Mussel glue: Bioinspired underwater chemical bonding with the possibility of phototriggered debonding is reported. A four-arm star-poly(ethyleneglycol) endfunctionalized by nitrodopamine was synthesized. The nitrodopamine offered the reactivity of catechol and the chemistry of the photocleavable o-nitrophenyl ethyl group (see picture).

The incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles into (ethylene-vinyl alcohol)-based food packaging copolymers affords an opportunity to synthesize polymer-based nanocomposite materials with novel and powerful biocidal and photodegradability properties, resulting in the production of an advanced, environmentally friendly system prepared using a cost-effective synthesis method via a simple melt compounding without the need of a coupling agent incorporation. The presented materials display an unprecedented performance in the killing of both Gram positive and negative bacteria without the necessity of being release to the media and an easy degradation under sunlight which favorably competes with biodegradation procedures.

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