Electrochemistry of Catechols

Catechols, in particular L-DOPA play an integral role in the adhesion of marine mussels. They have the ability to form strong adhesive bonds to many surfaces in a wet saline environment. Studying the different interaction and reaction mechanisms of catechols lets us build new adhesive systems making use of their functionalities. Through electrochemical manipulation as well as pH adjustement we can control their redox activity as well as subsequent chemical reactions to gain more information about their reaction mechanisms.

Using this information we were able to create a new adhesive hydrogel that can be elecrochemically crosslinked. This project is funded by the European Research Council through the ERC Grant No. 677663 (understanding of catechol electrochemistry) and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG in the framework of the COMET Center of Electrochemistry and Surface Technology, CEST, through grant #865864 <>(biomaterial synthesis, biomimetic glues and coatings).