Sticky Science: Using Complex Coacervate Adhesives for Biomedical Applications

Abstract Tissue adhesives are used for various medical applications, including wound closure, bleeding control, and bone healing. Currently available options often show weak adhesion or cause adverse effects. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in complex coacervates as medical adhesives. Complex coacervates are formed by mixing oppositely charged macromolecules that associate and undergo liquid‐liquid phase separation, in which the dense bottom phase is the complex coacervate. Complex coacervates are strong and often biocompatible, and show strong underwater adhesion. The properties of the resulting materials are tunable by intrinsic factors such as polymer chemistry, molecular weight, charge density, and topology of the macromolecules, as well as extrinsic factors such as temperature, pH, and salt concentration. Therefore, complex coacervates are interesting new candidates for medical adhesives. In this review, it is described how complex coacervates form and how different factors influence their behavior. Next, an overview of recent studies on complex coacervates in the context of medical adhesives is presented. The application of complex coacervates as hemostatic or embolic agents, skin or bone repair adhesives, and soft tissue sealants is discussed. Lastly, additional possibilities for utilizing these materials in the future are discussed.