Jack Kenny10.13.15
Five years ago in a laboratory at Oregon State University, researchers were trying to make a hot-melt composite adhesive to be used in wood based products. They failed. What they did create, unintentionally, was a new removable pressure sensitive adhesive composed of vegetable oils that could be used with tapes and labels of all kinds. The glue was made with no petrochemicals.
They could have just tossed it out, and might have if not for the insatiable curiosity with which scientists are imbued. They are always looking for answers in nature, and sometimes finding them. The animal world is a prime target for scientific curiosity, and recently the folks in lab coats have been paying attention to specific creatures that possess powerful adhesive capabilities, glues that come with little or no chemical baggage.
About 30 years ago I ran a newspaper that covered business and technology in the state of Connecticut. One story that got us quite excited was about a small research company, one of many offshoots of NASA’s scientific explorations, that was working on developing an adhesive that would perform as well as the glue produced by mussels.
Mussels, of course, are those ubiquitous bivalves who find their way into many a tasty dish. No doubt many of you enjoyed a big steaming bowl of moules in Brussels last month. Mussels like to stay close to one another, and so produce an adhesive that bonds them to one another as well as to nearby surfaces. The glue is incredibly powerful, and best of all, it works perfectly under water.
The company in Connecticut was working on synthesizing mussel glue (because getting a few ounces of the stuff from the shellfish themselves would have consumed half a million mussels) for use in the heavy construction industry – bridges, piers, etc. – where structures would require underwater bonding. Whether or not the business is still around I don’t know, but the quest for mussel glue has not abated.
Not long ago, researchers at Penn State and the University of Texas began looking at mussels in their search for an agent to facilitate tissue healing after surgery. Bioadhesives, tissue sealants and hemostatic agents had been the favored products to control bleeding and promote tissue healing, but many came with side effects, and they did not perform well on wet tissue.
Peering at nature, they watched the ability of mussels to cling to rocks and seagoing vessels without being removed by waves or other actions. According to Jian Yang, associate professor of bioengineering at Penn State, mussels manufacture a powerful adhesive protein, and that’s what the researchers began to study. They took the biological information offered by the bivalve and developed a synthetic family of adhesives, incorporating the chemical structure from the mussel’s adhesive protein into the design of an injectable synthetic polymer. The bioadhesives adhere well in wet environments, have controlled degradability, improved biocompatibility and lower manufacturing costs than fibrin glue and cyanoacrylate adhesives, which are not effective when used on wet tissue.
The new adhesives provided 2.5 to 8.0 times stronger adhesion in wet tissue conditions compared to fibrin glue. They also stopped bleeding instantly, facilitated wound healing, closed wounds without the use of sutures and offered controllable degradation. They are non-toxic and unlikely to cause allergic reactions because they are synthetic.
Geckos have been in the news quite a bit over the years, and we’re not talking automobile insurance here. These lizards have an astonishing ability to affix their feet to walls and ceilings of any kind, making use of a combination of tendons, bones and skin to rest comfortably upside down, if necessary. Scientists have tried and not quite succeeded in duplicating the gecko’s adhesion mechanisms, until fairly recently.
A team at the University of Massachusetts has produced “Geckskin,” which is made by creating an integrated adhesive with a soft pad woven into a stiff fabric, which allows the pad to drape over a surface to maximize contact. The skin is woven into a synthetic tendon, yielding a design that plays a key role in maintaining stiffness and rotational freedom. Geckskin’s adhesive pad uses simple everyday materials such as polydimethylsiloxane, which could ease the development of an inexpensive, strong and durable dry adhesive.
The Geckskin device is about 16 inches square and can hold a maximum force of about 700 pounds while adhering to a smooth surface, such as glass. It can be released with negligible effort and reused many times without a loss of effectiveness. A card-sized piece of the skin can anchor a 42" television to a wall and release with a gentle tug many times, leaving no residue.
No doubt the gecko folks are thoroughly enjoying their nature-assisted triumph, but “Not so fast!” say the advocates of the sandcastle worm, the remora and spiders.
Researchers have spent years studying the adhesive characteristics of spiders’ webs, and recently have discovered that one creature can manufacture two distinct adhesives: a strong one that keeps the main web supports anchored to a wall, branch or other main surface, and a weak one that will release upon contact and cause the prey to become entangled therein.
