Biologically-Inspired Reversible Adhesives: Where Are We Now?
Prof. Dr. Stanislav N. Gorb
Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel
17:15 - 18:15 Tuesday 16 October 2012 TUG P2
Biological hairy attachment systems demonstrate their excellent adhesion and high reliability of contact. The structural background of various functional effects of such systems will be discussed in the talk.
Additionally, it will be demonstrated, how comparative experimental biological approach can aid in development of novel adhesives.
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 water or 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.
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