Resilient wet adhesion of catechol analogs

The need for improved wet adhesives has driven research on mussel-inspired materials incorporating dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) and related analogs of the parent catechol, but practical application of these functionalities is limited by their susceptibility to oxidation. Here, we investigate the molecular-level adhesion of the catechol analogs dihydroxybenzamide (DHB) and hydroxypyridinone (HOPO) as a function of pH. We find that the molecular structure of the catechol analogs influences their susceptibility to oxidation in alkaline conditions, with HOPO emerging as a particularly promising candidate for pH-tolerant adhesives for diverse environmental conditions