Structure, Function, and Application of Self‐Healing Adhesives from Mistletoe Viscin
- Department of Chemistry McGill University 801 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal Quebec H3A 0B8 Canada
- Department of Biomaterials Max‐Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces Science Park Potsdam‐Golm 14424 Potsdam Germany
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center University of Georgia Athens GA 30602 USA
- Department of Nanobiosciences University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) Vienna 1190 Austria
Abstract
Berries from the European Mistletoe ( Viscum album ) possess a sticky tissue called viscin that facilitates adhesion and germination onto host trees. Recent studies of viscin have demonstrated its adhesive capacity on a range of natural and synthetic surfaces including wood, skin, metals, and plastic. Yet, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, an investigation of the adhesive performance of mistletoe viscin is performed, demonstrating its hygroscopic nature and ability to self‐heal following adhesive failure. It is identified that adhesion originates from a water‐soluble adhesive component that can be extracted, isolated, and characterized independently. Lap shear mechanical testing indicates that the mistletoe adhesive extract (MAE) outperforms native viscin tissue, as well as gum arabic and arabinogalactan—common plant‐based adhesives. Furthermore, humidity uptake experiments reveal that MAE can reversibly absorb nearly 100% of its mass in water from the atmosphere. In‐depth spectroscopic and mass spectrometry investigations reveal a composition consisting primarily of an atypical arabinogalactan, with additional sugar alcohols. Finally, several proof‐of‐concept applications are demonstrated using MAE for hygro‐responsive reversible adhesion between various surfaces including skin, plastic, PDMS, and paper, revealing that MAE holds potential as a biorenewable and reusable adhesive for applications in cosmetics, packaging, and potentially, tissue engineering.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NONE; SC0015662
- OSTI ID:
- 2203300
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 2203302
OSTI ID: 2530399
- Journal Information:
- Advanced Functional Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Functional Materials Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 34; ISSN 1616-301X
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- Germany
- Language:
- English