A tiny sea creature called the sandcastle worm builds its underwater home by gluing together bits of sand and broken sea shells, overcoming several adhesive challenges in the process. Scientists at the University of Utah have synthesized the adhesive – which remains insoluble in wet environments and can bond with wet objects – with a goal toward using it in the repair of bone fragments.
The traditional method of repairing shattered bones is to use nails, pins and metal screws for support until they can bear weight. But these are impractical for precise reconstruction of small bones. Such a biocompatible, biodegradable adhesive could be valuable because it would reduce metal hardware in the body while maintaining proper alignment of fractures.
And now, the remora. Most sea creatures and all beach-goers flee the shark, but the remora heads right for it, affixes itself to the skin of the shark and goes along for the ride, for protection and for the scraps of food come its way during the feeding frenzy. The remora attaches itself by means of a suction disc on the top of its head. Little is known about how it does this, and the research so far involves arcane talk of lamellae and spinules.
Scientists at Georgia Tech Research Institute say that they want to create an adhesive based on the remora’s system that can be used in a broad range of applications, such as pain- and residue-free bandages, sensors for use in aquatic or military reconnaissance environments, surgical clamps and robotics.
Next month: Training an octopus to run a flexo press.
A salute
So TLMI President Frank Sablone is retiring at the end of this year. This is an event the industry has been waiting for. No, no, I don’t mean it that way. The industry likes to have big celebrations, and here’s a good reason to have another.
Frank sometimes can come across as gruff (ya think?), but underneath that tough exterior is a heart of flint gold. One of the traits I find most valuable in the man is his ability to listen and interpret. He has a quick and playful wit, which comes in handy in balancing the ponderous business of running an association and its burgeoning membership, but he can focus well and cut through the weeds directly to the point.
As for the burgeoning membership, the main reason he was hired was to play golf grow the organization. He has done just that, through good times and bad.
I’ll miss you, Frank. We all will. Except maybe what’s-his-name. It’s been a pleasure.
The author is president of Jack Kenny Media, a communications firm specializing in the packaging industry, and is the former editor of L&NW magazine. He can be reached at jackjkenny@gmail.com.
They could have just tossed it out, and might have if not for the insatiable curiosity with which scientists are imbued. They are always looking for answers in nature, and sometimes finding them. The animal world is a prime target for scientific curiosity, and recently the folks in lab coats have been paying attention to specific creatures that possess powerful adhesive capabilities, glues that come with little or no chemical baggage.
About 30 years ago I ran a newspaper that covered business and technology in the state of Connecticut. One story that got us quite excited was about a small research company, one of many offshoots of NASA’s scientific explorations, that was working on developing an adhesive that would perform as well as the glue produced by mussels.
Mussels, of course, are those ubiquitous bivalves who find their way into many a tasty dish. No doubt many of you enjoyed a big steaming bowl of moules in Brussels last month. Mussels like to stay close to one another, and so produce an adhesive that bonds them to one another as well as to nearby surfaces. The glue is incredibly powerful, and best of all, it works perfectly under water.
The company in Connecticut was working on synthesizing mussel glue (because getting a few ounces of the stuff from the shellfish themselves would have consumed half a million mussels) for use in the heavy construction industry – bridges, piers, etc. – where structures would require underwater bonding. Whether or not the business is still around I don’t know, but the quest for mussel glue has not abated.
Not long ago, researchers at Penn State and the University of Texas began looking at mussels in their search for an agent to facilitate tissue healing after surgery. Bioadhesives, tissue sealants and hemostatic agents had been the favored products to control bleeding and promote tissue healing, but many came with side effects, and they did not perform well on wet tissue.
Peering at nature, they watched the ability of mussels to cling to rocks and seagoing vessels without being removed by waves or other actions. According to Jian Yang, associate professor of bioengineering at Penn State, mussels manufacture a powerful adhesive protein, and that’s what the researchers began to study. They took the biological information offered by the bivalve and developed a synthetic family of adhesives, incorporating the chemical structure from the mussel’s adhesive protein into the design of an injectable synthetic polymer. The bioadhesives adhere well in wet environments, have controlled degradability, improved biocompatibility and lower manufacturing costs than fibrin glue and cyanoacrylate adhesives, which are not effective when used on wet tissue.
