Enhanced shear strength of a medical adhesive due to an antimicrobial additive

Adhesives play a crucial role in many industries, including medicine, construction, and electronics. In the medical field, additives may be incorporated into adhesives to enhance drug delivery or prevent infection. This study explored the effects of two antimicrobial ceragenin (CSA) additives, CSA-44 and CSA-131, on the shear strength of a polyacrylate pressure sensitive adhesive. Strength of the adhesive bond was determined by lap shear tests. The adhesive formulation with CSA-131 exhibited significantly higher shear strength, 84.5 N, compared to the formulation with CSA-44 or the neat adhesive, 22.5 and 19.5 N, respectively. Preliminary analysis suggests that the longer hydrocarbon chains in CSA-131 enhance van der Waals forces, leading to improved adhesion to the nonpolar substrate. These findings shed light on possible molecular design principles for optimizing the properties of adhesive formulations.