Welcome to the Wilker Lab
Biomimetic. Sustainable. Functional.
We focus on creating the next generation of adhesives and coatings, paying special attention to long-term environmental impact.
Research
The oceans abound with a fascinating array of materials produced by nature. Barnacles cement themselves to rocks. Starfish use adhesives for locomotion. Oysters aggregate to build reef structures. Mussels generate an impressive adhesive that can bond to nearly any surface. Our laboratory is working to understand how such biological materials function, design synthetic mimics, and develop applications for these materials.
We study how nature makes adhesives, and we continuously search for better ways to be inspired by what nature provides. By utilizing natural products and synthetic materials, we are able to make competitively strong materials without threatening ecosystems.
Latest Publications
Sustainably sourced components to generate high-strength adhesives
Here we present a sustainably sourced adhesive system, made from epoxidized soy oil, malic acid and tannic acid, with performance comparable to that of current industrial products.
Positive Charge Influences on the Surface Interactions and Cohesive Bonding of a Catechol-Containing Polymer
We examined the performance of a methacrylate polymer containing quaternary ammonium and catechol groups.
Underwater Bonding with a Biobased Adhesive from Tannic Acid and Zein Protein
Herein are presented several adhesive formulations made from zein protein and tannic acid that can bind to a wide range of surfaces underwater.