Terminally-catecholized hyper-branched polymers with high performance adhesive characteristics

Abstract

Novel plant-derived, adhesive polymers have been investigated from natural sources as 3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid (caffeic acid; DHCA) and 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (p-coumaric acid; 4HCA) modified by transesterification. These copolymers were found to show strong adhesive characteristics to metal surfaces, which were equivalent to conventional superglues from petroleum resources. This strong adhesive action was due to interactions between catechol groups present at the end of the polymer chains and the metal surfaces.