Chemical Modification of Soy Protein for Wood Adhesives

Mussel protein is a strong and water‐resistant adhesive, but is expensive and not readily available. Soy protein is inexpensive, abundant, and annually renewable, but suffers from low adhesive strengths and low water resistance of the bonded products. This study reveals that introducing a key functional group from the marine adhesive protein to soy protein converts the soy protein to a strong and water‐resistant wood adhesive.