Synthetic adhesives containing 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine and its derivatives have strong adhesion strength and good biocompatibility, which make them prime candidates for adhesives or bioadhesives applications. In this study, a new photocurable poly (vinyl alcohol) (UV-PVA) derivative was prepared and used as crosslinking agent to further improve adhesion strength of dopamine methacrylamide (DMA) system. The structure of UV-PVA was confirmed, and the degree of acryloyl group substitution (DS) was easily varied from 10 to 40% by varying the molar ratio of acryloyl chloride to ?OH of PVA. The effects of ultraviolet light intensity, content of DMA and DS values of PVA on the photopolymerization kinetics were studied, and the effects of DS value on the adhesive strength, swelling performance and cell attachment were also investigated. It was found that adhesive containing UV-PVA with 40% DS value yielded the highest adhesive strength, a relatively low swelling ratio and good biocompatibility. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013