In our recent Science paper we described a new adhesive based on alpha-lipoic acid (aLA), a naturally-occurring compound. In addition to a variety of surgical applications, this paper describes performance as a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) and structural adhesive. Importantly, our adhesive polymer system can be reduced to monomeric building blocks in a two-step aqueous solvent system with over 80% monomer recovery. Developing polymers capable of closed-loop recycling is a highly desirable goal for a sustainable and circular economy.
