Dry Double-Sided Adhesive Material for Instant Wet-Tissue Bonding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing tissue adhesives face challenges in achieving instant and strong adhesion on wet surfaces due to water interference, leading to weak bonding, low biocompatibility, and slow adhesion formation.

Innovation Solution

A dry double-sided material comprising hydrophilic polymers, amine coupling groups, and crosslinkers that absorbs liquid from wet surfaces to swell and form temporary and covalent crosslinks, enabling quick and strong adhesion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If liquid or wet hydrogel adhesives are used to bond wet tissues, then adhesion can be formed, but the adhesion formation is slow (longer than 1 min) and the bonding strength is weak (interfacial toughness less than 20 J m−2)

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadhesion strengthVSAvoidadhesion formation time

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the physical state of the adhesive from liquid/wet hydrogel to dry powder form. This parameter change enables rapid absorption of interfacial water upon contact with wet tissues, triggering instant swelling and adhesion formation. The dry-to-wet phase transition upon water absorption resolves the contradiction by enabling both strong bonding and rapid adhesion formation within seconds rather than minutes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The adhesive material undergoes a phase transition from dry powder to swollen gel state when it absorbs interfacial water from wet tissues. This phase transition is the key mechanism that enables instant adhesion - the rapid water absorption causes immediate swelling and network formation, achieving strong bonding (interfacial toughness greater than 20 J m−2) in less than 1 minute, thereby resolving the time-strength tradeoff

Inventive Principle:

Principle #36Phase transitions

2Reliability

If diffusion-based adhesion mechanism is used, then molecules can penetrate into tissue polymer networks, but the process takes significant time and provides weak adhesion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadhesion reliabilityVSAvoidadhesion formation time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The adhesive is pre-formulated as a dry powder with optimized composition including crosslinkable functional groups and water-soluble polymers. This preliminary preparation ensures that upon contact with wet tissues, the adhesive immediately absorbs water and initiates the swelling and crosslinking process without requiring diffusion time. The pre-designed molecular structure enables instant adhesion formation with high reliability, eliminating the time delay inherent in diffusion-based mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If interfacial liquid is present between adhesive and tissues, then the adhesive can be applied to wet surfaces, but the liquid interferes with the adhesion process and weakens bonding

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveapplicability to wet surfacesVSAvoidbonding strength

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The invention converts the harmful effect of interfacial liquid into a beneficial trigger mechanism. The dry powder adhesive relies on absorbing the interfacial water from wet tissues to initiate its swelling and crosslinking process. The water that previously interfered with adhesion now serves as the activation medium that triggers rapid gel formation and strong bonding. This resolves the contradiction by making the adhesive applicable to wet surfaces while using the interfacial liquid to enhance rather than weaken bonding strength

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The dry adhesive material achieves instant strong adhesion between wet tissues and engineering solids with high interfacial toughness, shear, and tensile strengths, while maintaining biocompatibility and controllable biodegradability.

Implementation Method 1

the dry adhesive material has a liquid content such that placement of one or more of the top and/or bottom surfaces of the dry adhesive material in contact with the one or more wet surfaces causes the dry adhesive material to absorb liquid from the one or more wet surfaces

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAbsorption: Absorption (physical)

Implementation Method 2

swell to form temporary crosslinking between the dry adhesive material and the wet surface

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSwelling: Hydrogel

Implementation Method 3

form covalent crosslinking between the one or more amine coupling groups and the one or more wet surfaces

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCovalent crosslinking: Chemical Bonding

Data Source

PatentUS12343443B2Dry double-sided material for adhesion of wet tissues and devices

Publication Date: 2025.07.01 MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH

AI summary

A method of adhering wet tissues together includes providing a dry adhesive material that contains one or more hydrophilic polymers, one or more amine coupling groups, and one or more cross linkers. The method including the steps of placing the dry adhesive material in contact with one or more wet tissue surfaces; allowing the dry adhesive material to absorb liquid from the one or more wet surfaces to thereby swell the adhesive material; allowing instant crosslinking by intermolecular interactions between the adhesive material and the one or more wet surfaces; and allowing quick covalent crosslinking between the adhesive material and the one or more wet surfaces.