Poly(N-acryloyl dopamine) (PAD) was successfully synthesized through free-radical homopolymerization of N-acryloyl-O,O'-diphenylmethyldopamine and subsequent deprotection. The adhesive ability of PAD to wood was studied in detail. PAD underwent substantial oxidation and crosslinking reactions at about 80degreesC. Therefore, maple veneer samples bonded with PAD powder at a press temperature of 120degreesC had high shear strength and high water resistance. In contrast to conventional wood adhesives such as phenol-formaldehyde and urea-formaldehyde resins, PAD resulted in an increase, rather than a decrease, in the shear strengths of two-ply laminated maple veneer test specimens that had undergone a water soaking and drying treatment. A mixture of PAD and polyethylenimine (PEI) resulted in much higher shear strength than PAD alone. To achieve high shear strength and high water resistance, the maple specimens bonded with PAD-PEI mixtures had to be cured above 150degreesC because reactions between PAD and PEI occurred at about 150degreesC. The water resistance of the maple specimens bonded with the PAD-PEI mixtures was dependent on the PAD:PEI weight ratio and the curing temperature. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.