Professor Hyung Joon Cha (CE) developed nano protein particles that secrete chemicals in a certain pH, using the mechanism from adhesive mussel proteins. This achievement was selected as a cover article of Angewandte Chemie, a world-renowned journal in the field of Chemistry.
Prof. Cha utilized metal-catechol bonding, which is one of the mechanisms of mussel attachment. This bonding is critical in attaching mechanisms. Its strong coherence and ability to restore itself made it a popular motif of bio-binding agents and developing medical materials in the past. The research team of Prof. Cha used the fact that this bonding changes shape due to pH changes in its environment to make nano particles emit chemicals under a certain pH. These chemicals have adhesive properties, which means they can be attached successfully to the surface of biological tissues.
Unlike previous research, which focused on the protein itself, this research was the first to shed light on how people may apply the mechanism to new technologies.