Super-Strong Underwater Adhesive Sticks Firmly, Yet Peels Off Easily
- Yul So
- Aug 31
- 1 min read
Aug 31, 2025
Yul So
A rubber duck clings to a rock despite crashing waves, thanks to a new super-strong underwater adhesive developed by researchers at Hokkaido University, Japan. Their findings were published in Nature on August 6.
Inspired by nature, scientists aimed to mimic mussels and barnacles, which can stick to wet, uneven surfaces despite strong waves. Most adhesives, in contrast, lose strength in such conditions. The Hokkaido team focused on creating a soft hydrogel-based adhesive. Hydrogels, made of polymers and water, are commonly used in biomedical applications like contact lenses and can be modified for extra functions.
Soft materials are hard to make both flexible and highly adhesive. The researchers drew inspiration from sticky proteins produced by bacteria and mollusks. Using AI, they analyzed 24,707 protein sequences from 3,822 species, including mussels and marine worms. The AI designed 180 hydrogel adhesives, all stronger than previous materials. After further optimization, two top-performing adhesives, R1-max and R2-max, were created.
These adhesives showed adhesion strength over 1 MPa, meaning a 1 cm² patch can hold 10 kg. A postage-stamp-sized piece could support about 63 kg. R1-max successfully held a rubber duck on a rocky surface under waves, tides, rough textures, and saltwater. R2-max sealed a 2 cm hole in a 3-meter-high pipe for over five months without leakage.
Lead researcher Jiang Pinggong said, “This instant, reusable underwater adhesive has potential for biomedical engineering and deep-sea exploration. Inspired by natural proteins, we developed a material with unprecedented strength.”
