Adhesive

A study suggests that a certain salamander may be able to control its grip on trees' bark by pumping blood in and out of the tips of its toes. This strategy could one day be copied in human technology such as prosthetic hands and reusable adhesives.

If you've ever tried pulling a mussel off a rock, you'll know that they're good at holding on. The secret to their success is a natural adhesive, which has been replicated in a glue that could help keep orthopedic implants attached to bone tissue.

The machinery at municipal recycling facilities often gets jammed up with the adhesives utilized on items such as jar labels and boxes. That may cease to be the case in the not-too-distant future, however, thanks to a new degradable adhesive.

Researchers have created a synthetic “cellular glue” that bonds cells together to different degrees. The technique could speed up wound healing, even in tissues that don’t heal well naturally, and eventually allow scientists to build better organs.

When suturing wounds within the body, there's a risk of damaging the tissue, and of the development of infections. A new surgical glue could reduce the need for sutures, though, plus it could close wounds faster while also delivering medication.

Ripping Band-Aids off your skin is never fun – but imagine having one on your heart or lung. Researchers have now created surgical tape that can stick to wet surfaces like organs, and more importantly, be removed safely when it’s no longer needed.

While it's good that there are plastics which biodegrade, the glue used to join pieces of those or other materials together isn't as eco-friendly. Scientists have set about addressing that problem, however, by developing a biodegradable adhesive.

Disassembling electronics into their various components for recycling is a laborious process, and involves the use of eco-unfriendly solvents. Now, however, scientists have developed a magnetically-deactivated glue that could address these problems.

Although sutures are routinely used to close wounds within the body, they can actually damage fragile biological tissue, causing infections or other complications. Scientists at MIT have developed what could be a better way to go, in the form of a double-sided tape.

​Electronic waste is a growing problem, and if we're ever going to get on top of it, then we need to be able to recycle electronic devices as thoroughly as possible. Thanks to a new temperature-sensitive adhesive, doing so could soon be easier than ever.

​When the Dusky Arion slug feels threatened, it secretes a mucus that makes it almost impossible to remove from whatever surface it happens to be on. Inspired by that, scientists have created an adhesive gel that could conceivably be used in the human body.

Octopi are well-known for their grabby tentacles. Now, scientists have developed a material that mimics the sucker discs on those tentacles. It could be used for adhesive pads that are reversible, reusable, fast-acting, and effective even in wet conditions.