Bioinspired pressure actuated adhesive system

D.R. Paretkar, M.M.G. Kamperman, A.S. Schneider, D. Martina, C. Creton, E. Arzt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

56 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We developed a dry synthetic adhesive system inspired by gecko feet adhesion that can switch reversibly from adhesion to non-adhesion with applied pressure as external stimulus. Micropatterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces with pillars of 30 µm length and 10 µm diameter were fabricated using photolithography and moulding. Adhesion properties were determined with a flat probe as a function of preload. For low and moderate applied compressive preloads, measured adhesion was 7.5 times greater than on flat controls whereas for high applied preloads adhesion dropped to very low values. In situ imaging shows that the increased preload caused the pillars to deform by bending and/or buckling and to lose their adhesive contact. The elasticity of PDMS aids the pillar recovery to the upright position upon removal of preload enabling repeatability of the switch.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1152-1159
JournalMaterials science & engineering. C, Biomimetic materials, sensors and systems
Volume31
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011

Keywords

  • biomimetic fibrillar interfaces
  • gecko foot-hair
  • contact mechanics
  • surfaces
  • attachment
  • friction
  • shape
  • devices
  • design
  • layer

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