European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

POLYELECTROLYTE COMPLEX COACERVATES: ATTRACTIVE SOFT MATTER: DETAILED INSIGHTS AND APPLICATION IN ADHESIVE TECHNOLOGY

Partha Sarathi Roy*

ABSTRACT

Underwater adhesion is a great challenge for the development of adhesives as the attractive interfacial intermolecular interactions are usually weakened by the surface hydration layer. Complex coacervation is a liquid– liquid phase separation driven by complexation of oppositely charged macromolecules. Coacervates have been widely employed in many fields including the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries due to their intriguing interfacial and bulk material properties. More recently, the coacervation process of sessile organisms like marine mussels and sandcastle worms has inspired substantial research interest in the fabrication of long-lasting underwater adhesives. Here, this review provides an overview of complex coacervations in adhesive technology, with an emphasis on their characterization and the uses of such materials for applications in the fields of biomedicine and tissue engineering.

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