Self-healing mussel-inspired material

Mussels cling to solid surfaces with the aid of an adhesive protein and plastic-like fibers that can repair themselves if molecular bonds are broken. Researchers at the UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) have now developed material inspired by mussels. It could be used in robot joints or even packaging to protect fragile cargo.
Molecular bonds between iron and catechol (an organic compound) allow for it to be stretchy, but difficult to break. When something hits or stretches the material, the iron-catechol bonds break to absorb the energy, but the overall structure remains intact. An article about the research is published in Science (News Item Healthcare Packaging, 31 October 2017).
Click here for the news item.
Click here for the UCSB news item.
Click here for the an abstract of the published article.

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