Byssus: From Inspiration to Development of Novel Composites

Fibrous shock-absorbing biopolymer byssus is responsible for attachment of diverse marine molluscs. This structure is recognized as an extra-corporeal thread made of tiny tendons which functions as organic anchor to a foreign surface. This fibrous, acellular construct is located outside of the living mollusc’s tissue. Human exploitation of byssus is known since ancient cultures where corresponding threads isolated from this biomaterial were woven into textile. Nowadays, this biopolymer remains to be an object for both bioinspired materials chemistry and biomaterials science especially in the field of adhesives that function effectively underwater. This chapter is dedicated to better understanding of the chemistry and selected materials features of byssus.