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Ripping Band-Aids off your skin is never fun – but imagine having one on your heart or lung. Researchers have now created surgical tape that can stick to wet surfaces like organs, and more importantly, be removed safely when it’s no longer needed.
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While we've certainly heard of epoxy resins that harden when exposed to light, usually all of the substance has to be exposed. A new additive causes resin to solidify when even only a bit of it gets lit up, however – plus it works underwater.
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Although superglues can be quite useful, they're typically made from harsh chemicals, plus it's very difficult to "unstick" them once they've set. Now, however, scientists have created a plant-based superglue that can easily be removed when needed.
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While it's good that there are plastics which biodegrade, the glue used to join pieces of those or other materials together isn't as eco-friendly. Scientists have set about addressing that problem, however, by developing a biodegradable adhesive.
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