Tea compound boosts seaweed hydrogel strength fivefold, while tuning adhesion and breakdown

Could wound healing dressings adhere better, and could drug delivery patches become more sophisticated? A KAIST research team has developed a technology that leverages natural ingredients derived from plants to increase the strength of a seaweed-based hydrogel (a gel material that contains a large amount of water while maintaining its shape) by more than fivefold, while also controlling its adhesiveness and degradation rate. The research team, led by Professor Haeshin Lee of the Department of Chemistry, developed a new material design strategy that uses tannic acid—a type of polyphenol, which is a natural antioxidant abundant in tea and fruits—to enhance the mechanical strength and adhesiveness of seaweed-derived hydrogel and control its degradation rate.

Adhesives are everywhere, from the tape used in households to the bonding materials in vehicles and electronics. The search for stronger, more adaptable adhesives is ongoing and may come down to adding a dash of salt to two special polymer ingredients known as polyzwitterions, or PZIs. New research from a FAMU-FSU College of Engineering team led by Hoyong Chung, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, shows a new way to create adhesives by using the natural attraction between positively and negatively charged materials. The work was recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

General adhesive

"But what if I have 2 dolphins?" I hear you say!

Well then it's all porpoise glue you want

"and if it's 2 susans?"