Adhesive by Nature

When it comes to adhesives, the animal and plant kingdom offers an all-in-one solution for every purpose. Super adhesive and yet reversible? The slime of slugs proves that it is possible. Long-lasting adhesive strength under water, but also on dry land? Barnacles and mussels have used this successfully for millions of years. Removable without leaving a trace, but adheres to smooth surfaces as well as to rough surfaces? Gecko feet can do that for an entire gecko life. 

Customised adhesive strength, removable and, at best, even reusable: tesa products such as tesa Powerstrips® and smart fastening systems are already combining these basic properties. However, issues such as sustainable production and biodegradability also play an ever more important role. “With paper-based packaging tapes and solvent-free manufacturing processes, we are moving closer to nature. However, there is so much more to it,” says innovation manager Bastian Brinkmann, looking to the future of a still relatively young research and development field.

Superman, superpowers, super glue – we dream about the possibilities of the seemingly impossible. Spinning it a different way: The webs of the orb-weaver spider defy wind and weather. Neither UV light nor rain can impair their functionality. Such a robust ‘network’ is the magic weapon of the science-fiction hero Spiderman. But even in down-to-earth adhesive research, the question is how people can use the superpowers of the sticky spider secretion. Polymer scientists from the University of Akron (USA) came closer to answering the question of how it sticks reliably even in conditions of elevated humidity: Hygroscopic components in the secretion absorb moisture and render it harmless to the web structure.

Another example of the search for the advantages of bio-adhesive developments is a multi-year project at the TU Hamburg (Germany), one of whose partners is tesa. The project involves research into the wood component lignin, for example for use in adhesives. The most common polymer in nature can be an alternative to petroleum-based applications. As opposed to the fossil raw material, lignin sources such as wood or straw are renewable raw materials that can be grown, and when they are burned, they only emit as much carbon dioxide as they have stored.