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Super Sticky Coating has 'Mussel'

Tracy Staedter, Discovery News

In the past, it has been difficult getting these secondary coatings to stick directly to certain surfaces, including Teflon or silicone. But Messersmith's polymer acts sort of like a primer between any surface and any coating.

"The real strength of their invention and insight comes out of the fact that dopamine is a very reactive molecule. There are all kinds of things they can attach to that polymer film," said Herbert Waite a professor in the department of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

But Waite also argues that while the mussel adheres well underwater, the dopamine does not. This could make it difficult in biomedical applications.

"I don't think you'd get away with treating an implant surface with dopamine," said Waite. "Many of the limitations on true adhesion…rely on the clinician ultimately doing things in a wet environment. The dopamine doesn't address the clinical need of working in a wet patient environment."

Messersmith acknowledged the limitations surrounding medical applications.

"It's very challenging to do all of the studies to prove safety and efficacy. What we tried to do here is establish a concept that, with further development, could be useful for the things we mention," he said.

But an even more fundamental question, said Waite, is why is the dopamine molecule so sticky in the first place?

"That's a huge question that a lot of people would like to know the answer to, including me," said Messersmith.