welcome
MIT News

MIT News

Science

Science

Engineers turn the body’s goo into new glue

MIT News
Summary
Nutrition label

82% Informative

Engineers from MIT and Freie Universität Berlin have developed a new type of glue that combines waterproof stickiness of mussels’ plaques with the germ-proof properties of another natural material: mucus.

The new mucus-derived glue prevented the buildup of bacteria while keeping its sticky hold, even on wet surfaces.

The material might be used to coat medical implants, for example, to prevent infection and bacteria buildup.

Researchers combined solutions of natural mucin proteins with synthetic mussel-inspired polymers.

They observed how the resulting mixture solidified and stuck to surfaces over time.

The team deposited a range of compositions between two surfaces and found that the resulting adhesive held the surfaces together, with forces comparable to the commercial medical adhesives used for bonding tissue.

VR Score

85

Informative language

86

Neutral language

64

Article tone

semi-formal

Language

English

Language complexity

65

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

long-living

Source diversity

1

Affiliate links

no affiliate links