The new adhesives provided 2.5 to 8.0 times stronger adhesion in wet tissue conditions compared to fibrin glue. They also stopped bleeding instantly, facilitated wound healing, closed wounds without the use of sutures and offered controllable degradation. They are non-toxic and unlikely to cause allergic reactions because they are synthetic.
Geckos have been in the news quite a bit over the years, and we’re not talking automobile insurance here. These lizards have an astonishing ability to affix their feet to walls and ceilings of any kind, making use of a combination of tendons, bones and skin to rest comfortably upside down, if necessary. Scientists have tried and not quite succeeded in duplicating the gecko’s adhesion mechanisms, until fairly recently.
A team at the University of Massachusetts has produced “Geckskin,” which is made by creating an integrated adhesive with a soft pad woven into a stiff fabric, which allows the pad to drape over a surface to maximize contact. The skin is woven into a synthetic tendon, yielding a design that plays a key role in maintaining stiffness and rotational freedom. Geckskin’s adhesive pad uses simple everyday materials such as polydimethylsiloxane, which could ease the development of an inexpensive, strong and durable dry adhesive.
The Geckskin device is about 16 inches square and can hold a maximum force of about 700 pounds while adhering to a smooth surface, such as glass. It can be released with negligible effort and reused many times without a loss of effectiveness. A card-sized piece of the skin can anchor a 42" television to a wall and release with a gentle tug many times, leaving no residue.
No doubt the gecko folks are thoroughly enjoying their nature-assisted triumph, but “Not so fast!” say the advocates of the sandcastle worm, the remora and spiders.
Researchers have spent years studying the adhesive characteristics of spiders’ webs, and recently have discovered that one creature can manufacture two distinct adhesives: a strong one that keeps the main web supports anchored to a wall, branch or other main surface, and a weak one that will release upon contact and cause the prey to become entangled therein.
A tiny sea creature called the sandcastle worm builds its underwater home by gluing together bits of sand and broken sea shells, overcoming several adhesive challenges in the process. Scientists at the University of Utah have synthesized the adhesive – which remains insoluble in wet environments and can bond with wet objects – with a goal toward using it in the repair of bone fragments.
The traditional method of repairing shattered bones is to use nails, pins and metal screws for support until they can bear weight. But these are impractical for precise reconstruction of small bones. Such a biocompatible, biodegradable adhesive could be valuable because it would reduce metal hardware in the body while maintaining proper alignment of fractures.
And now, the remora. Most sea creatures and all beach-goers flee the shark, but the remora heads right for it, affixes itself to the skin of the shark and goes along for the ride, for protection and for the scraps of food come its way during the feeding frenzy. The remora attaches itself by means of a suction disc on the top of its head. Little is known about how it does this, and the research so far involves arcane talk of lamellae and spinules.
Scientists at Georgia Tech Research Institute say that they want to create an adhesive based on the remora’s system that can be used in a broad range of applications, such as pain- and residue-free bandages, sensors for use in aquatic or military reconnaissance environments, surgical clamps and robotics.
Next month: Training an octopus to run a flexo press.
A salute
So TLMI President Frank Sablone is retiring at the end of this year. This is an event the industry has been waiting for. No, no, I don’t mean it that way. The industry likes to have big celebrations, and here’s a good reason to have another.
Frank sometimes can come across as gruff (ya think?), but underneath that tough exterior is a heart of flint gold. One of the traits I find most valuable in the man is his ability to listen and interpret. He has a quick and playful wit, which comes in handy in balancing the ponderous business of running an association and its burgeoning membership, but he can focus well and cut through the weeds directly to the point.
As for the burgeoning membership, the main reason he was hired was to play golf grow the organization. He has done just that, through good times and bad.
I’ll miss you, Frank. We all will. Except maybe what’s-his-name. It’s been a pleasure.
The author is president of Jack Kenny Media, a communications firm specializing in the packaging industry, and is the former editor of L&NW magazine. He can be reached at jackjkenny@gmail.com.