The challenge remains on developing bioahesive formulations for tissue fixation. A recently invented electrically charged glue (known as electrocuring adhesive or voltaglue)[1] is being developed. Comparing with light (photocuring)[2], heat (thermocuring)[3], and chemical activation means, the electrocuring allows adhesive to be activated on-demand when an applied voltage potential is raised above a certain threshold. Such adhesive opens a plethora of commercially promising advances and one of them is used for replacing sutures when there is a need to join body tissues together during surgery.

Tissue adhesive requires high adhesion strength, non-toxic byproducts, ease of application onto wet substrates, and on-demand crosslinking. Such a bioadhesive is important for minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Here we present the development of an instant curing adhesive through low-voltage activation. The electrocuring adhesive is synthesized by grafting carbene precursors on polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers, while incorporating carbon allotropes such as graphene and carbon nanotubes. The electrocuring adhesive is activated at -2V (Ag/AgCl), allowing tunable crosslinking within the dendrimer matrix and on both electrode surfaces. As the applied voltage is discontinued, crosslinking on tissues is immediately terminated, allowing tunable elasticity and adhesive strength as crosslinking initiation and propagation are observed to be voltage and time dependent. The electrocuring adhesive has immediate implications in manufacturing and development of implantable devices and bioadhesives and offers a new route towards addressing current surgical challenges.

 

 

References

 

[1] J. Ping, F. Gao, J.L. Chen, R.D. Webster, T.W.J. Steele, Adhesive curing through low-voltage activation, Nature Communications 6 (2015).

[2] J.P. Fisher, D. Dean, P.S. Engel, A.G. Mikos, Photoinitiated Polymerization of Biomaterials, Annual Review of Materials Research 31 (2001).

[3] Y.-J. Park, D.-H. Lim, H.-J. Kim, D.-S. Park, I.-K. Sung, UV- and thermal-curing behaviors of dual-curable adhesives based on epoxy acrylate oligomers, International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives 29 (2009).