Volume 16, Issue 43 2004132
Communication

Adhesive Coacervates Driven by Hydrogen-Bonding Interaction

Qiongyao Peng

Qiongyao Peng

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 1H9 Canada

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Jingsi Chen

Jingsi Chen

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 1H9 Canada

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Zicheng Zeng

Zicheng Zeng

The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510700 China

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Tao Wang

Tao Wang

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 1H9 Canada

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Li Xiang

Li Xiang

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 1H9 Canada

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Xuwen Peng

Xuwen Peng

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 1H9 Canada

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Jifang Liu

Jifang Liu

The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510700 China

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Hongbo Zeng

Corresponding Author

Hongbo Zeng

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 1H9 Canada

E-mail: [email protected]

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First published: 02 October 2020
Citations: 44

Abstract

Coacervation plays a critical role in numerous biological activities such as constructing biological tissues and achieving robust wet adhesion of marine sessile organisms, which conventionally occurs when oppositely charged polyelectrolytes are mixed in aqueous solutions driven by electrostatic attraction. Here, a novel type of adhesive coacervate is reported, driven by hydrogen-bonding interactions, readily formed by mixing silicotungstic acid and nonionic polyethylene glycol in water, providing a new approach for developing coacervates from nonionic systems. The as-prepared coacervate is easily paintable underwater, show strong wet adhesion to diverse substrates, and has been successfully applied as a hemostatic agent to treat organ injuries without displaying hemolytic activity, while with inherent antimicrobial properties thus avoiding inflammations and infections due to microorganism accumulation. This work demonstrates that coacervation can occur in salt-free environments via non-electrostatic interactions, providing a new platform for engineering multifunctional coacervate materials as tissue glues, wound dressings and membrane-free cell systems.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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