Coatings update: Scientific developments

The coatings industry eagerly observes scientific developments which can be basic to the improvement of coating products. An interesting item in Chemical Industry Update (September 8, (1983) p.7) indicates that at the University of Connecticut Health Centre a peptide adhesive has been synthesised which duplicates the natural glue found in shellfish. It comprises ten repeating amino acids and is related to the material which barnacles exude and which causes them to cling so tenaciously to boat hulls. It is proposed that this adhesive be used for mending fractured bones and attaching torn tendons. Also it could have application in the dental field. Although practical application of such a material in coatings is far removed from the present, it is not unreasonable to believe that such a peptide properly formulated could provide either an adhesive coating or a coating additive.