Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) said on the 12th that a research team led by Professor Kim Bong-hun of the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering has developed a next-generation surface coating technology that can block both bacteria and viruses by harnessing the adhesive strength of mussels.
Kim Bong-hun's team developed the technology jointly with researchers from Dankook University, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and Ajou University. The results were selected as the cover paper of the August issue of the international journal "Advanced Healthcare Materials."
The team focused on the adhesive properties of mussels that allow them to cling firmly to rocks. Dopamine-based substances secreted by mussels exhibit strong adhesion even on wet surfaces, and the team applied this principle to develop a bio-surface coating technology using polydopamine (PDA), a mussel-derived adhesive.
The coating forms uniformly at a nanometer (㎛·1 nanometer is 1 billionth of a meter) thickness even on rough and complex surfaces like skin, and it prevents changes in electrical signals caused by sweat and bodily fluids, improving the stability of biosignal measurements. In addition, when the antibiotic tobramycin (TOB) is conjugated to the PDA layer, bactericidal effects are enhanced and the surface adsorption of coronavirus is also suppressed.
Conventional methods were cumbersome because they used toxic chemicals or required work in a vacuum. However, this technology enables simple and safe coating even in water, and it adheres equally well to surfaces with different properties, such as fruit peels, animal tissue, and skin.
The team expects that applying this technology to medical devices or wearable sensors will help prevent infections and improve the accuracy of biosignal measurements. Kim Bong-hun said, "It is meaningful that this study, which applied the adhesive principle of mussels, was selected as a cover paper in an internationally renowned journal," adding, "We will continue our research so it can be practically applied in clinical settings and in the field of wearable electronic devices."
References
Advanced Healthcare Materials(2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202500597