As Sticky as a Gecko ... but Ten Times Stronger!
The gecko's amazing ability to stick to surfaces and walk up walls has inspired many researchers to manufacture materials that mimic the special surface of a gecko's foot. view more (2008-10-15)
Waterproof superglue may be strongest in nature
The glue one species of water-loving bacteria uses to grip its surroundings may be the strongest natural adhesive known to science. view more (2006-04-12)
Bio-adhesive For Viscera And Tissues
It is more convenient to glue parts together than to suture them. Even surgeons agree to that. They only need a good adhesive. Siberian researchers have created the third generation bio-adhesive and successfully tested it on animals. Surgery is steadily improving methods for joining of slit parts. To solve the problem, biological adhesives were... view more... (2004-05-28)
New American Chemical Society podcast: Tiny sea creature and a new medical adhesive
Scientists questing after a long-sought new medical adhesive describe copying the natural glue secreted by a tiny sea creature called the sandcastle worm in the latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS) award-winning podcast series, "Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions." view more (2009-10-28)
Glue made from ethanol-production leftovers may be worth more than the fuel itself
Mixing up a batch of ethanol from alfalfa or switchgrass isn't nearly as efficient as creating it from corn, but that doesn't mean growing grass crops for fuel won't pay, says Paul Weimer. view more (2006-09-28)
Licorice extract provides new treatment option for canker sores
What common oral condition appears as shallow ulcers of different sizes, affects one in five Americans, can be caused by food allergies and hormonal changes, and also can cause severe mouth pain? view more (2008-05-23)
New gecko-like adhesive shakes off dirt
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are continuing their march toward creating a synthetic, gecko-like adhesive, one sticky step at a time. Their latest milestone is the first adhesive that cleans itself after each use without the need for water or chemicals, much like the remarkable hairs found on the gecko lizard's toes. view more (2008-09-10)
Self-repairing materials
Will the day come when cracks in buildings close up without external help and before they get to the stage where they cause damage to the component? view more (2008-04-18)
MIT creates gecko-inspired bandage
MIT researchers and colleagues have created a waterproof adhesive bandage inspired by gecko lizards that may soon join sutures and staples as a basic operating room tool for patching up surgical wounds or internal injuries. view more (2008-02-19)
The invasive green mussel may inspire new forms of wet adhesion
The green mussel is known for being a notoriously invasive fouling species, but scientists have just discovered that it also has a very powerful form of adhesion in its foot, according to a recent article in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. view more (2009-08-28)
Nanotube Adhesive Sticks Better Than a Gecko's Foot
Mimicking the agile gecko, with its uncanny ability to run up walls and across ceilings, has long been a goal of materials scientists. view more (2007-06-20)
European Shipyards Can Become Competitive and More Environmentally Friendly
Shipyards throughout Europe could become more competitive, and help the environment, by moving away from welding and using adhesive bonding for joining lightweight materials. That is the result of BONDSHIP, a major initiative to funded with EUR4.6 million (euros) under the Sustainable Surface Transport programme of the EU's Framework Programme. view more (2004-10-12)
Floating and Spiky
With the aid of complex computer simulations, scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam and at the University of Heidelberg have discovered how the shape and distribution of certain sticky areas on the cell affect its adhesion in blood vessels. view more (2006-11-06)
Making adhesives safer
The greatest disaster in the history of the chemical industry brought notorious fame to the city of Bhopal in India in 1984, as well as making known the extreme toxicity of the chemical involved, methyl isocyanate. Although the isocyanate group is known to be extremely reactive, it is precisely this property that makes it so useful to the chemical... view more... (2001-10-04)
How nonstick bugs evade natural fly paper
There are few things more irritating than a fly buzzing around the house. South Africans have an unconventional solution to the problem. view more (2008-08-11)
Nature's secrets yield new adhesive material
Scientists report they have merged two of nature's most elegant strategies for wet and dry adhesion to produce a synthetic material that one day could lead to more durable and longer-lasting bandages, patches, and surgical materials. view more (2007-07-19)
Compostable packaging tape
Used plastic wrappings and containers make good fuel if incinerated, but are also dumped in huge quantities on landfill sites. Researchers are developing a compostable packaging tape that can be disposed of more cheaply, and ultimately creates less waste. view more (2004-10-04)
Synthetic adhesive mimics sticking powers of gecko and mussel
Geckos are remarkable in their ability to scurry up vertical surfaces and even move along upside down. Their feet stick but only temporarily, coming off of surfaces again and again like a sticky note. But put those feet underwater, and their ability to stick is dramatically reduced. view more (2007-07-19)
Like a snail through the intestinal canal
The medical device currently used for intestinal research, the colonsope, causes patients great discomfort. At TU Delft, an alternative method has been developed, inspired by the way in which snails move. view more (2006-09-22)
Surgeon 'gluing' the breastbone together after open-heart surgery
An innovative method is being used to repair the breastbone after it is intentionally broken to provide access to the heart during open-heart surgery. The technique uses a state-of-the-art adhesive that rapidly bonds to bone and accelerates the recovery process. view more (2009-11-13)
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