Adhesives are used ubiquitously in various industries (i.e., automobile, manufacturing, biomedical) to join two dissimilar materials together. However, the performance of most synthetic adhesives is significantly compromised in the presence of moisture. Water is traditionally treated as a surface contaminant and needs to be removed to prevent the formation of a weak boundary layer.¹  In many applications, and particularly those in the medical field, development of moisture-resistant adhesives is in high demand.

Mussels secrete proteinaceous fluids that harden to form an adhesive plaque and byssal thread complex that enables these organisms to anchor themselves to surfaces in...