AVS 58th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition
    Nanometer-scale Science and Technology Division Thursday Sessions
       Session NS-ThA

Invited Paper NS-ThA2
Biologically-Inspired Reversible Adhesives: Where Are We Now?

Thursday, November 3, 2011, 2:20 pm, Room 203

Session: Biological Nanomaterials
Presenter: Stanislav Gorb, Zoological Institute at the University of Kiel, Germany
Correspondent: Click to Email
Biological hairy attachment systems demonstrate their excellent adhesion and high reliability of contact. The structural background of various functional effects of such systems is discussed in the present paper. Additionally, it is demonstrated here, how comparative experimental biological approach can aid in development of novel adhesives. Experimental studies show that the effective elastic moduli of fiber arrays and spatula-like terminal elements are low, and this is of fundamental importance for adhesion enhancement on rough substrata and for an increased tolerance to defects at the level of individual contacts. Based on the broad structural and experimental studies of biological attachment devices, the first industrial bioinspired reversible adhesive foil was developed, which adhesive properties were characterised using variety of measurement techniques and compared with the flat surface made of the same polymer. The microstructured foil demonstrates considerably higher pull off force per unit contact area. The foil is less sensitive to contamination by dust particles, and after washing with water, its adhesive properties can be completely recovered. This glue-free, reversible adhesive is applicable in dynamic pick-and-drop processes, climbing robots, and other systems even under vacuum conditions. The foil represents therefore a considerable step towards development of industrial dry adhesives based on the combination of several principles previously found in biological attachment devices.